Blog Posts

Merry Christmas

12/22/2014

Hi All!

Here we are again. moments away from Christmas Day!

This week, we added new music from Owl City, David Lee Roth, Sam Smith, Reel Big Fish, Jillaine and a duet from Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga!

I saw recently that one of the big stations in New York City added four new songs to their non-stop Christmas music this year. Four! I added more than a hundred times that! There is just so much great Christmas music out there, and more coming every year, I can't imagine limiting the number of songs I add to four.

Then again, I can't imagine playing the same songs over and over, hour after hour, either. That's part of the reason I started the Sounds of Christmas. And judging from the emails, Facebook posts and Tweets, that's why you're here, too!

Thank you so much for spending part of your Christmas celebration with us!

The All Request Hour and the New Music Hour will continue to roll along, through Christmas and right on up through New Year's Eve. The All Request Hour airs weekdays from noon to 1:00pm Eastern, and you can make your requests HERE. The New Music Hour airs weeknights from 8:00pm to 9:00pm (Eastern), and you can get an idea of some of the new music we're playing on our new NEW FOR 2014 page.

And at 1:00am and 7:00am, and 1:00pm and 7:00pm, you'll get an hour's worth of Christmas music from the Stars of the Sounds of Christmas - spotlighting the singers and bands who have supported us in the past, and continue to support us, with their time, talent and treasure!

Special thanks to Cimorelli, Shayna Leigh, Michael Dulin, Jean Watson, Rick Lang, Debi Smith and Larry Carlton for sponsoring this year's broadcast and joining the Sounds of Christmas family! And extra special thanks to Luanne Hunt, Sarah Pierce, Kenny Davies, Danny Wright and Shelby Lynne for returning for another season to help get us running, and keep us running! Without them, there wouldn't be a Sounds of Christmas! You can click on each of their names and visit their homes on the web, check out their music, and, if so moved, buy their stuff! Or look them up on Amazon, iTunes, etc. Or just visit them on Facebook or Twitter and show them some love!

Continuing this Tuesday and next Tuesday, as we've done on every Tuesday in December, it's Two For Tuesdays! All day long you'll get two songs in a row from all your favorite Christmas music artists!

I think that's all the news, so here is this week's new top ten list (it's actually a top twenty list, since we play thousands of Christmas songs, it's hard to limit it to just ten)!

1) Pomplamoose
"Deck The Halls"

2) Jon Anderson
"Three Ships"

3) No Doubt
"Oi To The World"

4) Matthew Hall and Meagan Moore
"When Christmas Comes To Town"

5) Chris Rea
"Driving Home For Christmas"

6) Judy Pancoast
"The House On Christmas Street"

7) Kat Tingey
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings"

8) Doug Ferony
"In A Christmas Mood"

9) Paul Revere and the Raiders
"Christmas Spirit"

10) Bette Midler
"Cool Yule"

11) Dean Martin
"I'll Be Home For Christmas"

12) She & Him
"Christmas Wish"

13) Darlene Love
"Thanks For Christmas"

14) Stephen Colbert
"Another Christmas Song"

15) Mannheim Steamroller
"We Three Kings"

16) Elizabeth Chan
"Tis The Season"

17) The Empty Pockets
"What Christmas Means To Me"

18) Luanne Hunt
"Christmas Without You"

19) Stevie Wonder
"Silver Bells"

20) The Refreshments
"I'm The Real Santa"

Thanks again for listening and sharing the season with us! If you know someone who loves Christmas music, please send them our way!

And may you always believe in Santa Claus!

Ken

1 Comment

Halfway Through December 2014

12/14/2014

1 Comment

Hi All!

It seems like we're picking up speed and flying toward Christmas Day!

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending part of the season with us! Hope you're having a holly jolly holiday, so far!

This week, we added new music from Chrissie Hynde, Scott Bradlee and Postmodern Jukebox, Ryan McAllister, New Found Glory, Bad Religion, Amy Stroup and Annie Marie Lewis (Jerry Lee's niece), just to name a few! And, if previous years are any indication, there's still more to come!

The All Request Hour and the New Music Hour continue to roll along. The All Request Hour airs weekdays from noon to 1:00pm Eastern, and you can make your requests HERE. The New Music Hour airs weeknights from 8:00pm to 9:00pm (Eastern), and you can get an idea of some of the new music we're playing on our new NEW FOR 2014 page.

And at 1:00am and 7:00am, and 1:00pm and 7:00pm, you'll get an hour's worth of Christmas music from the Stars of the Sounds of Christmas - spotlighting the singers and bands who have supported us in the past, and continue to support us, with their time, talent and treasure!

Special thanks to Cimorelli, Shayna Leigh, Michael Dulin, Jean Watson, Rick Lang, Debi Smith and Larry Carlton for sponsoring this year's broadcast and joining the Sounds of Christmas family! And extra special thanks to Luanne Hunt, Sarah Pierce, Kenny Davies, Danny Wright and Shelby Lynne for returning for another season to help get us running, and keep us running! Without them, there wouldn't be a Sounds of Christmas! You can click on each of their names and visit their homes on the web, check out their music, and, if so moved, buy their stuff! Or look them up on Amazon, iTunes, etc. Or just visit them on Facebook or Twitter and show them some love!

