<![CDATA[The Sounds of Christmas

<![CDATA[The Sounds of Christmas - News]]>Sun, 07 Jun 2026 21:25:12 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[The Sounds Of Christmas From A To Z (Year 4)]]>Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:34:14 GMThttps://www.soundsofchristmas.com/news/the-sounds-of-christmas-from-a-to-z-year-4

Now that it’s June, that means Leon Day is just around the corner. That’s June 25th, six months until Christmas Day. And not to wish the days away, but just passed that, it will be July - and for many Christmas podcasters (and Christmas peeps in general), that means Christmas In July!

For the last three years, I’ve done something on the Sounds of Christmas I hadn’t done since I launched the station in 2007 - I played nearly every song in our library in alphabetical order. And as you’ve probably guessed, that tradition will continue this year.

Once again, I have added hundreds of songs since this time last year, around four hundred more since last July. Well, there are four hundred more songs in the first part of the A-Z event, where I play almost every song in our library alphabetically by song title. So this year, it will take over twelve hours just to get to Mariah Carey’s "All I Want For Christmas Is You"!

Overall, I think it’s safe to say that the Sounds of Christmas from A To Z will be a lot different, and much longer, than last year’s. And while it is a lot of work, it does seem to get a really nice response, and I just had to keep the tradition going. It seems to be a pretty good way to spread some more musical Christmas spirit, even though Christmas is still far away.

So here’s how it works.

Starting on July 1st, at 6am Eastern, I’ll be giving you the Sounds of Christmas from A to Z, playing almost every song in our library in alphabetical order by song title. And, at this point, I honestly have no idea how long it will go on. Last year, it took over 20 hours just to get through all the songs that start with A (which was five hours longer than the year before).

So, a couple things about this.

First, here’s how I came up with my list. I took my master library list and put it in a Google doc, then I set it to alphabetize all the entries by song title. For the most part, I think this worked okay. In some instances, punctuation in the song titles made it tricky. Sometimes, I was able to move those songs around where they made the most sense, but that probably wasn’t always the case. So you may hear a song that seems out of place, and that could be the reason.

Or it could be other things. Sometimes artists change the name of a song they’re covering. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" becomes, simply, "A Merry Little Christmas". "My Grown Up Christmas List" becomes just "Grown Up Christmas List". And "Run Rudolph Run" is sometimes listed as "Run Run Rudolph". I’m sure there are plenty of others, but those are the ones that leap to mind.

I tried to deal with that as best I could, but this was a huge undertaking, trying to organize thousands of songs. Another reason that, upon occasion, there may be a song that seems out of place. And while I tried to get all the versions of particular songs together, sometimes I just didn’t catch the differences in titles, so it’s possible the same song (by different artists) might pop up in two different places. Maybe even three.

That said, I’m not playing every different version of every single song. I did consider that in the beginning when I first started doing this, and I thought it might be interesting to hear so many different artists with their own interpretations of each song. I took a look again and, if I did that, there would be over eleven hours of different versions of “Silver Bells”.

I like “Silver Bells". A lot. Maybe even more than most. But I don’t think even I would listen to eleven hours of it.

So I went through and picked one particular version of each song that had multiple versions, to kind of represent the song. This year, for the most part, I went with the first version (or at least the oldest I could find). That didn’t always work, and it wasn’t even always the case. But that was my plan when I started putting this together this year, and I think that, most of the time, I stuck to it.

I didn’t include Chanukah, Kwanza or New Years songs, or Thanksgiving or Halloween songs. However, Christmas songs that also included elements of Chanukah, Kwanzaa, New Years, Thanksgiving and Halloween are part of the A to Z event.

For songs that started with numbers, I simply spelled out the numbers, and you’ll find them accordingly. I also took out a lot of the the’s and a’s that started a song title. But not all. I made a lot of judgment calls on that, taking away the ones I thought were unnecessary, while leaving others I thought were important. Like “The Christmas Song”. That’s how everyone refers to it, not just “Christmas Song”, so that “the” stayed. And when I could, I tried to respect artists’ decisions on the titles of their songs, so some of those retained the a’s and the’s. You get the idea.

I included lots of medleys, and some of the songs included in those will be found elsewhere in the entire A to Z event. I went back and forth on this, and finally decided that medleys are just more popular in Christmas music than in any other genre, so excluding them just seemed wrong. That’s why you’ll hear "Let It Snow" followed by a medley of "Let It Snow" and "Winter Wonderland". And a couple other medleys that also start with "Let It Snow".

And there are some medleys artists released that they simply called Christmas Medley, so that’s where I put them, between "Christmas Means More This Year" and "Christmas Memories".

I may have made some mistakes. I probably did. I’m pretty sure I did. As with the past three years, this was a much bigger thing to put together than I thought it would be. So some songs might come up in the wrong place. Some songs might play more than once. And some might not show up at all. None of that is on purpose. Just human error. My apologies if there’s a song you want to hear and somehow it doesn’t show up where it seems like it should (or you miss it because it’s just in the wrong place).

I also get that you may not agree with the choices I make as far as which version of a particular song gets played. In most cases, as I said, I tried to go with the first version, but a couple times I shook things up a little to pick something you might not expect. And once or twice (maybe more), I picked an instrumental and a vocal version for a particular song.

