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Home , Buddy Kaye, Caveman (group), Charlie Drake, Dickie Valentine, Eddie Snyder, Sparkle (soundtrack)

Daily Sparkle CD - A Review of Famous of the Past

“Fascinating Facts” December 2017

Track 1 Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire The Christmas (commonly subtitled "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire") is a classic Christmas song written in 1944 by , composer, and vocalist Mel Tormé and Bob Wells. According to Tormé, the song was written during a blistering hot summer. In an effort to "stay cool by thinking cool", the most-performed Christmas song was born. "I saw four lines written on a notepad", Tormé recalled. "They started, "Chestnuts roasting..., Jack Frost nipping..., Yuletide carols..., Folks dressed up like Eskimos.' Bob (Wells, co-writer) hadn’t thought he was writing a song lyric! He said he thought if he could immerse himself in winter he could cool off! Forty minutes later that song was written.

Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. He owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big and jazz genres. He was one of the first black Americans to host a television . Cole fought racism all his life and rarely performed in segregated venues. In 1948, Cole purchased a house in an all-white neighbourhood of Los Angeles. The Ku Klux Klan, still active in Los Angeles well into the 1950s, responded by placing a burning cross on his front lawn. Members of the property-owners association told Cole they did not want any undesirables moving in. Cole retorted, "Neither do I. And if I see anybody undesirable coming in here, I'll be the first to complain. "Cole maintained worldwide popularity throughout his life and even since his death.

Track 2 I Wouldn’t Trade You For The World A hit for in 1963.

The Bachelors are a group, originating from Dublin, Ireland. Originally called The Harmonichords they changed their name to "The Bachelors" in 1962. Someone recommended the name "because that’s the kind of boy a girl likes." During the 1960s, they had many successful songs in music charts in Europe Australia, South Africa, South America, parts of the USSR, and the United States. Some of the most successful were "I Believe" (1961), "Charmaine" (1963), and "I Wouldn't Trade You for the World" (1964) and "In the Chapel in the Moonlight" (1965). In 1965 they had the 'most played juke box track' with "The Stars Will Remember".

Track 3 Simple Gifts Simple Gifts is a Shaker song written and composed in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett. The song was largely unknown outside Shaker communities until Aaron Copland used its melody for the score of Martha Graham's ballet Appalachian Spring, first performed in 1944.

Voices of Liberty Voices of Liberty is a world famous, eight part a cappella group that sings Americana, Folk and Patriotic Songs.

Track 4 A Handful Of Songs This track is a popular song, written by Jay Livingston with lyrics by Ray Evans was published in 1947. The song appeared in the Bob Hope and Jane Russell film, The Paleface, and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Tommy Steele OBE (born Thomas William Hicks, 17 December 1936), is an English entertainer. Steele is widely regarded as Britain's first teen idol and star. Steele shot quickly to fame in the UK as the frontman for a rock and roll band, the Steelmen, after their first single, "Rock With The Caveman," reached number 13 in 1956. Steele and other British singers would pick known hit records from the United States, record their cover versions of these songs, and release them in the UK before the American versions could enter the charts.

Track 5 Mockin' Bird Hill Is a 3/4 song was written by George Vaughn Horton best known through recordings by Patti Page and by Les Paul and Mary Ford in 1951. The music of Mockin' Bird Hill is based closely on a Swedish waltz called "Life in the Finnish Woods," recorded by Carl Jularbo in 1915, which enjoyed some popularity in the U.S.

Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theatre, television, and motion pictures. Ives expanded his appearances in films during the fifties and his movie credits include East of Eden, "Big Daddy" in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. In the 1960s Ives began singing with greater frequency.

Track 6 Fire Down Below Fire Down Below is the title song to a 1957 movie of the same name. It was performed by Jeri Southern, who had a top-30 hit with it. Shirley Bassey recorded the song shortly thereafter, and had a minor hit with it in the UK. It appears on her "The Bewitching Miss Bassey."

Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey, DBE (born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. She was born above a brothel in a docklands slum in Tiger Bay Cardiff. She was of paternal Nigerian and maternal English descent. She found fame in the mid-1950s and has been called "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century". In the US, in particular, she is best known for recording the theme songs to the James Bond films Goldfinger (1964), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Moonraker (1979).

