The Week Between is over and so is the year. I appreciate everyone who follows this blog and all of the feedback.
As is the case with December 26, there is a lot of New Year’s Eve songs — not all of them covers of Auld Lang Syne. Although I do feature at least one version of the classic New Year’s tune every year.
Quick note, on December 23rd, I had the privilege to play three hours of Christmas music on the radio station where I work (WCLO in Janesville, WI). If you still need a blast of great Christmas and Winter tunes, cue these links up and hit play. Hour One Hour Two Hour Three
As for tonight, I’ll start with a California singer/songwriter named Delacey. She released a Christmas record in November this year titled Christmas Angel and unfortunately I missed it. Christmas Angel is very good — it’s already scheduled for next year. I’ll play Happy New Year from Delacey tonight.
Happy New Year Another year is coming, whether I like it or not And you know I'm afraid of change But I'm sitting at the bar With a glass half full of beer And my baby whispers to me Happy new year Oh honey Kiss me like you love me And we'll get 99 if we're lucky Oh, Well wake up tomorrow With a new date on the page 'Cause nothing good or bad babe ever stays When the countdown is over And the crowd all disappears I'll whisper sweetly to ya Happy new year A new one's coming So kiss me like you love me And we'll get 99 if we're lucky There was a time I didn't see you coming So I'm just fine keeping that clock running And who knows what's coming or what God'll ask of me But We'll get 99 We'll get 99 If we're lucky
Brand New Year It's been a long, hard year Sometimes we felt that we might not make it But Baby we're still here We showed the world that our love could take it We'll never let them break us down As long as we still believe
Happy New Year's Eve Drink a toast to all the ghosts we leave behind us Here's a fresh new start, full of promise That's what brought us here It's a brand new year
The world can be so cold It breaks our hearts in a thousand ways But, Baby, we won't fold We'll stand our ground for another day We'll never let them break us down As long as we still believe
Happy New Year's Eve Drink a toast to all the ghosts we leave behind us Here's a fresh new start, full of promise That's what brought us here It's a brand new year
Happy New Year's Eve Drink a toast to all the ghosts we leave behind us Here's a fresh new start, full of promise That's what brought us here It's a brand new year
God I Hope This Year is Better Than the Last Footsteps without a sound I'm coming home to you Snowfall blankets the ground It covers the ugly truth Things that we hide from view I get tired around this time I blame it on the cold daylight Bring your arms around me fast Warm my bones and fill my glass God, I hope this year's better than The last A candle burns in a choir Held with a righteous hand And I'm reminded... of a silent night All for a broken man One I don't understand I get tired around this time But I will try to make things right Bring your arms around me fast Warm my bones and fill my glass God, I hope we'll be better than The past I wake up around this time Your sweet face will fill my eyes Wrap me up and hold me fast Carry on and don't look back God, I hope this year's better than The last
Resolutions (Day by Day) It′s the last day of December baby Been making resolutions maybe This year I can change Maybe this time won't go the same Way it always does It′s the last day of December darling But all my resolutions hardly Ever seem to stick Guess I can't white knuckle it For forever Cause come midnight it's a brand new year But what if I wake up tomorrow and still feel the same? Still wondering what I′m doing here Still realizing that the only way to change Is day by day It′s the 31st of December honey A few more hours to figure out what we're becoming Will we ever finally arrive? Or do some things we just try And try and try Cause come midnight it′s a brand new year But what if I wake up tomorrow and still feel the same? Still wondering what I'm doing here Still realizing that the only way to change Is day by day Day by day
Chris Renzema – Resolutions (Day by Day)
Thanks again for following. I enjoy writing this blog. I hope you enjoy reading and listening. Happy New Year. Tom
During “the week between” I reserve a day to post some things that are more winter songs than Christmas. This year it’s an album from a Michigan band called The Accidentals.
The Accidentals commenced in a public high school classroom in Traverse City, MI. As the story goes, in 2012, concertmaster violinist Savannah Buist, and cellist, Katie Larson, raised their hands at the request for volunteers to play a music boosters concert and wound up being musical soulmates.
