Blog Posts

The Best Variety Of Halloween Music (2024 Edition)

10/1/2024

This 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 played on the first day of October, when the Sounds of Halloween 2024 began.

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

Aurelio Voltaire, Bacon Brothers, Bad Detectives, Baked A La Ska, Barefoot Movement, Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon, B.B. King, Benny Spellman, Best Coast, Bette Midler, Better Than Ezra, Betty Grable, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Big Country, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, Billy Cobb, Billy Sheehan, Billy Taylor, Bing Crosby, bird and the bee, Black Oak Arkansas, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Blenders, Blood Sweat and 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, Bobby Vinton, Bobs, Bon Temps, Bonzo Dog Band, Booboo Stewart, Bow Wow Wow, Bowling For Soup, Brave Combo, Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Ferry, Brynn Stanley, Buckwheat Zydeco, Cab Calloway, Cage the Elephant, Canned Heat, Carl Bonafede, Carmen McRae, Cassandra Wilson,

Cast of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, Chambers Brothers, Chandler Kinney, Charlatans, Charlie Daniels Band, Charlie Sexton, Chelsea Wolfe, Cher, Chet Baker, China Anne McClain, Chipmunks, Chris Isaak, Chris Montez, Christina Aguilera, Christina Milian, Chuck Berry, Clarence Clemons, Classical Renaissance Symphony, Claypool Lennon, Cliff Richards, Clovers, Coasters, Colm R. McGuiness, Commander Cody, Concrete Blonde, Conway,

Cowboy Junkies, Cramps, Crash Test Dummies, Cream, Creed, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cris Kevin, Crypt Keeper, Dartmouth Aires, David Bowie, David Essex, David Johnsen, DBone and the Remains, DCappella, Deb Bowman, Del-Vikings, Delta Rae, Dennis Quaid and the Sharks, Descendants Cast, Devo, Dick Cavett, Dick Robinson, Dickie Goodman, Disney's ZOMBIES Cast, DZ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Dollyrots, Don Hinson, Donovan,

Doors, Dorothy, Dove Cameron, Dr. Hook, Dr. John, Drugstore Cowboys, Duprees, Duran Duran, Eagles, Eartha Kitt, Echo and the Bunnymen, 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, Faster Pussycat, Fats Waller, Fawn, Feargal Sharkey, First To Eleven, Five Blobs, Five Man Electrical Band, Flat Five, Fleetwood Mac,

Florence + the Machine, Frankie and the Fashions, Fuzztones, Gary Brooker, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Gary Warren, Gene Moss, Gene Vincent, Geoff Castellucci, George Thorogood, Gerald McCann, Ghost, Gil Scott-Heron, Gino Vannelli, Glass Prism, GLEE Cast, Gnarls Barkley, Golden Earring, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, Gordon Lightfoot, Groovie Ghoulies, Groovy Ghoulies, GTR, Hairy Growlers, Hammer, Harry Belafonte, Harry Gold,

Harry Nilsson, Hawthorne Heights, Hayseed Dixie, Helen Welch, Hellogoodbye, Henry Hall, Herry and Grover, Hipwaders, Hollies, Holly Cole, Hoodoo Gurus, Hound + the Fox, Howlin' Wolf, Hozier, Hugh Cornwell, I The Mighty, Invader Zim, Invasions, J. Geils Band, Jack and Kim, James Wesley Masters, Jennifer Rush, Jerry Reed, Jessica Lange and the Cast of American Horror Story, Jimmy Buffett, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts,

Joe Bob Briggs and the Lone Stars, Joe Jackson, Joe Johnson, Joey Cook, John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, John Mayall and the Blues Breakers, Johnny Otis, Johnny Winter, Johnson Brothers, Jonathan Coulton, Judas Priest, Judy Garland, Junior Wells, Kai Jette, Kathryn Hahn, Kay Starr, Keiran Berry, Keith David, Kenny and the Fiends, Keytones, Kingston Trio, Kip Tyler and the Flips, Koko Taylor, Kords, Korn, Kris Kristofferson,