I know that this isn’t for everybody. When some people listen to Christmas music, they want Bing’s “White Christmas”. They want Nat King Cole and Elvis. For others it’s Mariah Carey and Kelly Clarkson. And while all of those artists do appear, more than once, in the Sounds of Christmas from A to Z, it will take a while to get to Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”. And if you miss Mariah’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” on that first day, you won’t get to hear it again for a long time.

But, if you love Christmas music, all kinds of Christmas music, you’ll get a real taste of what I mean when I say the Sounds of Christmas plays the best variety of Christmas music. You’ll hear lots of songs you may never have heard before, and you’ll hear lots of artists that you may have never heard before, either. But I think you’re going to like it (at least I hope you do)!

I’ll probably send periodic updates through social media to let you know where we are as the month of July rolls on (and possibly August).

I’m set to kick this off on July 1st with Faith Hill’s “A Baby Changes Everything”, and then keep on going until at some point we get to “Zydeco Christmas” by C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band. It seems like it took a couple weeks to do this last year, and there are a lot more songs this time around, so it should take a little longer, but since I’m still programming it all, I really don’t know. I guess we’ll find out together.

And lastly, I started this episode off, mentioning that I’ve added hundreds of songs since I did this last year. Those weren’t all new songs from 2025. There were lots of old releases that came back into print, or were finally released for the first time (or in a slightly different configuration). So I also added a lot of songs that hadn’t been available for a long time (and in some cases, songs that had never been released in the first place). And I also came across a few surprises - songs I didn’t know existed, or rare songs that I hadn’t been able to find before.

Anyway, despite all the caveats and possible mistakes, I hope the whole thing is fun, and that, if you do tune in, you like what you hear.

]]><![CDATA[Happy New Year 2025!]]>Tue, 30 Dec 2025 20:45:58 GMThttps://www.soundsofchristmas.com/news/happy-new-year-2025Happy New Year! And thank you for an amazing 2025!

I feel like I say thank you a lot, but I really want to convey how grateful I am that you continue to listen to the Sounds of Christmas station and podcast.

For the station, I don’t know that we broke any records this year. And, to be honest, with more people than ever listening on their phones, tablets and other devices, and with security improvements made to protect your privacy, we have an even higher percentage ever of listeners in unknown areas.

In fact, unknown has more listeners than most - there are only seven other countries with more listeners: Hungary, the United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Korea and Ukraine (and I wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t hit the number one spot in the next couple years).

Bulgaria and Norway round out the top ten.

I’m not bragging, and I hope it doesn’t sound like I am. Frankly, these days, when it’s easier than ever to make a Christmas music playlist, I am so grateful, and even humbled, that so many seem to return to the Sounds of Christmas, year after year (and, since the station is on all year long, that so many continue to listen long after the traditional season has wrapped up).

And, really, the geographic particulars aren’t that important, at least not to me. I started the Sounds of Christmas back in 2007, hoping to share my love of Christmas and Christmas music with any who might be interested. And it’s beyond gratifying to know that, as I wrap up the eighteenth season, people are still sharing at least part of the season with me. No matter what state, or what country, they’re in.

I’m writing this as New Year's Eve becomes New Year’s Eve, at least on the East Coast of the U.S. And while I’m doing that, I’m listening to a "Always In the Season" by Pomplamoose (along with listeners in Cincinnati, Tuscaloosa, Redwood City, Toronto, Bulgaria, Hungary, New Zealand, Germany and Ukraine). And I think that’s pretty cool. I’m just so appreciative of everyone that takes the time to spend even just a little of this very special season with me.

So, thank you for listening. And while traditional radio stations have already put away their Christmas music, the Sounds of Christmas is still on, playing the Best Variety of Christmas all year long (except, as you probably know, when October rolls around and we switch to Halloween music for the month).

I’m also grateful for the support you’ve given to the Sounds of Christmas podcast. I believe we just posted our 298th episode, as we near the end of our fifth year.

Like the Sounds of Christmas station, I wasn’t sure that anyone else would be interested in listening to me talk about Christmas music, but I thought I’d give it a shot. And I owe a tremendous amount of thank you’s to you for streaming and downloading so many episodes. Especially during the past year, which saw the podcast pass the 500k mark.

Previously, I’ve mentioned several awards that the Sounds of Christmas podcast received and lists we made for top Christmas music podcast. I don’t think that’s something I want to do again, as it just feels like bragging. In fact, this is probably the last time I’ll mention the streaming/download milestone we just passed.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m definitely thrilled to have the Sounds of Christmas podcast recognized like this, but it’s pretty amazing to be around so many other terrific podcasts. And I hope if you check any of the top Christmas podcast lists (and you can just Google that, if you want) you might find me there, but you’ll also find a bunch of other really good Christmas podcasts, and I hope you’ll check those out. I’m pretty sure you’ll find some that you like.

Really, all I can say is Wow. And thank you.

Thanks so much for listening, helping me share some Christmas Spirit and for continuing to support the Sounds of Christmas station and podcast.

May you always believe in Santa Claus.

]]><![CDATA[Merry Christmas 2025]]>Tue, 30 Dec 2025 20:32:42 GMThttps://www.soundsofchristmas.com/news/merry-christmas-2025

Merry Christmas!