A Hazy Shade of Winter was released by Simon and Garfunkel way back in 1966. The Bangles covered the song in 1987. Coming in at a fast 2:15, it’s a great song. I’ll feature that song and Northern Attitude as well.
Today is the final day of my tribute to people who passed in 2025… and performed or produced Christmas music.
Peter Yarrow
Peter Yarrow was the founding member of the folk trio Peter Paul and Mary and the writer of their most famous song, Puff the Magic Dragon.
The trio also popularised Bob Dylan’s early songs, in particular Blowin’ in the Wind; their 1963 recording reached No 2 in the US charts and entered the UK Top 20.
The trio split up for a period in 1970, the same year that Yarrow was convicted of sexually molesting a 14-year-old girl who had come to his dressing room with her elder sister to ask for an autograph. He served three months in prison. In 1981, he received a presidential pardon from Jimmy Carter on his last day in office. (The Guardian)
Melba Montgomery was a country music singer/songwriter from what is considered the Golden Age of the genre.
“As a singer, Montgomery immortalized country’s all-time motherhood classic “No Charge.” She also became the first hit duet partner of the legendary George Jones. Montgomery originated the delightful hillbilly romp “Something to Brag About” as a duet with Charlie Louvin. It was memorably revived by Willie Nelson and Mary Kay Place, among others. As a studio singer, she has contributed harmony background vocals to recordings by Leon Russell, Randy Travis, B.J. Thomas, Emmylou Harris and other stars.
As a songwriter, she has had more than 100 compositions recorded. Melba Montgomery wrote “We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds.” That 1963 hit duet with George Jones has since been recorded by more than two dozen other stars. She co-wrote “What Do You Say to That,” which was a smash hit for George Strait in 1999. Her 1970song “Don’t Keep Me Lonely Too Long” has been recorded by Connie Smith, Skeeter Davis, Eddy Arnold, Dottie West, George Jones and others. More than 50 different artists have recorded Melba Montgomery songs.”
In her final years, Montgomery battled dementia and died at a Nashville care facility on January 15, 2025, at the age of 86
Roberta Flack got her first big break when her song The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face was featured in Clint Eastwood’s directorial debut Play Misty For Me in 1971.
Success quickly followed with hits like Killing Me Softly, Where is the Love (a duet with Donny Hathaway), Feel Like Makin’ Love and The Closer I Get To You.
Roberta Flack died on February 24, 2025. A representative for Flack did not share a cause of death, but the singer had been battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
Roberta Flack – 25th of Last December
Sylvester Stone
Sylvester Stewart aka Sly Stone was the founder of the band Sly and the Family Stone and is responsible for a string of hits in the 60’s and 70’s. If you grew up in that era it was hard to miss songs like Everyday People, Stand, I Want to Take You Higher and Hot Fun in the Summertime.
Stone battled with drugs most of his life but finally kicked the habit later in life. If you want a good read, pick up his autobiography, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin): A Memoir. It’s an excellent, no holds barred story of sex, drugs, rock and roll — and redemption.
Sly Stone, died in Los Angeles on Monday, June 9. The musical icon had been battling lung disease, according to a statement provided by his family. He was 82. (NPR)
Sly Stone – Santa Claus is Coming To Town (2023 Mix)
Connie Francis
Connie Francis scored her first big hit with Who’s Sorry Now? in 1957, and by 1967 had amassed 35 Top 40 hits in the US and sold 35 million records worldwide.
She was blessed with a voice that could handle everything from amusing novelties such as Stupid Cupid (1958) or Pretty Little Baby (1962) to intimate ballads, tales of heartbreak and even full-blown epics such as the flamenco-flavoured Malagueña (1960).
She was also versatile enough to embrace the Nashville sound, and her performances of songs such as When the Boy in Your Arms (1963) or Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You (1962) carry echoes of country artists such as Patsy Cline or Loretta Lynn. (The Guardian)
Connie Francis died on July 16, 2025, in Pompano Beach, Florida, at age 87, from complications following pneumonia, after having been hospitalized for a fractured hip.