Kristin Chenoweth, Krokus, Krystina Alabado, Larkin Poe, Laurie Berkner Band, Lennon & Maisey, Leroy Bowman and the Arrows, Leslie West, Levi Stubbs, Lewis Lee, Lex Land, Little River Band, Liz Kennedy, Lone Justice, Lord Luther, Lou Rawls, Louis Armstrong, Lynda Carter, Lynn Anderson, Magics, Margo Price, Mark O'Conner, Meg Donnelly, Melanie C, Mellomen, Men At Work, Michael Jackson, Michael Schenker Group, Midnight Chimes, Mike Campbell,

Miley Cyrus, Milo Manheim, Misfits, Mitchell Hope, Molly Hatchet, Morris Day, Motorhead, Munsters, MST3k RiffTrax Guys, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Norma Tanega, North American Hallowe'en Prevention Initiative, Ohio Express, Oingo Boingo, Ozzy Osbourne, Pat Godwin, Paul Williams, Pentatonix, Pete Best Combo, Peter Hollens, Philly Joe Jones, Piney Gir, Pixies, Plain White T's, Poets, Polyphonic Spree, Postmodern Jukebox, Punchline, Queen,

Rachel Potter, Ramones, Raveonettes, Ready For The World, Red Buttons, Redbone, Reel Big Fish, Reeve Carney, Rihanna, Robert Johnson, Rockin' Ryan and the Real Goners, Roky Erickson, Rosemary Clooney, Roy Orbison, Rubinoos, Rudy Vallée, Rush, Saint Chaos, Sam Tinnesz, Sarah Brightman & Michael Crawford, Sci-Fi Romance, Screamin' Lord Sutch, Sesame Street Cast, Sharks, Sierra Nelson, Simple Plan, Siouxsie and the Banshees,

Squirrel Nut Zippers, Sting, Stonegarth, Strangeloves, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Sweet, Swingin' Neckbreakers, Tag Team, Thurl Ravenscroft, Tia Carrere, Tim Curry, Tom Waits, Tommee Profitt, Tony's Monstrosities, Tracey Thorn, Trisha Yearwood, Tuesday Knight, Valerie Broussard, Vincent Price, VoicePlay, Walter Murphy, Warren Zevon, Wayne Brady, White Zombie, Whitney Avalon, Will Champlin 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 played 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

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Listen To The Sounds Of Halloween 2024

10/1/2024

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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!

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The Sounds Of Halloween 2024

9/22/2024

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The 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 even re-posted a blog about it recently on the Sounds of Christmas website, 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, as I think it really illustrates how and why the Sounds of Halloween came to be.

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 kick the tires and otherwise make sure everything is set to go for the coming season, including loading lots of new music.

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

With all that said, 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 Charley Crockett’s version of “Ghost Riders In The Sky” from this summer’s movie Twisters as well as a track or two from the deluxe version of Duran Duran’s album “Danse Macabre”, which was originally released last year, Miley Cyrus' new take on “Psycho Killer” and new music from Disney Plus’ series’ Agatha All Along.

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 "(Don’t Fear) The Reaper" and almost 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 Disney songs, from movie villains and from spooky shows on Disney Plus. I also have 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...

Fifth Harmony “I’m in Love With A Monster"
Joe Wallace “Leopard Man"
Seaway “Brain In A Jar"
Jeff Bridges and the Rusty Pistols “Riders In The Sky (A Cowboy Legend)"
Van Halen “Runnin’ With The Devil"
Monotones “The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow"
L.A. Guns “Cry Little Sister"
Alice Cooper “Welcome To My Nightmare"
Billy Cobb “Halloween"
Rosemary Clooney “That Old Black Magic"
Justin Hayward “Forever Autumn”
Harry Belafonte “Reincarnation"

You probably recognized some of those songs, but are either unfamiliar with the artist I mentioned, or just didn’t realize they recorded a version of it as well as the popular one. For example, I have a bunch of versions of “Cry Little Sister”, including the original by Gerald McCann from the movie The Lost Boys, and I play all of those, but the one that shuffled out this time around was from L.A. Guns. Hope that makes sense.