Continuing this Tuesday, and following on every Tuesday in December, it's Two For Tuesdays! All day long you'll get two songs in a row from all your favorite Christmas music artists!

I think that's all the news, so here is this week's new top ten list (it's actually a top twenty list, since we play thousands of Christmas songs, it's hard to limit it to just ten)!

1) Dean Martin
"I'll Be Home For Christmas"

2) Les Brown and His Band of Renown
"The Nutcracker Suite"

3) Pomplamoose
"Deck The Halls"

4) REO Speedwagon
"I Believe In Santa Claus"

5) A Great Big World
"I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas"

6) Carly Jamison
"It Feels Like Christmas Every Single Day"

7) Huey Piano Smith and the Clowns
"White Christmas Blues"

8) Kat Tingey
'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings"

9) Marilyn Scott
"Christmas Time Is Here"

10) She & Him
"Christmas Wish"

11) Bob & Doug McKenzie
"Twelve Days of Christmas"

12) Cheech and Chong
"Santa Claus And His Old Lady"

13) John Schneider and Tom Wopat
"Sleigh Ride"

14) Mariah Carey
"Santa Claus Is Coming To Town/Oh Santa"

15) Sidewalk Prophets
"Because It's Christmas"

16) Tim Rushlow and his Big Band
"Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"

17) Eddie Floyd
"I Wish To All (A Merry Christmas)"

18) Jon Anderson
"Three Ships"

19) Killers with Elton John and Neil Tennant
"Joseph Better You Than Me"

20) Stevie Wonder
"Silver Bells"

Thanks again for listening and sharing your holiday celebration with us! If you know someone who loves Christmas music, please send them our way!

And may you always believe in Santa Claus!

Ken

1 Comment

First Week Of December

12/8/2014

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Hi All!

Well, most of us have our trees up, lights on and stockings hung by the chimney with care, as we're just over two weeks away from Christmas Day!

Thanks so much to everyone who has already stopped by and shared some of this early part of the season with us! We already have listeners in all 50 states, Washington, DC and 86 other countries and territories!

This week, we added new music from Joe Perry, Little Anthony, the Killers, Walk Off The Earth and Paper Lace (just to name a few)! And, if previous years are any indication, there's still plenty more to come (including Chrissie Hynde's new take on a classic Pretenders' Christmas song)!

The All Request Hour and the New Music Hour are rolling along. The All Request Hour airs weekdays from noon to 1:00pm Eastern, and you can make your requests HERE. The New Music Hour airs weeknights from 8:00pm to 9:00pm (Eastern), and you can get an idea of some of the new music we're playing on our new NEW FOR 2014 page.

And at 1:00am and 7:00am, and 1:00pm and 7:00pm, you'll get an hour's worth of Christmas music from the Stars of the Sounds of Christmas - spotlighting the singers and bands who have supported us in the past, and continue to support us, with their time, talent and treasure!

Special thanks to Cimorelli, Shayna Leigh, Michael Dulin, Jean Watson, Rick Lang, Debi Smith and Larry Carlton for sponsoring this year's broadcast and joining the Sounds of Christmas family! And extra special thanks to Luanne Hunt, Sarah Pierce, Kenny Davies, Danny Wright andShelby Lynne for returning for another season to help get us running, and keep us running! Without them, there wouldn't be a Sounds of Christmas!  You can click on each of their names and visit their homes on the web, check out their music, and, if so moved, buy their stuff! Or look them up on Amazon, iTunes, etc. Or just visit them on Facebook or Twitter and show them some love!

Continuing this Tuesday, and following on every Tuesday in December, it's Two For Tuesdays! All day long you'll get two songs in a row from all your favorite Christmas music artists!

I think that's all the news, so here is this week's new top ten list (it's actually a top twenty list, since we play thousands of Christmas songs, it's hard to limit it to just ten)!

1) B.E. Taylor
"Feel The Love Of Christmas"

2) John Schneider and Tom Wopat
"Sleigh Ride"

3) Eddie Floyd
"I Wish To All (A Merry Christmas)"

4) Sidewalk Prophets
"Because It's Christmas"

5) Mannheim Steamroller
"We Three Kings"

6) Sleeping At Last
"Christmas All Around Us"

7) Sand Dollar Rodeo
"Island Holiday"

8) Mickey Thomas
"Step Into Christmas"

9) Luanne Hunt
"Christmas Without You"

10) Elvis Presley
"Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me)"

11) Barry Manilow
"Because It's Christmas"

12) Tommy James and the Shondells
"It's Christmas Again"

13) Tina Lambert
"O Christmas Tree"

14) Elton John
"Step Into Christmas"

15) Eagles
"Please Come Home For Christmas"

16) Bryan Adams
"Christmas Time"

17) Kelly Clarkson
"Please Come Home For Christmas"

18) Brian Courtney Wilson with Gene Moore
"This Christmas"

19) Trans-Siberian Orchestra
"Nutrocker"

20) Ringo Starr
"Dear Santa"

Thanks again for listening and sharing your holiday celebration with us! If you know someone who loves Christmas music, please send them our way!