I have been so excited to be able to run the Sounds of Christmas these past eighteen seasons, and I wanted to start this off by thanking you for listening - whether you just found us this year, or you've been listening all along, or you're somewhere in the middle. I am so grateful that I was able to spend at least part of the holiday season with you!

For years, people asked us to stay on year-round. While we've been fortunate enough to have a growing audience over the last nineteen seasons, I didn't really think there would be many who would actually listen to a Christmas music station throughout the year.

Then, near the end of December 2017, I watched "A Christmas Carol" again, as I try to do at least once every December. And this part really struck a chord with me. “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”

So we decided to do it.

Instead of signing off after Epiphany, as we did for the first ten years, we stayed on year-round. And while our daily audience did decrease by a huge percentage, it was gratifying to see that some were still listening - maybe not every day, but often enough that we noticed.

I'm sure there are those who will continue to scoff at this. There might even be a few who are really annoyed at the idea of Christmas music all year long. My hope, though, is that whenever you feel like you could use a dose of Christmas spirit, you'll remember that we're still on.

And if you like what we do, and feel so moved that you'd like to help keep us going, we'd be happy to have your financial support to help stay on! You can just click below and donate on the Paypal link, putting whatever you can or whatever you want to in our virtual tip jar!

Mostly, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas! And I wanted to thank you for listening - to this station and also to the Sounds of Christmas podcast.

I started the Sounds of Christmas podcast near the beginning of 2021, with no real idea what I was doing or if anyone would be interested in what I had to offer. After all, “Christmas music and other related topics” seems like a pretty small niche.

Along the way, I met some really cool folks in the Christmas Podcast network, who all do a wide variety of podcasts, all dedicated to some aspect of this season that we all love.

It’s been fun being a part of this group, and I’ve been fortunate to have even been able to have some of them on this podcast over the last few years, and I’ve been honored to have been invited onto some of theirs, too. I look forward to all of that continuing into 2026.

I also want to thank the artists that have advertised on the Sounds of Christmas station, or given their time to appear on episodes of the podcast.

Those include Liz Kennedy, Muirgan O’Mahony from Celtic Woman, Cliff Beach, Dan Ashley, Bob Sirois, Michael Sweet from Stryper, Mellani Day, Olivia Van Door, Kenny Nolan, James Robert Webb, Kevin Scott Hall, Dionya Marie, Linda Imperial, Luminare Christmas, Michelle Malone, David Arkenstone, Fans Of Jimmy Century, Judith Owen, Kenny Davies, Laurie Berkner, Suzanne from Suzanne’s Band and the Hound + the Fox.

You’ve gotten the chance to meet most of those singers and musicians on the last couple months of episodes, and one of the things I usually talk to singers and musicians about is being categorized as this kind of performer or that kind, and how the industry likes to put artists in boxes, even though there are multiple genres that they love and perform in.

I’m sure that applies to all of us. And even though you’re reading this on the Sounds of Christmas website, there are probably more things that you love about Christmas than just music. So I encourage you to check out some of those artists, and invite them to help you further enjoy the season, and maybe you'll find some of their non-Christmas music that speaks to you!

Mostly, though, I want to thank you. Thanks for listening to the podcast, and for listening to the Sounds of Christmas station.

And while I don’t usually like to talk about numbers, the podcast hit a milestone recently, as we went over five hundred thousand downloads and streams! Thank you so much for that. As I mentioned earlier, when I started the podcast, I wasn’t even sure if anyone besides me, and maybe my Mom, would listen. It is really amazing to find that there are so many others that love Christmas music so much they want to listen to conversation with others who also love Christmas music, talking about, for the most part, Christmas music!

I’m writing this on Christmas Eve Eve, and there are thousands in the U.S. listening to the Sounds of Christmas station right now, as well as thousands more in eighty three other countries. Wow!

When I first got into traditional radio, and was working on Christmas Day at my first station (two shifts on that day that totaling eighteen hours), it was kind of a thrill to get to feel like I was playing music that was a part of so many other people’s celebrations and observations of the holiday. And now, I’m lucky enough to get to do that again. In fact, this is the end of the nineteenth season of the Sounds of Christmas, so I’ve been lucky enough to be able to do that for a long time.

And I still get that feeling, that warm Christmassy feeling that means I’m getting to spend at least a part of the Christmas season with you, and with so many, all over the globe.

Thank you for that, too. I started the Sounds of Christmas station with the idea that there was just so much great Christmas music out there, and so little of it was actually getting played on traditional radio, maybe some other Christmas music fans would like an alternative, where you really got to hear the Best Variety of Christmas music.

And now, season after season, I get to share the Christmas music I love with so many others who love it, too.

Thank you. And I hope you have a wonderful, Merry Christmas, and that 2026 is your best year, yet.

And, I hope you always believe in Santa Claus!

Ken

]]><![CDATA[December Special Events]]>Wed, 03 Dec 2025 01:27:11 GMThttps://www.soundsofchristmas.com/news/december-special-eventsThe Sounds of Christmas has some special events coming soon!