One thing that is different this year is that 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)!

Ken

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!

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Revisiting the Myth of Christmas Creep

9/9/2024

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I’ve noticed the creeps are back again (actually noticed this weeks ago but was trying to ignore them). The creeps I’m talking about have nothing to do with Halloween, or with the podcast with that same name. It’s actually in reference to what some complaining people like to say, regarding any signs of Christmas that turn up before Thanksgiving (or even before October).

This is a topic I’ve talked about before, but since it now seems to include Halloween and all things fall-related, I thought it was worth bringing it up again.

Since you're on this website, there’s a good chance you’re a fan of Christmas and Christmas music, and you’ve run across your share of these particular creeps yourself.

Once again, I’m coming across articles, blogs and posts complaining about what some refer to as “Christmas Creep”. This is supposed to mean that retailers are rushing the season, starting to put Christmas items out earlier and earlier every year.

I think of it more as a “Grinch Creep”. It’s really about the people who like to complain about Christmas music, lights, presents, etc. And, of course, some are just people who like to complain, period. Sadly, we all know the type.

I remember working in the receiving department of a large, box bookstore almost thirty years ago. In early August, customers would start asking about Christmas books. This was not about books to give as gifts, possibly to someone overseas so it would take a long time to get there. This was about books that were about Christmas – decorating, cooking, etc.

And this was not just one or two customers, but multiple customers, asking daily when we would have our Christmas collections out.

I’m sure similar things happen at other retail stores. And while some Grinches like to complain about stores rushing the season, the truth is they’re simply trying to meet their customers’ demand. Seriously, if no one bought this stuff in August or September, would stores continue to give it the shelf space?

Despite these Grinches saying that Christmas is creeping into stores earlier and earlier every year, this is nothing new.

I remember when I was in college (and even high school), one of our local drug store chains always put out the first new batch of Bob’s Candy Canes on September 25. And that would have been back in the early 1980’s.

And it’s not just retail.

Remember the musical version of “Scrooge”? Albert Finney starred. It came out in 1970. A few days after Halloween.

Oh, sure, at least that’s November, right? Well, here are some things you can point out to any of these creeps that you come across, when they start complaining about you rushing the season.

Elvis Presley’s first Christmas album was released on October 15. And that was 1957. Some people at that time were upset that Elvis would dare perform these sacred songs in his rock and roll style. Irving Berlin himself tried to have the album banned from radio airplay.

No one complained that it was only October. That could be because Frank Sinatra released a Christmas album a month earlier. Go back to the previous decade, and you’ll find that Gene Autry released “Here Comes Santa Claus” on October 6. And that was 1947!

So over seventy-five years ago, no one complained that Gene Autry was rushing the season when his Christmas single hit store shelves in September. Kind of seems silly to be annoyed at Wal-Mart for promoting their new Layaway deals or Target for having a couple rows of Christmas lights (just past the aisles of Halloween costumes).

They wouldn’t do it if people weren’t buying it.

And for those creating Christmas-related things, the season starts even earlier. Mel Tormé famously recorded “The Christmas Song” in the heat of summer, decorating the studio with Christmas lights to help get into the spirit. In the summer of 2021, Rob Thomas was working on his first Christmas album, and had a giant TV screen put in the studio, so he could watch Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel to help get into the spirit.

And on previous episodes of this podcast, you can hear Suzanne from Suzanne’s Band, Michael Sinatra and many other artists talk about all that goes into the creation of their Christmas releases, and how early they have to start to have it ready in time.

They aren’t rushing the season. And neither is your local Michaels’ just because they have Christmas decorations on their shelves before Summer has officially ended.