And may you always believe in Santa Claus!

Ken

0 Comments

Hello December

11/30/2014

1 Comment

Hi All!

In a blur of turkey, parades and Black Friday sales, November is on its way out and December is here!

Thanks so much to everyone who has already stopped by and shared some of this early part of the season with us! We already have listeners in all 50 states, Washington, DC and 79 other countries and territories!

This week, we added new music from Marillion, the Commited, Gregory Abbott, the Baha Men, All-4-One and the Flaming Lips (with Yoko Ono) (just to name a few)! And there's still plenty more to come (including a "new" Christmas song from the Bay City Rollers)!

The All Request Hour and the New Music Hour are rolling along. The All Request Hour airs weekdays from noon to 1:00pm Eastern, and you can make your requests HERE. The New Music Hour airs weeknights from 8:00pm to 9:00pm (Eastern), and you can get an idea of some of the new music we're playing on our new NEW FOR 2014 page.

And at 1:00am and 7:00am, and 1:00pm and 7:00pm, you'll get an hour's worth of Christmas music from the Stars of the Sounds of Christmas - spotlighting the singers and bands who have supported us in the past, and continue to support us, with their time, talent and treasure!

Special thanks to Michael Dulin, Jean Watson, Rick Lang, Debi Smith and Larry Carltonfor sponsoring this year's broadcast and joining the Sounds of Christmas family! And extra special thanks to Luanne Hunt, Sarah Pierce, Kenny Davies, Danny Wright andShelby Lynne for returning for another season to help get us running, and keep us running! Without them, there wouldn't be a Sounds of Christmas!  You can click on each of their names and visit their homes on the web, check out their music, and, if so moved, buy their stuff! Or look them up on Amazon, iTunes, etc. Or just visit them on Facebook or Twitter and show them some love!

Starting this Tuesday, and following on every Tuesday in December, we're bringing back Two For Tuesdays! All day long you'll get two songs in a row from all your favorite Christmas music artists!

I think that's all the news, so here is this week's new top ten list (it's actually a top twenty list, since we play thousands of Christmas songs, it's hard to limit it to just ten)!

1) Kelly Clarkson
"Please Come Home For Christmas"

2) John Schneider and Tom Wopat
"Sleigh Ride"

3) Wonder Girls
"Best Christmas Ever"

4) Jamestown Story (featuring Michelle Rene)
"Wherever You Are"

5) Marilyn Scott
"Christmas Time Is Here"

6) Darlene Love
"All Alone On Christmas"

7) Mickey Thomas
"Step Into Christmas"

8) Tina Lambert
"O Christmas Tree"

9) Trans-Siberian Orchestra
"Nutrocker"

10) Dean Martin
"A Marshmallow World"

11) Hayseed Dixie
"Misty Wonderland Hop"

12) Michael Keaton
"Frosty The Snowman"

13) Nancy Wilson
"That's What I Want For Christmas"

14) Natalie Cole
"A Song For Christmas"

15) Queen
"Thank God It's Christmas"

16) Sleeping At Last
"Christmas All Around Us"

17) Tommy James and the Shondells
"It's Christmas Again"

18) Elvis Presley
"It Won't Seem Like Christmas (Without You)"

19) Richard Marx
"Christmas Spirit"

20) Brian Courtney Wilson with Gene Moore
"This Christmas"

Thanks again for listening and sharing your holiday celebration with us! If you know someone who loves Christmas music, please send them our way!

And may you always believe in Santa Claus!

Ken

1 Comment

Alice's Restaurant

11/23/2014

0 Comments

Hi All!

Wow! I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving (here in the U.S.)!

Thanks so much to everyone who has already stopped by and shared some of this early part of the season with us! We already have listeners in all 50 states, Washington, DC and 62 other countries and territories!

This week, we added new music from Sara Evans, Sarah Crowe, Kevin Ross, Sleeping At Last, Carly Jamison, Meghan Trainor and Fifth Harmony (just to name a few)! And there's plenty more to come!

The All Request Hour and the New Music Hour are rolling along. The All Request Hour airs weekdays from noon to 1:00pm Eastern, and you can make your requests HERE. The New Music Hour airs weeknights from 8:00pm to 9:00pm (Eastern), and you can get an idea of some of the new music we're playing on our new NEW FOR 2014 page.

And at 1:00am and 7:00am, and 1:00pm and 7:00pm, you'll get an hour's worth of Christmas music from the Stars of the Sounds of Christmas - spotlighting the singers and bands who have supported us in the past, and continue to support us, with their time, talent and treasure!