First, on December 9, we're giving thanks to all the singers and bands that have supported us over the years - from those in our earliest days to artists supporting us for the first time this year! Every single song we play on that day will be from them. It's our way of saying thanks for helping us get up and running, and stay up and running! It's a Gratitude Tuesday!

The following Tuesday, December 16, will be a New Music Tuesday! All day, you will only hear songs released in 2025! This will give you a chance to hear lots of the new music that's been released (or is going to be released) for this holiday season!

And in December, each weekend leading up to Christmas, you'll have the opportunity to catch our brand new exclusive special: The Beatles Christmas Anthology - exploring most of the Christmas music from John, Paul, George and Ringo, as the Beatles and as solo artists!

This will air for the first time on 12/6 at 8pm (Eastern). Then the following Saturday (12/13) at 10pm (Eastern). And one final time the Saturday before Christmas (12/20) at 9pm (Eastern).

We're also working on one or two more specials for December, and hope to have all the details soon! We'll also be updating this page with more specific info, especially for dates and times!

Thanks so much for listening and spending part of this wonderful season with the Sounds of Christmas, and we hope you enjoy some (or all) of the specials we have in story for you!

]]><![CDATA[Podcast Countdown For 2025]]>Thu, 06 Nov 2025 02:09:00 GMThttps://www.soundsofchristmas.com/news/podcast-countdown-for-2025For the third year in a row, to mark the pending arrival of the new season of the Sounds of Christmas, I highlighted the top ten most-listened-to and most-downloaded episodes of the Sounds of Christmas podcast, one each day up through Halloween.

If you weren't able to follow along, or if you just want to listen again, I've gathered them all into one place and posted them below!

]]><![CDATA[The Best Variety Of Christmas Music (2025 Edition)]]>Tue, 04 Nov 2025 01:07:22 GMThttps://www.soundsofchristmas.com/news/the-best-variety-of-christmas-music-2025-editionThis is a variation of a blog I post at the start of every season. I always say that the Sounds of Christmas plays the best variety of Christmas Music. But I think the word "variety" has been so over-used these days that it no longer means anything.

So I thought I'd show you what I mean.

While I probably won't do this again until next year, here's a list of the artists we played on one of the first days of November, after we switched back to all Christmas music.

98 Degrees, Acantha Lang, Al Martino, Alabama, Alan Jackson, Alex Bird and His Jazz Mavericks, Alex Newall, Alex Sampson, Alison Moyet, Alternate Routes, America, American Comedy Network, Amy Grant, Anais Reno, Andrew DeLong, Andy Williams, Ann and Nancy Wilson, Ann Hampton Calloway, Ann Kittredge, Anne Marie, Aqua, Arthur Godfrey, Aubrey Logan, Ava Max, B.E. Taylor, B.J. Thomas, Babyface, Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow,

Basil Rathbone, Bay City Rollers, Beach Boys, Bebe Rexha, Bebe Winans, Belle Brigade, Ben Barnes, Ben Folds, Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters, Bing Crosby, bird and the bee, Blenders, Bobby Vinton, Bobs, Bon Jovi, Boney James, Brad Paisley, Brandon Wisham, Brandy, Brenda Lee, Brett Eldredge, Brian Hylan, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Brook Benton, Bryan Adams, Brynn Stanley, Burl Ives, Cameos, Camryn Mannheim Steamroller, Canadian Brass,

Canned Heat, Carpenters, Carpenters Legacy, Carrie Underwood, Cary Grant, Casting Crowns, Celtic Woman, Chad Mitchell Trio, Chaise Lounge, Charles Sexton, Charlie Byrd, Cher, Chet Atkins, Chicago, Chloe Flower, Chris Blue Chris Hillman, Chris Isaak, Chris Rea, Chris Tierney, Christian Bautista, Christina Perri, Christine Lavin, Christine Miller, Cimorelli, Cliff Beach, Coasters, Committed, Conan O'Brien and the Basic Cable Band, Continentals,

Corinne Cook, Crystals, Dan + Shay, Dan Ashley, Daniel Powter, Danny Kaye, Dara Renee, Darius Rucker, Darlene Love, Dave Stewart, David Arkenstone, David Benoit, David Bowie, David Swope, Dean Martin, Debbie Gibson, Debby Dabney, Derek Ryan, Diana Ross, Dionya Marie, Divine Comedy, Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show Band, Dolly Parton, Donnie Fritts, Donny Osmond, Down East Boys, Dreams So Real, Echelons, Electric Mayhem Band,

Elise LeGrow, Elizabeth Chan, Ella Henderson, Elton John, Elvis Presley, Elysia Biro, Emmanuel, Engelbert Humperdinck, Episodes, Eric Benet, Eric Hutchinson, Erica Nicole, Evan Rachel Wood, Faith Hill, Fall Out Boy, Fans Of Jimmy Century, Fiction Family, Francesca Battistelli, Frank Sinatra, Freddie Jackson, Gabriel Latchin Trio, Gene Autry, George Lynch, George Thorogood, George Winston, Glee Cast, Gloria Estefan, Goo Goo Dolls,