The Sounds of Christmas launches its new season on November 1. I don’t expect everyone to drop what they’re doing and start listening. Likewise, everyone doesn’t have to run to Macy’s for new ornaments just because they’ve been put on display before Thanksgiving, or before Halloween. Or before the first official day of Fall.

But if you want to, you can.

We all celebrate (or don’t celebrate) the season in different ways. And really, if someone wants to listen to Christmas music, or watch “Elf” or put up a decoration, how does that affect you?

It doesn’t. Unless it inspires you to do the same. But it has no actual impact at all on anyone else who doesn’t want to acknowledge Christmas until December.

Just before Labor Day, after Starbucks revealed, and made available, their Pumpkin Spice Lattes and other fall items, some people seemed to really get upset. I saw more than one person post on Facebook that it wasn’t even the first day of fall, so put down the pumpkin.

If I want one of their pumpkin flavored drinks (or one from somewhere else), why should that bother anyone? Likewise, if I want to pop into Spirit Halloween, or visit a pumpkin patch (whether or not I’m trying to determine how sincere it is), why does that bother anyone?

Some people just don’t seem to be happy unless they're criticizing others for celebrating something outside of some approved timeframe. Try not to let them get to you.

The Sounds of Christmas station flips to all-Halloween music on October 1, and then back to Christmas on November 1.

Now, the Sounds of Christmas station does have listeners on November 1, hopefully enjoying their favorite Christmas songs alongside new music from singers and bands they may or may not know. And while we haven’t always been on year-round, we have always started our new season on the first of November.

Like the bookstores, Bob’s Candy Canes and even Frank Sinatra, I’m not trying to rush the season, and I’m certainly not trying to force anyone to listen. I just love Christmas. And I love sharing the Christmas music that I also love. And if you aren’t ready for Christmas music the day after Halloween, that’s okay. We’ll be on, ready for you whenever you are. In fact, whenever you need a little musical Christmas spirit, we’re here for you!

The point of all this is that no one is rushing anything. Christmas is ready for you to embrace it whenever you want, and it has been that way for a very long time.

In “A Christmas Carol”, Charles Dickens wrote “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”

Those last three words are All the year. Not just in December. Not just after Thanksgiving. Not just at any particular time someone else decides is appropriate for you.

All the year.

And those words were written in 1843.

That’s why, in the middle of September (which is when I’m posting this) you can watch Scrooged on PlutoTV right now. Or It’s A Wonderful Life on Amazon Prime. Or all three of Tim Allen’s Santa Clause movies on Disney Plus.

You don’t have to watch any of those, of course. But if you want to, you can.

No one’s making you buy Christmas decorations or candy canes, either.

So whether it’s December or September, if you feel like reveling in some Christmas spirit, you don’t need anyone’s permission. And you aren’t rushing anything.

It isn’t up to anyone else to determine when you are allowed to get into the Christmas Spirit. No matter what the creeps say.

May you always believe in Santa Claus!

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Clip Show (Part 2)

8/15/2024

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The Sounds of Christmas podcast is approaching 200 episodes, and in the latest episode, I look back at the conversations I've had with artists about their music (and Christmas)!

Here's the episode:

What I really wanted to do here, though, is thank all of the artists that have given me their time to come on the podcast, There were too many to list in the shownotes, so I thought I'd put them all here. Click on the image, or click on their name below, to find out more about them and their music!

98 Degrees

All-Star Kid

Aubrey Logan

Bart Zeal

Blane Howard

Bob Sirois

Brynn Stanley

Cliff Beach

Corinne Cook

Critical Mass

Dan Ashley

David Arkenstone

David Browning

David Lanz

Deb Bowman

Fawn

Grant Maloy Smith

Guy Maeda

Jane Monheit

Jeff Fowler

Judy Pancoast

Karla Bonoff

KEITH

Kevin McGrath

Kristin Amarie

Linda Imperial

Lisa Biales

Lisa Kessler

Liz Kennedy

Mark Winter

Matt Molnar

Michael Brandmeier

Michael Sinatra

Michelle Malone

Norine Braun

Paul Kelly

Pete Hopkins

Quinn Hedges

Rehya Stevens

Rhonda Burchmore

Rock By The Sea

Rosalie Drysdale

Russ Lorenson

Safety Harbor Kids

Sarah Partridge

Sarah Reeves

The Stephens

Suzanne's Band

The Tell Alls

Tommee Profitt

Tommy Byrne

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Vista Blue

Winterbrook

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Clip Show (Part 1)