Special thanks to Michael Dulin, Jean Watson, Rick Lang, Debi Smith and Larry Carltonfor sponsoring this year's broadcast and joining the Sounds of Christmas family! And extra special thanks to Luanne Hunt, Sarah Pierce, Kenny Davies, Danny Wright andShelby Lynne for returning for another season to help get us running, and keep us running! Without them, there wouldn't be a Sounds of Christmas!  You can click on each of their names and visit their homes on the web, check out their music, and, if so moved, buy their stuff! Or look them up on Amazon, iTunes, etc. Or just visit them on Facebook or Twitter and show them some love!

A couple other programming notes to mention. First, we've gotten a lot of requests to play Arlo Guthroe's "Alice's Restaurant" on Thanksgiving. We're going to do it again this year. So if you'd like to hear that on your Thanksgiving, you'll get three opportunities - 10:00am, 4:00pm and 10:00pm (all times Eastern). The first one will be the original recording. The second will be an update Arlo did in the 1990's. The third will include a recent performance from Australia about the difficulty in Remembering Alice, along with the original version!

Here are the three different versions, if you want to get one for yourself...

And then, once we're into December, Two For Tuesdays will be back! Every Tuesday in December, you'll hear two in a row from all your favorite singers and bands!

That's the news for now, so let's move on to this week's top twenty! Since the Sounds of Christmas plays so many songs, all the top ten's are actually top twenty's. It just seems hard to limit it to only ten, when we play so many!

By the way, here's how the rating system works at Live 365. To be able to vote on songs, you have to have an account with Live 365. This is free and only takes a minute or two to set up. Just go to their home page RIGHT HERE and click LOG IN/SIGN UP in the upper right. Then follow the prompts to start a new account.

To vote, listen through the Live 365 website HERE. On the player, you'll see a cartoon "thumbs up" hand and a cartoon "thumbs down". Click on either during the song you want to vote on. Oh, and Live 365 also counts it as a "thumbs down" vote when you turn off the station, so don't turn us off when it's a song you really like. Hope that all makes sense! If not, you can check out a previous blog which goes into a little more details RIGHT HERE!

And starting this week, we're presenting the top twenty a little differently. Each one is clickable, so if there's something you don't recognize, you can click it and go to directly to its page on Amazon, where you can hear a sound sample (and even buy it if you want)!

Anyway, here's this week's list of the highest-rated songs on the Sounds of Christmas....

1) Tommy James and the Shondells
"It's Christmas Again"

2) Marilyn Scott "Christmas Time Is Here"

3) Brian Courtney Wilson with Gene Moore
"This Christmas"

4) Chuck Berry
"Run Rudolph Run"

5) Natalie Cole
"A Song For Christmas"

6) Trans-Siberian Orchestra
"Nutrocker"

7) Tina Lambert
"O Christmas Tree"

8) Daryl Hall and Jose Feliciano
"Christmas Must Be Tonight"

9) Nancy Wilson
"That's What I Want For Christmas"

10) Michael Keaton "Frosty The Snowman"

11) Sleeping At Last "Christmas All Around Us"

12) Mickey Thomas
"Step Into Christmas"

13) John Lennon
"Happy Xmas"

14) Huey Lewis and the News
"Winter Wonderland"

15) Ramsey Lewis Trio "The Sound of Christmas"

16) Darlene Love
"All Alone On Christmas"

17) Aretha Franklin "Winter Wonderland"

18) Lisa Kessler
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"

19) Richard Marx "Christmas Spirit"

20) Dean Martin
"A Marshmallow World"

Thanks again for listening and sharing your holiday celebration with us! If you know someone who loves Christmas music, please send them our way!

And may you always believe in Santa Claus!

Ken

0 Comments

Halfway Through November

11/15/2014

0 Comments

Hi All!

We're half through November, and speeding along toward Thanksgiving already!

Thanks so much for spending this early part of the season with us! We already have listeners in 47 states, Washington, DC and 47 other countries and territories!

If you know someone in Alaska, Vermont or Wyoming, please send them our way so we officially cover the whole country!

We're still loading lots of music, including plenty of new music (like Band Aid 30, which we should be debuting this Monday). Over 2100 songs are already up and playing!

The All Request Hour is back at noon each weekday (click REQUESTS to make yours) and the New Music Hour is back at 8:00pm each weeknight (all times are Eastern). Two For Tuesdays should be also be back in the next week or so!

Special thanks to Michael Dulin, Jean Watson, Rick Lang, Debi Smith and Larry Carlton for sponsoring this year's broadcast and joining the Sounds of Christmas family! And extra special thanks to Luanne Hunt, Sarah Pierce, Kenny Davies, Danny Wright and Shelby Lynne for returning for another season to help get us running, and keep us running! Without them, there wouldn't be a Sounds of Christmas! You can click on each of their names and visit their homes on the web, check out their music, and, if so moved, buy their stuff! Or look them up on Amazon, iTunes, etc. Or just visit them on Facebook or Twitter and show them some love!

That's the news for now, so let's move on to new twenty! Since the Sounds of Christmas plays so many songs, all the top ten's are actually top twenty's. It just seems hard to limit it to only ten, when we play so many!