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, Greg Luzitano, Gregory Porter, Gretchen Peters, Guster, Gwen Stefani, Hannah Waddingham, Harloe, Hayseed Dixie, Helix, Herb Alpert, Honeydrippers, Hooves, Hound + the Fox, Huey Lewis and the News, Hunter Brothers, Ingrid Andress, Jack Rabbit Slim, Jackson 5, Jake Shimabukuro, James Brown, James Robert Webb, Jami Smith, Jamra, Jane Lynch, JD McPherson, Jeff Goldblum, Jennifer Hudson, Jerry Clayton,

Jessie James Decker, Jethro Tull, Jewel, Jim Brickman, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Durante, Jimmy Junes and the Nuclear Soul System, Jingle Punx, Joe Bonamassa, John Lennon, John Williams, Johnny Cash, Johnny Mathis, Jon Anderson, Jonas Brothers, Jonathan Butler, Joni James, Jools Holland, Jordan Seigel, Jose Feliciano, Joseph James, Judith Owen, Judy Garland, Julie Andrews, Julie Benko, June Christy, Justin Bieber, Karla Bonoff,

Kat Edmonson, Kate Hudson, Kathy Sledge, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Kenny Davies, Kenny G, Kenny Rogers, Kings Return, Klea Blackhurst, Kurt Russell, Larry Carlton, Lauren Daigle, Lauren Talley, Laurence Naismith, Laurie Berkner Band, Lea Salonga, LeAnn Rimes, Leroy Anderson, Les Sampou, Linda Imperial, Lindsey Stirling, Lisa Biales, Lisa Kessler, Lisa Leuschner, Little Big Town, Little Esther, Liz Kennedy, Lonestar, Lorrie Morgan, Lou Rawls,

Louis Colaiannia, Luanne Hunt, Lucas Hoge, Luke McMaster, Luminare Christmas!, Lydia Luce, Macy Gray, Mannheim Steamroller, Mantovani, Marc Martel, Mariah Carey, Marie Digby, Martina DaSilva, Marty Grace, Marty Robbins, Marv Meredith, Mary J. Blige, Matt Sanchez, Matthew West, McGuire Sisters, Meghan Trainor, Mellani Day, Michael Bolton, Michael Buble, Michael Grimm, Michael Landon, Michael Sinatra, Michelle Malone and the Hot Toddies,

Mick Jagger, Mickey Guyton, Mickey Thomas, Mona Rue, Mondo Quinn, Montgomery Cliffs, Murder By Death, 'N Sync, Nancy Lee, Nat King Cole, Natalie Grant, Neil Diamond, New Rules, Newton Faulkner, Next Level, Nicole Marie, NOLA Players, Offspring, Oh Hush!, Old Crow Medicine, Show, Oliva Rox, Orla Fallon, Osmonds, Otis Redding, Owen Rivera, Patrick Hawes, Paul and Paula, Paul Anka, Paul Kelly, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Payolas, Pentatonix,

Persuasions, Peter Cincotti, Peter Frampton, Petula Clark, Piano Guys, Pledge Drive, Podcast All Stars, Polyphonic Spree, Poppy, Posies, Pretty Reckless, Ramsey Lewis Trio, Raymond Scott and His New Orchestra, Reba McEntire, Remington Super 60, Renaissance Collective, REO Speedwagon, Reuel, Rich Little, Richard Marx, Rick Nelson, Robert Lund, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Spector, Rory McBrides, Rosie Darling, Roy Rogers, Russ Lorenson, Ryan Allay,

Ryanhood, Samara Joy, Sammy Davis Jr., Sara Evans, Sarah Partridge, Sarah Smith, Sarah Willis and the Sarahbanda, Scott and Mark Hoying, Seks Bomba, Shaggy, Shakin' Stevens, Shannon Kennedy, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Shelby Lynn, Shells, Sheryl Crow, Sixpence None The Richer, Smash Mouth, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Sofia Camara, Stan Kenton, Stella Cole, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Steve Mandile, Steve Martin, Steve Perry,

Straight No Chaser, Stryper, Sugar Chile Robinson, Superions, Supremes, Suzanne's Band, Suzi McNeil, Suzzy Roche, Swamp Coolers, Tammy Wynette, Taylor Swift, Teddy Pendergrass, Tenors, Teresa Brewer, Terry Bradshaw, Thelma and James, This Century, Thisbe Vos, Three Stooges, Throwing Muses, Tim Rushlow and His Big Band, Tina Lambert, Tokens, Tommy James, Tony Bennett, Tony Orlando and Dawn, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Trisha Yearwood,

Trouvere, Vonda Shepard, Waitresses, Wayne Newton, Wham, Whitney Houston, Will Ferrell, William Shatner, Willie Nelson, Wilson Pickett, Winterbrook, Yachtley Crew, Yule Logs and Zoe Bentley!

Whew!

Of course, that's not close to everything we'll be playing. Not by a longshot. But it gives you an idea of what we mean when we say, "The Sounds of Christmas plays the best variety of Christmas music!"

And if you don't see your favorites here, don't worry. This is just the line-up of artists that we played on one of the first days of this new season. There's a lot more to come!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and for sharing this early part of the season with us!

May you always believe in Santa Claus!

]]><![CDATA[Listen To The Sounds Of Christmas 2025]]>Tue, 04 Nov 2025 00:56:27 GMThttps://www.soundsofchristmas.com/news/listen-to-the-sounds-of-christmas-2025

The new season of the Sounds of Christmas has begun, and we're trying to make it as easy as we can to tune in!