7/28/2024

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The Sounds of Christmas podcast is approaching 200 episodes, and in the lates, I look back at some of what I covered over the last three-and-a-half years, and many of the guests who were kind enough to join me to talk about Christmas music and related topics!

Here's the episode:

What I really wanted to do here, though, is thank all the folks that have given me their time to come on the podcast, There were too many to list in the shownotes, so I thought I'd put them all here (mostly) In the order they appear on this episode!

Please click on their images above or their name below (for any or all) to find out more about them!

The Sleigh Bells and Mistletoe Podcast

The Totally Rad Christmas Podcast

My Merry Christmas

The Christmas Podcasts Podcast

A Cozy Christmas Podcast

Season's Eatings Podcast

Christmas Creeps

Advent Calendar House

Christmas Movies Actually

Behind The Bells

P1 Media Group

Dr. Fab Mancini

Sweet Relief Musicians Fund

Holly Jolly X'masu Podcast

Can't Wait For Christmas Podcast

Christmas Spirit News

Holidays After Dark Podcast

Yuletide Spirit

Christmas Music News

Pause and Play

Tough Pigs

AXS-TV Top Ten Revealed

It's A 90s Christmas Podcast

Unfortunately, John O'Leary's website is no longer available as he passed away last Fall.

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Christmas Tours

7/23/2024

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There are lots of singers and musicians hitting the road in November and December for Christmas tours. I have very fond memories of seeing Mannheim Steamroller and Trans-Siberian Orchestra (not together).

And I also know, as a Christmas music fan, these shows can come upon you very suddenly, and by the time you find out about them, they're sold out.

So, in an effort to help alleviate that problem, I'm posting a roster of artists that are planning some kind of Christmas tour for 2024. They'll all be listed below in alphabetical order, and you can just click on their name to go to their website for all the concert info!

If you hear about a show that's not listed, please reach out to me and let me know! And if you're an artist with an upcoming Christmas tour and you aren't listed below, let me know that, too!

I'll do my best to keep this updated, at least until the new season of the Sounds of Christmas starts on November 1 (then it gets really busy for me, and I can't promise to keep updating this as often as I should)!

Aimee Mann & Ted Leo

Alicia Witt

Amy Grant & Vince Gill

Andrea Bocelli

Brett Eldredge

Carpenters Legacy

CeCe Winans

Celtic Woman

Chapel Hart

Dave Koz

David Arkenstone

Debbie Gibson

Empty Pockets

For King + Country

Gaither Vocal Band

Girl Named Tom

Home Free

Jim Brickman

John Berry

John Legend

Johnny Mathis

Johnny Reid

Kate Rusby

Lauren Daigle

Lea Salonga

Leslie Odom Jr.

Lindsey Stirling

Luminare Christmas!

Mannheim Steamroller

Mariah Carey

Michael W. Smith

Mindi Abair

Nadia Eide

Oak Ridge Boys

Over The Rhine

The Overtones

Pentatonix

Samara Joy

Sara Evans

Sarah Brightman

Tower of Power

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Tyler Shaw

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Best Variety A To Z

7/1/2024

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This is a variation of a blog I posted last year (and the year before). 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.

On Monday morning (July 1), the Sounds of Christmas from A to Z began, playing almost every song in the Sounds of Christmas library in alphabetical order. Here's a list of the artists played on that first day of the Christmas In July event.