Track 7 Walking In A Winter Wonderland Winter Wonderland is a winter song, popularly treated as a Christmastime pop standard, written in 1934 by Felix Bernard (music) and Richard B. Smith (lyricist). Through the decades it has been recorded by over 150 different artists.

Doris Day (born Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff, April 3, 1924) is an American actress, singer, and animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording, "Sentimental Journey", in 1945. Soon after she started her long-lasting partnership with , which would remain her only recording label. The contract lasted from 1947 to 1967, and included more than 650 recordings, making Day one of the most popular and acclaimed singers of the 20th century.

Track 8 Peggy Sue Peggy Sue is a rock and roll song written by Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison, and Norman Petty, and originally performed, recorded and released as a single by Buddy Holly in early July of 1957. The song was originally called "Cindy Lou", and was named for Buddy's niece. The title was later changed to "Peggy Sue" in reference to Crickets drummer Jerry Allison's girlfriend (and future wife), Peggy Sue Gerron, with whom he had recently had a temporary breakup.

Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer- and a pioneer of rock and roll. Although his success lasted only a year and a half before his death in an airplane crash, Holly is described by critic Bruce Eder as "the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll”. His works and innovations inspired and influenced contemporary and later , notably , Elvis Costello, The Rolling Stones, Don McLean, , and Eric Clapton, and exerted a profound influence on popular music.

Track 9 The Man from Laramie The Man from Laramie is a 1955 American film starring James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp, and Cathy O'Donnell. The film is about a stranger who defies a local cattle baron and his sadistic son by working for one of his oldest rivals. The Man from Laramie was one of the first Westerns to be filmed in CinemaScope and Technicolour to capture the vastness of the scenery. The song is from the movie.

Sir Leslie Ronald "Jimmy" Young CBE (born 21 September 1921) is a British singer, disc jockey and radio interviewer. He was born in Gloucestershire and served in WW2. He was signed to Polygon Records in 1950, one of the label's few stars alongside another newcomer, . He released numerous records on the label, all conducted by Ron Goodwin, the biggest seller of which was "Too Young" (1951) a big sheet music seller in the days before the UK Singles Chart had begun. It was a cover of Nat King Cole's American recording. There were also two duets with Petula Clark that year, "Mariandl" and "Broken Heart". Young enjoyed Top 10 successes with "Eternally", "Chain Gang" and "More. His most successful year as a recording artist was 1955, when "Unchained Melody" (from the film Unchained) and "The Man from Laramie" (from the film of the same name) were both number one hits.

Track 10 Christmas Alphabet Christmas Alphabet is a 1955 Christmas song, which became a hit for the singer Dickie Valentine. It was written by Buddy Kaye and Jules Loman. It is also the first Christmas Number 1 that is actually about Christmas, a trend that has continued off and on over the next several decades.

Dickie Valentine (4 November 1929[1] – 6 May 1971) was an English pop singer in the 1950s. In 1949, Valentine, who at the time was relatively unknown, was signed by to join his band and his career was launched. In November 1954, Valentine was invited to sing at the Royal Command Performance, and in February 1955 he was top billed at the Palladium. Not only did he sing, he also did jokes and impersonated many people, including , , Mario Lanza, and Billy Daniels. He recorded two number one hits, "Christmas Alphabet" and "Finger of Suspicion". In 1961, he had a television series Calling Dickie Valentine. In 1966 Valentine partnered with Peter Sellers on the ATV sketch show The Dickie Valentine Show. Although his fame began to wane during the 1960s, he remained a popular live performer until his death.

Track 11 Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree is a Christmas song written by Johnny Marks and recorded by in 1958. Despite sounding so mature she recorded the song when she was only 13 years old.

Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known as Brenda Lee, is an American performer and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1960s. She sang , pop and country music. She is best known for her 1960 hit ‘I'm Sorry’, and 1958's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", a U.S holiday standard for more than 50 years. Lee's voice, pretty face and stage presence won her wide attention from the time she was five years old. At age six, she won a local singing contest sponsored by local elementary schools. The reward was a live appearance on an Atlanta radio show, Starmakers Revue. Her father died in 1953, and by the time she turned ten, she was the primary breadwinner of her family through singing at events and on local radio and television shows. At 4 ft 9 inches tall, she received the nickname Little Miss Dynamite in 1957 after recording the song ‘Dynamite’. Her 1961 rockabilly release ‘Let's Jump the Broomstick’ was a hit in the UK.