By the way, here's how the rating system works at Live 365. To be able to vote on songs, you have to have an account with Live 365. This is free and only takes a minute or two to set up. Just go to their home page RIGHT HERE and click LOG IN/SIGN UP in the upper right. Then follow the prompts to start a new account.

To vote, listen through the Live 365 website HERE. On the player, when you hover your mouse over it, you'll see a cartoon "thumbs up" hand and a cartoon "thumbs down". Click on either during the song you want to vote on. Oh, and Live 365 also counts it as a "thumbs down" vote when you turn off the station, so don't turn us off when it's a song you really like. Hope that all makes sense! If not, you can check out a previous blog which goes into a little more details RIGHT HERE!

Anyway, here's this week's list of the highest-rated songs on the Sounds of Christmas....

1) Trans-Siberian Orchestra "Nutrocker"
2) Daryl Hall and Jose Feliciano "Christmas Must Be Tonight"
3) Dean Martin "A Marshmallow World
4) Brian Courtney Wilson and Gene Moore "This Christmas"
5) Marilyn Scott "Christmas Time Is Here"
6) Smokey Robinson and the Miracles "Christmas Everyday"
7) Sleeping At Last "Christmas All Around Us"
8) Tommy James "It's Christmas Again"
9) Mickey Thomas "Step Into Christmas"
10) Kathy Sledge "Christmas Waltz"
11) Darlene Love "All Alone On Christmas"
12) Chuck Berry "Run Rudolph Run"
13) Aretha Franklin "Winter Wonderland"
14) Polyphonic Spree "Happy Xmas"
15) Tina Lambert "O Christmas Tree"
16) Natalie Cole "A Song For Christmas"
17) Lunch At Allen's "Zuzu's Petals"
18) Richard Marx "Christmas Spirit"
19) Pomplamoose "Jingle Bells"
20) Nancy Wilson "That's What I Want For Christmas"

Thanks again for listening, and sharing the beginning of the season with us! If you know someone who loves Christmas music, please send them my way!

And may you always believe in Santa Claus!

Ken

0 Comments

First Top Ten of 2014

11/9/2014

0 Comments

Hi All!

Well, it's hard to believe, but we've already been back on for just over a week! And we already have listeners in 44 states, Washington, DC and 39 other countries and territories! Thanks so much for giving us such an awesome start!

As usual, it's very busy here. We're constantly loading music and going through stacks of the latest CDs and mp3s (not really stacks of mp3s, but you know what I mean). The first 2000 songs are already up and playing, and there are plenty more on the way!

The All Request Hour is back at noon each weekday (click REQUESTS to make yours) and the New Music Hour is back at 8:00pm each weeknight (all times are Eastern). With luck, Two For Tuesdays should be running by Thanksgiving!

Special thanks to Michael Dulin, Jean Watson, Rick Lang, Debi Smith and Larry Carlton for sponsoring this year's broadcast and joining the Sounds of Christmas family! And extra special thanks to Luanne Hunt, Sarah Pierce, Kenny Davies, Danny Wright and Shelby Lynne for returning for another season to help get us running, and keep us running! Without them, there wouldn't be a Sounds of Christmas! You can click on each of their names and visit their homes on the web, check out their music, and, if so moved, buy their stuff! Or look them up on Amazon, iTunes, etc. Or just visit them on Facebook or Twitter and show them some love!

That's the news for now, so let's move on to our first top twenty of the season! Since the Sounds of Christmas plays so many songs, all the top ten's are actually top twenty's. It just seems hard to limit it to only ten, when we play so many!

By the way, here's how the rating system works at Live 365. To be able to vote on songs, you have to have an account with Live 365. This is free and only takes a minute or two to set up. Just go to their home page RIGHT HERE and click LOG IN/SIGN UP in the upper right. Then follow the prompts to start a new account.

To vote, listen through the Live 365 website HERE. On the player, when you hover your mouse over it, you'll see a cartoon "thumbs up" hand and a cartoon "thumbs down". Click on either during the song you want to vote on. Oh, and Live 365 also counts it as a "thumbs down" vote when you turn off the station, so don't turn us off when it's a song you really like. Hope that all makes sense! If not, you can check out a previous blog which goes into a little more details RIGHT HERE!

Anyway, here's this week's list of the highest-rated songs on the Sounds of Christmas....

1) Smokey Robinson and the Miracles "Christmas Everyday"
2) Marilyn Scott "Christmas Time Is Here"
3) Daryl Hall and Jose Feliciano "Christmas Must Be Tonight"
4) Larry Carlton "The First Noel"
5) Zoe Bentley with Canadian Brass "Very Merry Christmas"
6) Yule Logs "North Pole 45789"
7) Susan Boyle "I Believe In Father Christmas"
8) Perry Como "That Christmas Feeling"
9) Lisa Kessler "The Christmas Song"
10) Harry Connick Jr. "When My Heart Finds Christmas"
11) Darlene Love with the Brian Setzer Orchestra "Deep In The Heart Of Xmas"
12) Anthony Hamilton "Tis The Season"
13) Carole King "Love For Christmas"
14) Empty Pockets "Run Run Rudolph"
15) Joan Jett and the Blackhearts "Little Drummer Boy"
16) Michael Dulin "Deck The Halls"
17) Rod Stewart "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"
18) Vanessa Williams "Christmas Time Is Here"
19) Whitney Houston "Joy To The World"
20) Queen "Thank God It's Christmas"

Thanks again for listening, and sharing the beginning of the season with us! If you know someone who loves Christmas music, please send them my way!