There are three pretty simple ways to tune in.

First, simply click on the player on the front page of our website. This way, you can listen to us as long as you're on that page, even if you open other windows.

Second, you can click on the tree on our front page. That opens a pop-up player, so you can keep listening to us whether you stay on our website, or go to check your email, Facebook, etc. You can keep listening as long as you keep that pop-up player open.

You can also do either (or both) of these steps on the LISTEN NOW page.

And third, you can download our free app in the Google Play store (for your Android phone), and take us with you wherever you go!

I know there have been some issues with the app and Google, so you can also just CLICK HERE!

We get that you may not be ready for Christmas music, yet, but when you are, we're ready for you! We're playing the best variety of Christmas music, with all your favorite tunes and favorite artists, along with hundreds of brand new songs!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and for listening!

May you always believe in Santa Claus!

]]><![CDATA[Listen To The Sounds Of Halloween 2025]]>Tue, 30 Sep 2025 17:48:23 GMThttps://www.soundsofchristmas.com/news/listen-to-the-sounds-of-halloween-2025

The new season of the Sounds of Christmas starts November 1. While we get ready for that, we're playing all Halloween music throughout October. We're also trying to make it as easy as we can to listen to the Sounds of Christmas (and the Sounds of Halloween).

There are three pretty simple ways to tune in.

First, simply click on the player on the front page of our website, or on the LISTEN NOW page. This way, you can listen to us as long as you're on that page, even if you open other windows.

Second, you can click on the tree on our front page (between the embedded player and the News Headlines) or on our LISTEN NOW page. That opens a pop-up player, so you can keep listening to us whether you stay on our website, or go to check your email, Facebook, etc. You can keep listening as long as you keep that pop-up player open.

And third, you can download our free app in the Google Play store (for your Android phone), and take us with you wherever you go!

We'll keep the Halloween music going all the way through Halloween night! Then, on November 1, it's back to the best variety of Christmas music, with all your favorite tunes and artists, along with hundreds of brand new songs!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and for listening!

May you always believe in Santa Claus! And the Great Pumpkin!

]]><![CDATA[The Best Variety Of Halloween Music (2025 Edition)]]>Tue, 30 Sep 2025 13:45:55 GMThttps://www.soundsofchristmas.com/news/the-best-variety-of-halloween-music-2025-editionThis is a variation of a blog I posted a couple years ago. I always say that the Sounds of Christmas plays the best variety of Christmas Music, and that's also true for the Sounds of Halloween. But I think the word "variety" has been so over-used these days that it no longer means anything.

So I thought I'd show you what I mean.

While I probably won't do this again until next year, here's a list of most of the artists we're playing (or we played, depending on when you see this) on the first day of October, when the Sounds of Halloween 2025 began.

4 Flops, 5 Seconds Of Summer, a-ha, AC/DC, Accent, Adam Sandler, Alan Parsons Project, Alana Davis, Alfie Boe, Alice Cooper, Alixandrea Corvyn, AdELA, Allman Joys, the allSTARS, Amanda Brown, Amanda Seyfried, Amber Pacific, Amy Wallace, Andrew Gold, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Andy Williams, the Animals, Anita Baker, Ann Wilson, Annie Lennox, Annie Marie, Aquabats, Archie King, Arnold McCuller, Arthur Brown, Ashleigh Murray, Ashton Gardner & Dyke,

Atlanta Rhythm Section, Aurelio Voltaire, Bacon Brothers, Bad Detectives, Baked A La Ska, Barefoot Movement, Barenaked Ladies, Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon, B.B. King, Benny Spellman, Best Coast, Bette Midler, Better Than Ezra, Betty Grable, Bettye LaVette, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Big Bopper, Bill Buchanan, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, Billie Bust Up, Billy Cobb, Billy Sheehan, Billy Taylor, Bing Crosby, bird and the bee, Black Keys,

Black Oak Arkansas, Blenders, Blondie, Blood Sweet & Tears, Blue Öyster Cult, Blues Brothers, Bo Diddley, Bob Dylan, Bob Malone, Bobby Bare, Bobby "Boris" Pickett, Bobby Caldwell, Bobby Curtola, Bobby Please and the Pleasers, Bobby Rydell, Bobby Vee, Bobs, Bon Temps, Bonzo Dog Band, Boo Radleys, Booboo Stewart, Boots Walker, Bow Wow Wow, Bowling For Soup, Brandi Carlisle, Brave Combo, Broken Peach, Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Ferry,

Buckwheat Zydeco, Buttondowns, Cab Calloway, Cage the Elephant, Canned Heat, Carl Bonafede, Carmen McRae, Cassandra Wilson, Cast of Sweeney Todd, Cast of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, Castle Kings, Chandler Kinney, Charlatans, Charlie Daniels Band, Charlie Musselwhite, Charlie Sexton, Chelsea Wolfe, Cher, Chet Baker, Chipmunks, Chris Isaak, Chuck Berry, Clarence Clemons, Classical Renaissance Symphony, Claypool Lennon Delirium,