Track 12 Over the Hills & Far Away Over the Hills and Far Away is a traditional English song, dating back to at least the late 17th century. The words have changed over the years. The only consistent element in early versions is the title line and the tune. Some versions refer to lovers while this version n refers to joining the army.

John Tams (born 16 February 1949) is an English actor, singer, songwriter, composer and musician. He left school at 15 without any qualifications and worked in fairgrounds before training as a journalist. Tams was a member of Derbyshire folk group Muckram Wakes in the 1970s. He also worked as a music consultant at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and on War Horse which opened at the National Theatre in 2007. John Tams may be best known to the general public through having played one of the supporting roles in the ITV drama series Sharpe as one of the "Chosen Men": rifleman and former poacher Daniel Hagman, a whimsical, sober, steady hand in the 95th Rifles.

Track 13 Bonnie Heilan Laddie. Highland Laddie, also known as "Hielan' Laddie", is the name of a Scottish popular folk tune "If Thou'lt Play Me Fair Play",[1] but as with many old melodies various sets of words can be sung to it, of which Robert Burns’ poem "Highland Laddie" is probably the best known.

The Kingston Trio is an American folk and group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act then rose to international popularity, fuelled by unprecedented sales of 33⅓ rpm long-playing record (LPs). The Kingston Trio was one of the most prominent groups of the era's pop-folk boom that started in 1958 with the release of their first album and hit recording of Tom Dooley. In 1961, the Trio was described as "the most envied, the most imitated, and the most successful singing group, folk or otherwise, in all show business”.

Track 14 California, Here I Come! California, Here I Come is a song written for the 1921 Broadway musical Bombo, starring Al Jolson. The song was written by Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Meyer, with Jolson often listed as a co-author. Jolson recorded the song in 1924. It is often called the unofficial state song of California.

Al Jolson (May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was an American singer, comedian, and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed ‘The World's Greatest Entertainer’. His performing style was brash and extroverted, and he popularised a large number of songs that benefited from his "shamelessly sentimental, melodramatic approach". In the 1930s, Jolson was America's most famous and highest paid entertainer. Between 1911 and 1928, Jolson had nine sell-out Winter Garden shows in a row, more than 80 hit records, and 16 national and international tours. Although he's best remembered today as the star in the first (full length) talking movie, The Jazz Singer in 1927, he later starred in a series of successful musical films throughout the 1930s. After a period of inactivity, his stardom returned with the 1946 Oscar-winning biographical film, The Jolson Story. After the attack on Pearl Harbour, Jolson became the first star to entertain troops overseas during World War II, and again in 1950 became the first star to perform for G.I.s in Korea, doing 42 shows in 16 days. He died just weeks after returning to the U.S., partly due to the physical exertion of performing.

Track 15 Here Comes Santa Claus Here Comes Santa is a Christmas song written by and Oakley Haldeman. Autry got the idea for the song after riding his horse in the 1946 Santa Claus Lane Parade (now the Hollywood Christmas Parade) in Los Angeles during which crowds of spectators chanted, "Here comes Santa Claus". This inspired him to write a song that Haldeman set to music.

Gene Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), was an American performer who gained fame as a on the radio, in movies, and on television for more than three decades beginning in the early 1930s. Autry was also owner of a television station, several radio stations in Southern California, and the Los Angeles/California Angels Major League Baseball team from 1961 to 1997. From 1934 to 1953, Autry appeared in 93 films and 91 episodes of The Gene Autry Show television series. During the 1930s and 1940s, he personified the straight-shooting hero—honest, brave, and true—and profoundly touched the lives of millions of Americans. Autry was also one of the most important figures in the history of country music. His singing cowboy movies were the first vehicle to carry country music to a national audience. In addition to his signature song, , Autry is still remembered for his Christmas holiday songs, Here Comes Santa Claus, which he wrote, , and his biggest hit, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". The town of Gene Autry, Oklahoma was named in his honour.