Abby Walker, ABC, Adrienne Pierce, Al Jardine, Alabama, Alan Cox, Alex Rhodes, Alexis Stone Lopez, Ally Brooke, Aloe Blacc, Alvin Frazier, America, Amy Grant, Andrea Corr, Andrew Gold, Andy Williams, Anna Wilson, Annie Lennox, Archies, Aretha Franklin, Ashba, Austin Marolla, Avalon, Babs Gonzalez, Bailey Taylor, Bananarama, Band of Merrymakers, Bandana Splits, Barry Manilow, Bay City Rollers, Beatles, Bebe Rexha, Bee Gees,

Belle and Sebastian, Bessie Smith, Beverley Knight, Big Blue This, Big Time Rush, Bill Cantos, bird and the bee, Blake, Blenders, Bob McChesney, Bobby Goldsboro, Bobby Vee, Bradburys, Branches, Brent Burns, Brian Culbertson, Brian Hyland, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Brian Vander Ark, Brittany Dymond, Burt Bacharach, C.J. Snare, Calabria Foti, Captain and Tennille, Captain Kangaroo, Carla Thomas, Casey MacGill, Cast of Elf the Musical, Celeste, Celtic Woman,

Charlie Sayles, Chase Atlantic, Chenille Sisters, Cher, Chicago, Chris De Burgh, Chris Hillman, Chris Isaak, Christabel and the Jons, Christian Baustista, Christine Lavin, Christopher Cross, Circuit Symphony, Clare Teal, Clarence Carter, Cliff Hillis, Cloverton, Connection, Connie Francis, Cordell Jackson, Corey Hart, Cute Lepers, Cyril Niccolai, Daffy Duck, Dami Im, Dan Fogelberg, Darlene Love, Dave Koz, David Arkenstone, David Campbell, David DeBoy,

David Ireland, David Meece, David Young, Day 40, Delorentos, Dolly Parton, Don McAvoy, Doris Day, Dupree, Echelons, Echosmith, Eddie Floyd, EHM Eleventh Hour Messengers, Elizabeth Chan, Elly Thorn, Elvis Presley, Emil Bishaw, Engelbert Humperdinck, Epileptic Hillbilly's, Eric Alexandrakis, Eric Clapton, Eux Autres, Eye Spy, Faith Hill, Foghat, Francesca Battistelli, Frank Sinatra, Frank Sinatra Jr., Frankie and the Lake County Collective, Franklin McKay,

Freddie Jackson, fun., Funky Butt Brass Band, Fuzzy Navels, G. Love and Special Sauce, Gary Glitter, Gary "U.S." Bonds, Gayla Peevy, George Winston, Gil Evans, Glass Tiger, Glasvegas, Glenn Crytzer Orchestra, Gloria Gaynor, Grant Maloy Smith, Greg Eggman More, Hannah Huston, Hanson, Harry Connick Jr., Helen Love, Helen Reddy, Hipwaders, Hooves, Idina Menzel, Illicit Kitty, Ivan and Alyosha, Jaci Velasquez, Jackopierce, Jae Ordon, James House,

James Taylor Jr., Jami Smith, Jars of Clay, Jason Crabb, Jason Paul Curtis, Jason Phelps, Jay Seidl, Jaye Hammer, J.D. McPherson, Jessica Sanchez, Jessie James Decker, Jethro Tull, Jewel, Jill and Kate, Jillian Edwards, Jim Brickman, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Neutron, Jingle Punx, Jo Dee Messina, Joe Stevenson, John Anealio, John Brazell, John Denver, John Eddie, John Lee Hooker, John Waite, Jones Gang, Jordan Fisher, Jordin Sparks, Josh Groban,

Josh Wilson, Joss Stone, Juice Newton, Julian Moon, Julianne Hough, Julius LaRosa, Justin Bieber, Justin Hines, Justine Blazer, Kat Perkins, Keith Lubrant, Kendall Schmidt, Kenny Loggins, Kenny Rogers, Kermit and Miss Piggy, Kik, Killers, Kimberley Rew, Kris Allen, Kristin Chambers, Kristin Chenoweth, Kukla Fran and Ollie, Kylie Minogue, Laufey, Laura Cheadle, LeAnn Rimes, Ledisi, Lee Aaron, Lenka, Lennie Gallant, Leslie Cours Mather, Liam Payne, Linda Eder,