Cliff Richard, Clovers, Coasters, Coco Montoya, Colm R. McGuiness, Combustible Nuts, Concrete Blonde, Conway, Cowboys Junkies, Cramps, Crash Test Dummies, Creed, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Crypt Keeper, Danny Jacob, Dartmouth Aires, David Arkenstone, David Bowie, David Essex, David J, David Johnsen, DBone and the Remains, DCappella, Dead Milkmen, Del-Vikings, Delta Rae, Devo, Dick Cavett, Disney's Zombies Cast, DJ Jazzy Jeff,

Dokken, Dollyrots, Don Hinson, Donovan, Doors, Dorothy, Dove Cameron, Dr. Hook, Dr. John, Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band, Drugstore Cowboys, Duprees, Duran Duran, Eagles, Eddie Money, Elites, Ella Fitzgerald, Elmo, Elvis Costello, Elvis Presley, Emersons, Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Erutan, Ervinna and the Stylers, Extreme, Fans Of Jimmy Century, Fats Waller, Fawn, Feargal Sharkey, Five Man Electrical Band, Flat Five,

Florence + the Machine, Fred Hall, Fuzztones, Gary Brooker, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Gary Warren, Gene Vincent, Geoff Castellucci, George Thorogood, Gerald McCann, Gerard Way, Gil Scott-Heron, Glass Prism, GLEE Cast, Glenda and Glen, Gnarls Barkley, Golden Earring, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, Gordon Lightfoot, Gorillaz, Groovie Ghoulies, Groovy Ghoulies, Hairy Growlers, Hannah Gill, Happy Fangs, Harry Belafonte, Harry Gold, Harry Nilsson,

Hawthorne Heights, Hayseed Dixie, Helen Reddy, Helen Welch, Hellogoodbye, Henry Hall, Hipwaders, Hollies, Holly Cole, Home Free, Hoodoo Gurus, Hop Wilson, Hound + the Fox, Howlin' Wolf, Hozier, Hugh Cornwell, I The Mighty, Imelda May, Invader Zim, Invasions, Iris Has Friends, J. Geils Band, Jack and Jim, Jack Black, Jackson 5, Jan Edwards, Jeff Richmond, Jennifer Rush, Jeremy Messersmith, Jerry Reed, Jessica Lange, Jimmy Buffett, Jingle Punx,

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Joe Jackson, John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, John Mayall and the Blues Breakers, Johnny Cash, Johnny Fever, Johnny Otis Show, Johnny Winter, Jonathan Coulton, JP Ashkar, Judas Priest, Junior Wells, Kai Jette, Kathryn Hahn, Katie Melua, Kay Starr, Keith David, Kenny Neal, Keytones, Kingston Trio, Kip Tyler and the Flips, Kords, Korn, Kris Kristofferson, Kristin Chenoweth, Krokus, Krystina Alabado, Kylie Cantrall,

Larkin Poe, Lathums, Laufey, Laurie Berkner Band, Lennon & Maisey, Lenny Bruce, Leslie West, Levi Stubbs, Lex Land, Little River Band, Liz Kennedy, Lone Justice, Lord Luther, Louis Armstrong, Lucinda Williams, LVCRFT, Lynda Carter, Magics, Marianne Faithful, MC Hammer, Men At Work, Michael Burks, Michael Jackson, Michael Schenker Group, Midnight Chimes, Milo Manheim, Misfits, Mitchell Hope, Molly Hatchet, Morris Day, Morrissey, Move, Munsters,

MST3k RiffTrax Guys, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Norma Tanega, North American Hallowe'en Prevention Initiative, Oingo Boingo, Ozzy Osbourne, Pat Godwin, Paul Roland, Paul Williams, Pete Best Combo, Peter Hollens, Philly Joe Jones, Piney Gir, Pixies, Plain White T's, Polyphonic Spree, Postmodern Jukebox, Raveonettes, Ready For The World, Red Buttons, Reel Big Fish, Reeve Carney, Rihanna, Robert Johnson, Roky Erickson, Rolling Stones, Rosemary Clooney,

Saint Chaos, Sci-Fi Romance, Screamin' Lord Sutch, Sesame Street Cast, Sharkey Todd and the Monsters, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Squirrel Nut Zippers, the Stephens, Sterling Holloway, Sting, Stonegarth, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Sweet, Swingin' Neckbreakers, Tag Team, Tigger, Tom Waits, Tommee Profitt, Tony's Monstrosities, Tracey Thorn, Tracy Stafford, Trisha Yearwood, the Tubes, Tuesday Knight, Turnpikes, Valerie Broussard, Vincent Price, Vista Blue,

Walter Murphy, Warren Zevon, Wayne Brady, White Zombie, Whitney Avalon, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Young Frankenstein Cast!

Whew!

Of course, that's not close to everything we'll be playing. Not by a longshot. But it gives you an idea of what we mean when we say we play the best variety of Halloween music!

And if you don't see your favorites here, don't worry. This is just the line-up of most of the artists that we're playing (or we played, depending on when you see this) on the first day of October. There's a lot more to come!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and for sharing this early part of the Halloween season with us!

May you always believe in the Great Pumpkin!