And may you always believe in Santa Claus!

Ken

0 Comments

The Sounds of Christmas Top 100 For 2013

1/21/2014

0 Comments

The number-crunching is finally done, and out of the thousands of songs we played this year, here are the top one hundred! These are the most-requested and highest-rated songs from the Sounds of Christmas 2013!

1) The Empty Pockets "Run Run Rudolph"
2) Tey "Christmas Is Easy When Love Is Around"
3) Roger McGuinn "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear"
4) The Drifters "White Christmas"
5) NRBQ "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas"
6) Harry Connick Jr. "When My Heart Finds Christmas"
7) Brian Wilson "What I Really Want For Christmas"
8) Lisa Kessler "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
9) Marillion "Carol Of The Bells"
10) Greg Pope "Christmas Snow"
11) Death Cab For Cutie "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"
12) Nat King Cole Trio "The Christmas Song"
13) Andy Williams "Hark The Herald Angels Sing"
14) Bruce Springsteen "Blue Christmas"
15) Chicago "Merry Christmas Happy Holidays"
16) Elton John and Joss Stone "Calling It Christmas"
17) The Empty Pockets "What Christmas Means To Me"
18) The Smithereens "Waking Up On Christmas Morning"
19) Soupy Sales "Santa Claus Is Surfin' To Town"
20) Tina Lambert "The Holly And The Ivy"
21) Jackie Wilson "Deck The Halls"
22) The Bobs "Fifty Kilowatt Tree"
23) B.B. King "Christmas Celebration"
24) Joan Jett and the Blackhearts "Little Drummer Boy"
25) Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans "The Bells Of St. Mary"
26) Josh Groban "I'll Be Home For Christmas"
27) Joshua Bell with Gloria Estefan "Christmas Auld Lang Syne"
28) 3rd Echo "December Nights"
29) Killers "Feel It In My Bones"
30) Dave Davies "Father Christmas" (live)
31) Frank Sinatra "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day"
32) Ingram Hill "Santa Claus Is Back In Town"
33) Lois Mahalia "Deck The Halls/Joy To The World"
34) Nick Lowe "Christmas At The Airport"
35) Wilson Pickett "Silver Bells"
36) Brian Setzer Orchestra "Santa Claus Is Back In Town"
37) Kimberley Locke "We Need A Little Christmas"
38) New Royalty "I Believe It's Christmas Time"
39) Sidewalk Prophets "That Spirit Of Christmas"
40) Tom Lehrer "A Christmas Carol"
41) The Beatles "Christmas Time (Is Here Again)"
42) The Hipwaders "Yes It's Christmas"
43) Katrina Carlson "You Are Christmas"
44) Melissa Etheridge "It's Christmas Time"
45) Natalie Cole "A Song For Christmas"
46) Darlene Love "What Christmas Means To Me"
47) My Morning Jacket "Christmas Must Be Tonight"
48) Sand Dollar Rodeo "Island Holiday"
49) Burl Ives "Silver and Gold"
50) J.D. McPherson "Twinkle (Little Christmas Lights)"
51) Slim Jim Phantom "Christmas Tree Boogie"
52) Smashing Pumpkins "Christmastime"
53) Pretenders "Happy Christmas"
54) Belinda Carlisle "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"
55) Holiday Express "Disco Santa"
56) Johnny Mathis "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"
57) Ramsey Lewis Trio "The Sounds of Christmas"
58) The Temptations "Christmas Everyday"
59) Vonda Shepard "The Man With The Bag"
60) Davy Jones "It's Christmas"
61) Lisa Kessler "Perfect Christmas Night"
62) Natasha Miller "White Christmas"
63) Vanessa Peters "The Christmas We Hoped For"
64) Big Bad Voodoo Daddy "Run Rudolph Run"
65) Carole King "Carol Of The Bells"
66) Diana Krall "The Man With The Bag"
67) Otis Redding "Merry Christmas, Baby"
68) Ray Charles "That Spirit Of Christmas"
69) Reilly "Dear Santa (I Can Explain)"
70) Ringo Starr "Dear Santa"
71) Moe "Linus and Lucy"
72) Partridge Family "My Christmas Card To You"
73) U2 "I Believe In Father Christmas"
74) Chuck Berry "Run Rudolph Run"
75) Florin Street Band "My Favourite Time Of Year"
76) Mariah Carey "Christmas Time Is In The Air Again"
77) Nancy Wilson "That's What I Want For Christmas"
78) Sleeping At Last "Christmas All Around Us"
79) Bryan Adams "Merry Christmas"
80) Carole King "Sleigh Ride"
81) Otis Redding "White Christmas"
82) Leigh Nash "Wishing For This"
83) Ringo Starr "I Wanna Be Santa Claus"
84) Wizzard "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday"
85) Harry Nilsson "Hark The Herald Angels Sing"
86) Michael Keaton "Frosty the Snowman"
87) Natasha Miller "Christmas Time Is Here"
88) Carla Thomas "Gee Whiz It's Christmas"
89) DeDe "Deck The Halls"
90) Diahann Carroll "We Wish You A Merry Christmas"
91) The Empty Pockets "Baby It's Cold Outside"
92) Little Isadore and the Inquisitors "Christmas Of Love"
93) The Band "Christmas Must Be Tonight"
94) Eddie Money and Ronnie Spector "Everybody Loves Christmas"
95) Fats Domino "Jingle Bells"
96) James Brown Santa Claus Is Definitely Here To Stay"
97) Melinda Doolittle "God Bless Us Everyone"
98) The Beach Boys "Little Saint Nick"
99) The Empty Pockets "Holly Jolly Christmas"
100) The Jackson Five "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"
101) Paul Simon "Getting Ready For Christmas Day"
102) Ringo Starr "Christmas Time Is Here Again"
103) Tom Hanks "The Polar Express"
104) Big Bad Voodoo Daddy "It Feels Like Christmas Time"
105) Bob Seger and the Last Heard "Sock It To Me Santa"
106) Chicago with Steve Cropper "Rocking and Rolling on Christmas Day"
107) Dreams So real "Red Lights (Merry Christmas)"
108) Frank Sinatra "Mistletoe and Holly"
109) Lunch At Allen's "Zuzu's Petals"
110) Band Aid "Do They Know It's Christmas" (12" Mix)
111) Brian Setzer Orchestra "(Everybody's Waitin' For) The Man With The Bag"
112) Honeymoon Suite "I Believe In Father Christmas"
113) Lisa Kessler "Away In A Manger"
114) Straight No Chaser "12 Days Of Christmas" (live)
115) Tina Lambert "Caroling, Caroling"
116) Michael Buble "All I Want For Christmas Is You"
117) Cyndi Lauper and Norah Jones "Home For The Holidays"
118) Andy Williams "Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season"
119) Johnny Mathis and Billy Joel "The Christmas Song"
120) Richard Marx "Christmas Spirit"
121) Matthew West "The Heart Of Christmas"
122) Dave Barnes and Hillary Scott "Christmas Tonight"
123) Elvis Presley "Holly Leaves And Christmas Trees"
124) Vince Guaraldi Trio "Christmas Is Coming"
125) Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra "We Wish You The Merriest"