Lis Soderberg, Lisa Biales, Lisa McClowry, Lisa Mychols, Little Joey Farr, Living Sisters, Liz Longley, Lobo, Louis Colaiannia, Luanne Hunt, Luke McMaster, Mabel Scott, Madison Taylor Baez, Majestica, Mamas, Mannheim Steamroller, Marc Broussard, Margaret Dorn and the Accidentals, Mariah Carey, Marie Osmond, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Mary Kartzen, Mary Kissmass, Matthew Sweet, Matthew West, McGuire Sisters, Michael Cunio, Michael Damian,

Michael Johns, Michael McDonald, Michael W. Smith, Michelle David, Mike Conley, Miles Davis, Mimi Webb, Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers, Miss Od and Gentlemen League, Modern Gentlemen, MonaLisa Twins, 'N Sync, Nancy Lamott, Nancy Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Neal Morse, Neil Diamond, Neil Sedaka, Nelson King, Neon Swing X Perience, New Christy Minstrels, New Edition, New Royalty, NewSong, Nick and Simon, Nickel Slots, Nikki McKibbin, Norah Jones,

Oh Hush!, Olivia Newton-John, Olivia Rox, On Ember, Orianthi, Orla Fallon, Over The Rhine, Paper Scissors, Paris Luna, Patricia Richard, Patsy Raye, Patti LaBelle, Patty Mattson, Peabo Bryson, Pearl Bailey, Peggy Duquesnel, Penguins, People On Vacation, Perry Danos, Pete RG, Peter Cincotti, Peter Paul and Mary, Phil Moore Four, Phoenix, Piney Gir, Polyphonic Spree, Pomplamoose, Pop Etc., Pop Tarts, Prince, Punchline, Ray Charles,

Rebecca Roubion, Rehya Stevens, Ricardo Autobahn, Rich Little, Richard Marx, Ricky Martin, Ricky Segall and the Segalls, Robbie Williams, Roberta Flack, Rocky Paterra, RuPaul, Ruth Lyons, Ryland James, Sammy Kaye, Sarah Connor, Sarah Smith, Shakin' Stevens, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Shelby Lynne, Shirelles, Si Cranstoun, Sidewalk Profits, Slim Man, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Sofia Talvik, Soulphonics, Spike Jones,

Squirrel Nut Zippers, Steeplechase, Stephen Colbert, Steven Curtis Chapman, Stratocruiser, Styx, Subsidiarity, Summats, Terence P. Minogue, The 88, The Boy Least Likely To, Third Day, Tim Meyers, Timbuk 3, TLC, Toby Lightman, Todd Almond, Tom Gaebel, Tom Lehrer, Tommy James, Tony Bennett, Tony Fazio, Tori Amos, Tractors, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Travis Cloer, Tyson Fury, Universal Honey, Until June, Used, Vera Lynn, Vince Vance and the Valiants,

Violet Burning, Wallace Shawn, Waltons, Weepies, Wes Ables, Wild Honey, Winterbrook, Wonder Girls, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Yule Logs and Zoe Jensen.

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 the first day of the Sounds of Christmas From A To Z. There's a lot more to come!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and for sharing some Christmas spirit with us!

May you always believe in Santa Claus!

Ken

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2024 Schedule

6/24/2024

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I'm posting this on Leon Day, and I'd like to wish a very Happy Leon Day to all who celebrate!

For those who don’t know, Leon Day is June 25th. That date marks the turning point, six months from Christmas Day! It's the point on the calendar when the Christmas Yet To Come is now closer than the most recent Christmas Past.

Oh, and Leon is Noel spelled backwards.

While the exact origin of Leon Day doesn’t seem to be known, it is closely tied into Christmas In July, which I covered on a podcast episode a couple years ago (which you can find HERE if you'd like some of the history behind that).