Ken

]]><![CDATA[The Sounds Of Halloween 2025]]>Tue, 23 Sep 2025 17:50:28 GMThttps://www.soundsofchristmas.com/news/the-sounds-of-halloween-2025The Sounds of Christmas station switches to Halloween music in October, which is now just around the corner.

I get questions about that a lot, and I've posted variations on this blog several times, and I've recorded similar podcasts episodes about it in the past, but since this is starting up next week, I thought it was time to talk about it again..

This is a tradition I started years ago, in the early days of the Sounds of Christmas station. I’m going to share this story once again - the how and why of the Sounds of Halloween, and how it happened in the first place.

Like most families, Halloween and Christmas have always been big at our house. Lisa and the kids are on the Halloween side, while I'm with Santa.

I learned long ago not to try and convert any of them. I think what happened at Disneyland once explains it best. In one of the studios at California Adventure, you can use this machine to determine which hero or villain you are.

I was Tarzan. All three of them were villains.

Oh, well. They love me, anyway.

So as we move toward October, I get super-busy working on the new season of the Sounds of Christmas. While the station stays on year-round, I had decided to make a change in October, turning the Sounds of Christmas into the Sounds of Halloween from October 1 through Halloween night.

I admit, mostly, this was just for my family, while I kicked the tires and otherwise make sure everything was set to go for the coming season, especially loading lots of new music.

But in doing this that first time, I found there are a lot of other people that love Halloween and Halloween music, too, so, year after year, I've expanded the playlist, finding more and more Halloween music.

With all that said, the other question I get a lot is - what exactly is Halloween music?

Some of it is pretty obvious. Monster Mash. Purple People Eater. Ghostbusters. Songs about things you associate with Halloween - ghosts, monsters, werewolves, vampires and witches. Some are scary stories, and some are about candy or trick-or-treating.

I also include songs from scary movies and TV shows. Some of those are pretty creepy. And some are funny. Many are in-between.

While there are some kids' songs (like The Count from Sesame Street), a few of the songs do have bad language. And some of the themes of some songs are straight out of horror movies, and those probably aren't for little kids, either. I only say that so you’ll know that, for the month of October, parental guidance is suggested.

And like the Sounds of Christmas, I add new stuff to the Sounds of Halloween every year - like the new song "Ghost" from Rob Thomas' new album, plus Fawn's new Halloween singles and Hannah Gill's new album Spooky Jazz Vol. 3.

On the Sounds of Christmas, I play many versions of many songs, so you won't just hear Bing Crosby's version of "White Christmas". You'll hear lots of different singers and bands, old and new, offering their takes on that classic. And l do the same thing with the Halloween tunes. For example, I have over a dozen versions of "Bad Moon Rising", around thirty versions of "Ghost Riders In The Sky" and over three dozen different takes on “I Put A Spell On You” (though I may not get to all of them this year, as I try to separate songs and artists so you don't hear the same songs and same voices over and over).

During the Sounds of Halloween, you will hear from many of your favorite Christmas music singers and bands, including Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Mannheim Steamroller and even Bruce Springsteen!

There are songs about Killer Tomatoes, Black Magic Women and Haunted Houses. There are also songs about Alien Invasions, Invisible Men and over a dozen versions of “Monster Mash").

And I play lots of movie and TV songs, including animated classics, new releases and even at least half a dozen songs from Mystery Science Theater 3000.

As a further example, and to give you a better idea of what I mean by Halloween music, here are a dozen songs I randomly shuffled from the Sounds of Halloween library as I put this latest blog together and added it to the Sounds of Christmas website...

Buster Doss and His Arkansas Playboys “Graveyard Boogie"
Joe Louis Walker and Waddy Wachtel “Werewolves of London"
Say Hi "These Fangs"
Leon Russell “I Put A Spell On You"
Rob Zombie “They Are The Munsters"
King Luan “No Vampires Remain In Romania"
Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band “Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes"
Delta Rae “Dance In The Graveyard"
Run DMC "Ghostbusters"
Otis Redding "Trick Or Treat"
Harry Gold and His Pieces Of Eight “The Ghost Of Ol' Man Mose”
Hoodoo Gurus "Death Ship"

You probably recognized some of those songs, and probably some of those artists, but maybe, at least in some cases, not both. And you might not have realized some of those artists had recorded a version of something, like Run DMC's version of "Ghostbusters". Now, I have a bunch of versions of "Ghostbusters", including the original by Ray Parker Jr. (of course), along with Run DMC's version, and others by Bowling For Soup, Pentatonix and Bruce Springsteen (among others), and I play all of those. Hope that makes sense.

One thing that is different this year, at least different than most previous years. The Sounds of Halloween will run until 6am (Eastern) on November 1. That way, the West Coast of the U.S. (and even Hawaii) will get a chance to finish celebrating Halloween, before the new season of the Sounds of Christmas begins.

I hope you enjoy this upcoming celebration of Halloween throughout October! And then the new season of the Sounds of Christmas will be here, starting on November 1!

May you always believe in Santa Claus (and also the Great Pumpkin)!

P.S. - To listen, just go to our home page (or click LISTEN NOW above) and click on the player. For some reason, the player isn't showing up on some browsers, so you can also just click on the tree which will give you a pop-up player. And you can search for us in the Google Play store and get our free app for your Android Phone and take us along with you!

]]>