Track 16 Tears Tears is a song written by lyricist Frank Capano and composer Billy Uhr, and was first recorded by Rudy Vallee in 1929. It was made famous by Ken Dodd as a single, released in 1965.

Kenneth Arthur "Ken" Dodd, OBE (born 8 November 1927) is an English comedian, singer-songwriter and actor, identified by his trademark unruly hair and protruding teeth, his red, white and blue "tickling stick" and his famous, upbeat greeting of "How tickled I am!" He also created the world and characters of the Diddy Men, with 'diddy' being Liverpudlian slang for small. He works mainly in the tradition, although, in the past, has occasionally appeared in drama, including as Malvolio in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night on stage in Liverpool in 1971; on television in the cameo role of 'The Tollmaster' in the 1987 Doctor Who story Delta and the Bannermen; and as Yorick (in silent flashback) in Kenneth Branagh's film version of Shakespeare's Hamlet in 1996. In the 1960s his fame was such that he rivalled the Beatles as a household name. His records have sold millions worldwide.

Track 17 My Boomerang Won’t Come Back by Charlie Drake My Boomerang Won't Come Back was a novelty record by British comedian Charlie Drake which became a surprise hit on both sides of the Atlantic in 1961.The tune concerns a young Aboriginal lad (with Drake's signature Cockney accent) cast out by his tribe due to his inability to toss a boomerang.

Charlie Drake (19 June 1925 – 23 December 2006) was an English comedian, actor, writer and singer. Drake made his first appearance on stage at the age of eight, and after leaving school toured working men's clubs. With his small stature (5' 1" tall), curly red hair and liking for slapstick he was a popular comedian with children in his early years. He appeared in the television shows Drake's Progress (1957) and The Charlie Drake Show (1960 to 1961), being remembered for his opening catchphrase "Hello, my darlings!" The later series was ended, however, by a serious accident that occurred in 1961, during a live transmission. Drake had arranged for a bookcase to be set up in such a way that it would fall apart during a slapstick sketch. It was later discovered that an over-enthusiastic workman had ‘mended’ the bookcase before the broadcast and Drake was knocked out by the book case as it fell. The actors were unaware of this and carried on with the Show. Drake fractured his skull and was unconscious for three days. It was two years before he returned to the screen. He was the subject of This Is Your Life on two occasions, in 1961 and 1995. He carried on performing until the 1990’s.

Track 18 Nellie the Elephant Nellie the Elephant is a song written in 1956 by Ralph Butler and Peter Hart about a fictional intelligent elephant of the same name. The original version was recorded by English child actress Mandy Miller. Although never a hit single, it was played countless times on BBC national radio in the UK in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly on "Children's Favourites". Children's author Jacqueline Wilson chose the song as one of her Desert Island Discs in October 2005.

Mandy Miller (born Carmen Isabella Miller, 23 July 1944) is an English child actress who made a number of films in the 1950s and is probably best remembered for her recording of the song "Nellie the Elephant". At the age of 18, Miller moved to New York to become an au pair. She lives now in retirement in England.

Track 19 Strangers in the Night is a popular song originally composed by Avo Uvezian as "Broken Guitar" and later renamed by with English lyrics by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder. The song was made famous in 1966 by .

Frank Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) began his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the "bobby soxers", he released his first album, The Voice of Frank Sinatra in 1946. His professional career had stalled by the 1950s, but it was reborn in 1953 after he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in From Here to Eternity. He signed with Capitol Records in 1953 and released several critically lauded albums (such as In the Wee Small Hours, Songs for Swingin' Lovers, Come Fly with Me, Only the Lonely and Nice 'n' Easy). He toured internationally, was a founding member of the Rat Pack and fraternised with celebrities and statesmen, including John F. Kennedy.

Track 2o Blue Suede Shoes Blue Suede Shoes is a rock and roll standard written and first recorded by Carl Perkins in 1955 and is considered one of the first rockabilly (rock and roll) records and incorporated elements of blues, country and pop music of the time performed his version of the song three different times on national television. It was also recorded by Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran among many others.