I thought I would use Leon Day as a day to officially announce the schedule for the Sounds of Christmas through the end of the year. Or, at least, SOME of the schedule.

On July 1st, I’ll kick off the Sounds of Christmas from A to Z. Starting at 6am Eastern, I’ll be playing almost every song in our library in alphabetical order by title.

That will be immediately followed by the Sounds of Christmas from A to Z - The Artists’ Edition, where I’ll be playing almost every artist in our library in alphabetical order.

Following that, on a date to be determined (probably in or around the middle of August), I’ll have a special 200th episode of the Sounds of Christmas podcast. Details on that are still being worked out, so stand by for that.

And just so you know, the latest episode (also out today) is episode number 196. So there’s still a little way to go.

Shortly after that, the Sounds of Christmas will become the Sounds of Halloween! On October 1st, we’ll switch to Halloween music, and that will continue for the entire month, all the way through Halloween night!

And then, on November 1st, the new season of the Sounds of Christmas will begin - featuring the Best Variety of Christmas music, including hundreds of brand new songs, many of which are still being recorded, mixed and otherwise prepared for the upcoming season!

There are also a couple of special shows in the works for December, including a tribute to the Christmas music of Saturday Night Live as well as a special dedicated to Christmas music from the 1980s!

I have a bunch of artist interviews already lined up for this fall on the Sounds of Christmas podcast, but I’m going to hold off on dropping any names until those are recorded and ready to go. Tech issues and scheduling conflicts happen. But I’ll do my best to bring on people who love Christmas and Christmas music...almost as much as I do!

Is that everything that’s happening on the Sounds of Christmas station and podcast? No, of course not. But I don’t want to spoil everything, so I just hope this is enough to entice you to stick around (or come back).

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The Return of the Sounds of Christmas From A To Z

6/17/2024

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We’re just over halfway through June as I’m posting this, which means July is just a couple weeks away. And for many Christmas podcasters (and Christmas peeps in general), that means Christmas In July!

Last year, I did 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.

I have added hundreds of songs since then, so I thought I’d revisit that this year.

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. I can tell you that it takes over 15 hours just to get through all the songs that start with A (which is two hours longer than last year).

So, a couple things about this.

First, I began the organization of this by taking my master library list and putting it into a Google spreadsheet, 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, and there may have been some I missed. Another reason that, upon occasion, there may be a song that seems out of place.

Also, I’m not playing every different version of every single song. I did consider that in the beginning last year, and thought it might be interesting to hear so many different artists with their own interpretations of each song. Then I realized that, if I did that, there would be over nine 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 nine hours of it.

So I went through and picked one version of songs like that, to kind of represent the song. A couple times, when I had some versions of a particular song that were so different from each other, almost like they were completely different songs, I chose to play more than one. And sometimes I play an instrumental along with a vocal version of the same song. I tried not to play two versions of the same song that sounded very similar. But there were a couple times I found it hard to choose, so I included both.

I didn’t include Chanukah or New Years songs, or Thanksgiving or Halloween songs. However, Christmas songs that also include elements of Chanukah, 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, "an"'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. You get the idea.

I included lots of medleys, even though 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 quite possibly more popular in Christmas music than in any other genre, so excluding them just seemed wrong.

I may have made some mistakes with all of this. Once again, this was a much bigger undertaking 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 you miss it or it doesn’t show up.

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, I picked the more obvious choice, but a couple times I shook things up a little to pick something you might not expect.

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 until we get back to regular programming.

But, if you love Christmas music, all kinds of Christmas music, I think you'll enjoy it. 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 really 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 “Zuzu’s Petals” by the group Lunch At Allen’s. It seems like it took a couple weeks to do this last year, and there are 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 post off, mentioning that I’ve added hundreds of songs since I did this last year. Those weren’t all just new songs from 2023. There were lots of older 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).

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.

Thanks so much, and may you always believe in Santa Claus!

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