I know there's more than 100. Since we play so many songs, and since all our top ten lists were really top twenty lists, it just seemed right to give you a little more!

Thanks again for listening! And we're looking forward to spending next Christmas with you, as we plan to be back on the air again on November 1!

All our best for you and yours for all of 2014! And may you always believe in Santa Claus!

Ken

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Last Top Ten Of The Season

1/6/2014

0 Comments

Hi All!

Hard to believe it's already the Twelfth Day of Christmas!

I can't thank you enough for stopping by and listening to the Sounds of Christmas this season. The comments and emails have helped make it a wonderful year for me, and I'm very grateful that you chose to spend at least part of your holiday celebration with us!

Getting ready to put my toys away for the year, but we will be back on in the Fall, and I do hope you'll take a moment to bookmark us so you can be sure to be with us for the Christmas season of 2014!

Special thanks to DeDe, Kanisha K, Luanne Hunt, Sarah Pierce, Kenny Davies, Terence P. Minogue, Barbara Bretton, Louis Colaiannia, Natasha Miller, Danny Wright, James Robert Webb and Joel Kopischke for sponsoring this year's broadcast! Without them, there would not have been a Sounds of Christmas! You can click on each of their names and visit their homes on the web, check out their music and books, and, if so moved, buy their stuff! Or look them up on Amazon, iTunes, etc. Or just visit them on Facebook or Twitter and show them some love!

While this is the last Top Ten list, I will have a Top 100 for the whole season, coming up in another week or so (once I finish crunching all the numbers)!

In the meantime, here's this week's list of the highest-rated songs on the Sounds of Christmas....