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known by the single name Elvis. Presley was one of the most popular musicians of the 20th-century. Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Presley moved to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family at the age of 13. He began his career there in 1954, working with Sun Records owner Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African- American music to a wider audience. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was the most important person to populist of rockabilly, an up-tempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country and . Presley's first single, Heartbreak Hotel, released in January 1956, was a number-one hit. He became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll with a series of network television appearances and chart- topping records. His energised interpretations of songs, many from African- American sources, and his uninhibited performance style made him enormously popular—and controversial. In November 1956, he made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Drafted into military service in 1958, Presley re- launched his recording career two years later. He staged few concerts however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums. In 1968, after seven years away from the stage, he returned to live performance in a celebrated comeback television special. In 1973 Presley staged the first concert broadcast globally via satellite, Aloha from Hawaii. Prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at the age of 42.

Track 21 My Favourite Things This song was first introduced by Mary Martin and Patricia Neway in the original Broadway production and sung by Julie Andrews in the 1965 film. In the musical, the lyrics to the song are a reference to things Maria loves, such as 'raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens'. These are the things she selects to fill her mind with when times are bad. Maria sings it with the children during the thunderstorm scene in her bedroom.

Dame Julie Andrews was born in 1935 and is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of many screen and theatre awards. Andrews is a former child actress and singer who made her Broadway debut in a 1954 production of The Boy Friend, and rose to prominence starring in musicals such as My Fair Lady and Camelot. In 1957, she made her television debut with the title role in Cinderella, which was seen by over 100 million viewers. Andrews was in Mary Poppins (1964) and The Sound of Music (1965). From 1964 to 1967, she was the biggest film star in the world, with the additional box office successes of her films The Americanisation of Emily, Hawaii, Torn Curtain, and Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Track 22 Lord of the Dance Lord of the Dance is a hymn with words written by English songwriter Sydney Carter in 1963. He borrowed the tune from the American Shaker song "Simple Gifts". The hymn is widely performed in English-speaking congregations and assemblies. It follows the idea of a traditional English carol, "Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day" which tells the gospel story in the first person voice of Jesus of Nazareth with the device of portraying Jesus' life and mission as a dance.

The Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in Dublin in 1962. The band started o as The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group, named in honour of its founding member, they subsequently renamed themselves as The Dubliners. The group line-up has seen many changes over their fifty year career. However, the group's success was centred around lead singers Luke Kelly and Ronnie Drew, both of whom are now deceased. The band garnered international success with their lively Irish folk songs, traditional street ballads and instrumentals. The band were regulars on the folk scenes in both Dublin and London in the early 1960s, until they were signed to the Minor Major label in 1965 after backing from Dominic Behan. They went on to receive extensive airplay on Radio Caroline, and eventually appeared on in 1967 with hits "Seven Drunken Nights" and "Black Velvet Band". Often performing songs considered controversial at the time, they drew criticism from some folk purists and Ireland’s national broadcaster RTÉ had placed an unofficial ban on their music from 1967-71. During this time the band’s popularity began to spread across mainland Europe and they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in the United States. The group’s success remained steady right through the 1970s and a number of collaborations with The Pogues in 1987 saw them enter the UK Singles Chart on another two occasions.

Track 23 Santa Baby Santa Baby is a 1953 Christmas song written by Joan Javits and . The song is a tongue-in-cheek look at a Christmas list sung by a woman who wants extravagant gifts such as sables, yachts, and decorations from Tiffany's. It is one of only two hit Christmas songs written by a woman.

Eartha Mae Kitt (January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of C'est Si Bon and the enduring Christmas novelty smash Santa Baby. Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the world." She took over the role of Cat woman for the third and final season of the 1960s Batman television series, replacing Julie Newmar.

Track 24 When My Little Girl is Smiling When My Little Girl Is Smiling was a hit by The Drifters in 1962. It reached 31 in the UK chart.

The Drifters are a long-lived American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group. According to magazine, the Drifters were the least stable of the great vocal groups, as they were low-paid musicians hired by George Treadwell, who owned the Drifters name. There have been 60 vocalists in the history of the Treadwell Drifters line-up.

Track 25 The Virgin Mary Had A Baby This is a traditional sacred gospel song from America composed by Douglas Walczak.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is named after the Salt Lake Tabernacle where it has performed for over a hundred years. The Tabernacle itself was finished in 1867. The Tabernacle also houses a very impressive organ, consisting of 11,623 pipes, making it one of the largest and most elaborate organs in the world. The choir was actually founded in August 1847, one month after the Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley. Since July 15, 1929, the choir has performed a weekly radio broadcast called Music and the Spoken Word. The choir has 360 members, is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to support the organization.

Track 26 My Heart Belongs to Daddy My Heart Belongs to Daddy is a song written by Cole Porter, for the 1938 musical Leave It to Me! which premiered on Nov 9, 1938. Mary Martin who played Dolly Winslow, the young “protégée” of a rich newspaper publisher, originally performed it.

Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 - November 3, 1990) was an American actress, singer and Broadway star. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein she originated many leading roles over her career including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music. She was also the mother of actor Larry Hagman. She became popular on Broadway and received attention in the national media singing "My Heart Belongs to Daddy". Martin reprised the song in Night and Day, a Hollywood film about Cole Porter, in which she played herself auditioning for Porter played by Cary Grant.

Track 27 This Ole House This Ole House is a popular song written by , and published in 1954. Hamblen was supposedly on a hunting expedition when he and his fellow hunter, actor John Wayne, came across a tumbledown hut in the mountains, many miles from civilisation. They went into the hut and there, lying amongst rubble of a crumbling building, was the body of a dead man. The man's dog was still alive and, although starving, guarding his dead master's home. This inspired Hamblen to write "This Ole House," which and later Shakin' Stevens, treated as a bouncy rock n roll number, rather than the epitaph for a mountain man that it was meant to be.

Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House" In 1954, she starred, along with , Danny Kaye, and Vera-Ellen, in the movie White Christmas. Clooney's career languished in the 1960s, partly due to problems related to depression and drug addiction, but revived in 1977, when her Bing Crosby asked her to appear with him at a show marking his 50th anniversary in show business. Clooney suffered for much of her life from bipolar disorder. She continued recording until her death in 2002.

Track 28 I Saw Three Ships I Saw Three Ships (Come Sailing In) is a traditional and popular Christmas carol from England. The earliest printed version of ‘I Saw Three Ships’ is from the 17th century, possibly from Derbyshire.

The Choir of King's College, Cambridge is one of today's most accomplished and renowned representatives of the great British choral tradition. It was created by King Henry VI, who founded King's College, Cambridge in 1441, to provide daily singing in his Chapel, which remains the main task of the choir to this day. Today the choir derives much of its fame from the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, broadcast worldwide to millions on Christmas Eve every year, and the TV service Carols from King's which accompanies it.

Track 29 Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a song written by Johnny Marks based on the 1939 story Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer published by the Montgomery Ward Company. In 1939 Marks' brother-in-law, Robert L. May, created Rudolph as an assignment for Montgomery Ward and Marks decided to adapt the story of Rudolph into a song.

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation. A multimedia star, from 1934 to 1954 Bing Crosby was a leader in record sales, radio ratings and motion picture hits. His early career coincided with technical recording innovations; this allowed him to develop a laid-back, intimate singing style that influenced many of the popular male singers who followed him, including , Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin. Crosby boosted American G.I. morale during World War II and, during his peak years, around 1948, polls declared him the "most admired man alive," ahead of Jackie Robinson and Pope Pius XII.

Track 30 Once In Royal David City Once in Royal David's City is a Christmas carol originally written as poem by Cecil Frances Alexander.

Westminster Cathedral Choir: The establishment of a fine choral foundation was part of the original vision of the founder of Westminster Cathedral, Cardinal Herbert Vaughan. Vaughan laid great emphasis on the beauty and integrity of the new cathedral’s liturgy, and regarded a residential choir school as essential to the realisation of his vision. Daily sung Masses and Offices were immediately established when the cathedral opened in 1903, and have continued without interruption ever since. Today, Westminster Cathedral Choir is the only professional Catholic choir in the world to sing daily Mass and Vespers.

Track 31 Away In A Manger Away in a Manger is a Christmas carol first published in 1885 in Philadelphia and used widely throughout the English-speaking world. In Britain it is one of the most popular carols. A very popular arrangement in Britain, is Sir David Willcocks' version of the carol. This version is often performed by the English choirs.

Maureen Hegarty Is an Irish classical singer who has performed all over the world. She has sung on stage with and The Chieftains. She has had her own BBC TV series and is well loved in Ireland and abroad.