1) Tey "Christmas Is Easy When Love Is Around"
2) Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans "The Bells of St. Mary"
3) Andy Williams "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
4) Elton John and Joss Stone "Calling it Christmas"
5) Marillion "Carol Of The Bells"
6) Soupy Sales "Santa Claus Is Surfin' To Town"
7) The Smithereens "Waking Up On Christmas Morning"
8) Nat King Cole Trio "The Christmas Song"
9) Joan Jett and the Blackhearts "Little Drummer Boy"
10) Jackie Wilson "Deck The Halls"
11) The Bobs "Fifty Kilowatt Tree"
12) 3rd Echo "December Nights"
13) Dave Davies "Father Christmas" (live)
14) Melissa Etheridge "It's Christmas Time"
15) Smashing Pumpkins "Christmastime"
16) Big Bad Voodoo Daddy "Run Rudolph Run"
17) Lisa Kessler "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"
18) Ringo Starr "Christmas Time Is Here Again"
19) Lunch At Allen's "Zuzu's Petals"
20) Brian Setzer Orchestra "(Everybody's Waitin' For) The Man With The Bag"

Thanks again for listening and sharing your holiday celebration with us!

And may you always believe in Santa Claus!

Ken

0 Comments

After Christmas Top Ten

12/28/2013

0 Comments

Hi All!

I don't know if it's because Thanksgiving was late this year or if it's just the nature of things, but it sure seems like the season has flown by!

I do feel like I need to say that we aren't done, yet. I know there are a lot of people who have their Christmas trees out by the curb on the 26th. And most traditional radio stations have already pulled the plug on their Christmas music for the year.

But the Twelve Days of Christmas come AFTER Christmas, not before. So we will be on right through Epiphany.

I'd also like to thank everyone who has been listening this season. We had a sick dog on our house, who sadly passed away the day after Christmas. Taking care of her kept me from promoting the Sounds of Christmas as much as I'd like, and it means a lot that so many have shared some of their holiday with us, anyway!

The All Request Hour and the New Music Hour will continue through the end of December, so you still have time to get requests in and catch the latest new Christmas music! In fact, if there's something you'd like to hear, just click on the REQUEST tab at the top of the page and let me know about it! The All Request Hour is on December weekdays from noon to 1:00pm Eastern. The New Music Hour is on December weeknighst from 8:00pm to 9:00pm (Eastern).

And at 1:00am and 7:00am, and 1:00pm and 7:00pm, you'll get an hour's worth of Christmas music from the Stars of the Sounds of Christmas - spotlighting the singers and bands who have supported us in the past, and continue to support us, with their time, talent and treasure!

Special thanks to DeDe, Kanisha K, Luanne Hunt, Sarah Pierce, Kenny Davies, Terence P. Minogue, Barbara Bretton, Louis Colaiannia, Natasha Miller, Danny Wright, James Robert Webb and Joel Kopischke for sponsoring this year's broadcast! Without them, there wouldn't be a Sounds of Christmas! You can click on each of their names and visit their homes on the web, check out their music and books, and, if so moved, buy their stuff! Or look them up on Amazon, iTunes, etc. Or just visit them on Facebook or Twitter and show them some love!

Oh, Two For Tuesdays will also continue til the end of December! Every Tuesday in December, you'll hear two in a row from all your favorite singers and bands!

If you would like to help us wrap up this season and get ready for the next, we'd be grateful for the assistance! You can get the details on how you can help RIGHT HERE!

That's the news for now, so let's move on to this week's top twenty! Since the Sounds of Christmas plays so many songs, all the top ten's are actually top twenty's. It just seems hard to limit it to only ten, when we play so many!

By the way, here's how the rating system works at Live 365. To be able to vote on songs, you have to have an account with Live 365. This is free and only takes a minute or two to set up. Just go to their home page RIGHT HERE and click LOG IN/SIGN UP in the upper right. Then follow the prompts to start a new account.

To vote, listen through the Live 365 website HERE. On the player, you'll see a cartoon "thumbs up" hand and a cartoon "thumbs down". Click on either during the song you want to vote on. Oh, and Live 365 also counts it as a "thumbs down" vote when you turn off the station, so don't turn us off when it's a song you really like. Hope that all makes sense! If not, you can check out a previous blog which goes into a little more details RIGHT HERE!

Anyway, here's this week's list of the highest-rated songs on the Sounds of Christmas....

1) Nat King Cole Trio "The Christmas Song"
2) Jackie Wilson "Deck The Halls"
3) The Smithereens "Waking Up O Christmas Morning"
4) 3rd Echo "December Nights"
5) Joan Jett and the Blackhearts "Little Drummer Boy"
6) Dave Davies "Father Christmas" (live)
7) Holiday Express "Disco Santa"
8) Lisa Kessler "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer"
9) Frank Sinatra "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day"
10) Otis Redding "Merry Christmas, Baby"
11) Moe "Linus and Lucy"
12) Sleeping At Last "Christmas All Around Us"
13) B. B. King "Christmas Celebration"
14) Carole King "Sleigh Ride"
15) Ringo Starr "I Wanna Be Santa Claus"
16) Brian Setzer Orchestra "Santa Claus Is Back In Town"
17) The Band "Christmas Must Be Tonight"
18) Empty Pockets "Holly Jolly Christmas"
19) Ray Charles "That Spirit Of Christmas"
20) Tina Lambert "Caroling, Caroling"

Thanks again for listening and sharing your holiday celebration with us! If you know someone who loves Christmas music, please send them our way!

And may you always believe in Santa Claus!

Ken

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