Connie Francis’ iconic Christmas record is her 1959 album “Christmas in My Heart,” a classic holiday collection featuring beloved songs like “White Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland,” and “The Christmas Song,” recorded in London and later repackaged and re-released multiple times, even adding tracks like “Baby’s First Christmas” on CD versions
Connie Francis – I’ll Be Home for Christmas
Tom Lehrer
Tom Lehrer was an American musician, singer-songwriter, satirist and mathematician, who later taught mathematics and musical theater. He recorded “pithy, humorous, and often political songs that became popular in the 1950s and 1960s. His songs often parodied popular musical forms, though they usually had original melodies. An exception is “The Elements“, in which he set the names of the chemical elements to the tune of the “Major-General’s Song” from Gilbert and Sullivan‘s The Pirates of Penzance.”
Tom Lehrer died at the age of 97 on July 26, 2025, at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts due to natural causes. His obit from the Guardian is an excellent read.
Tom Lehrer recorded his satirical take on A Christmas Carol in 1959.
Tom Lehrer – A Christmas Carol
Mark Volman
Growing up in the 60’s, it was hard to miss hits from The Turtles. It Ain’t Me Babe (a cover a Dylan song) was the band’s first hit in 1965 followed quickly by You Baby, Happy Together, She’d Rather Be With Me and Elenore. The Turtles were red hot from 1965 through 1968.
The Turtles broke up in 1970, but Volman and lead singer Howard Kaylan formed a comedic singing duo, Flo & Eddie (Volman was Flo and Kaylan was Eddie). They toured with Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention and Alice Cooper and provided background vocals for performers such as Bruce Springsteen, Duran Duran and T. Rex. They also created music for children’s TV shows, including Strawberry Shortcake.
Mark Volman, died Friday April 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee, after what his publicist called “a brief, unexpected illness.” He was 78. Volman was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia in 2020, but he continued to perform. He revealed his diagnosis to the public in 2023.
1n 1968, Volman along with Turtles bandmate Howard Kaylan formed a supergroup called The Christmas Spirit, a short-lived supergroup that included Gram Parsons and Gene Parsons (The Byrds), Linda Ronstadt, and others. They released two songs, Christmas is My Time of Year and the b-side, Will You Still Believe in Me.
The Christmas Spirit – Christmas is my Time of Year
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper was the studio guitarist for nearly every Stax recording artist. That would include Booker T and the Mgs, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Sam & Dave to name a few.
A later generation came to know Cropper as part of the Blues Brothers Band.
The list of musicians/bands with whom he performed includes, Neil Young, Chicago, Z Top, Clapton, Joe Walsh. It’s a long list.
Cropper died in Nashville on December 3, 2025, at the age of 84. A cause of death was not immediately known. A few days before, he was at a rehabilitation facility in Nashville recovering from a recent fall. (The Guardian)
As for Christmas records, if a Stax artist recorded a Christmas song, it’s more than likely Steve Cropper was the guitarist.
Cropper teamed up with the band Chicago for the song Rockin’ and Rollin’ om Christmas Day on Chicago’s 2011 album Chicago XXXIII: O Christmas Three.
Chicago w/ Steve Cropper – Rockin’ and Rollin’ on Christmas Day
Continuing our tribute to musicians who died and recorded Christmas music – day two of three
Wayne Osmond
Wayne Osmond was the second oldest of the original Osmond Brothers (fourth oldest oldest of all of the family members). He was a multi-instrumentalist learning how to play eight instruments.
In 1997, Wayne was diagnosed with brain cancer and went deaf due to treatments. In 2012, he suffered a stroke which left him unable to play guitar. Wayne Osmond suffered another, more severe stroke and died on January 1, 2025. He was 73.
White didn’t set out to be a legend of old-time country music. He worked as a plumber and only played music as a hobby, sometimes performing in dancehalls on piano and mandolin. But when two of his four daughters began playing themselves – Sharon on guitar and Cheryl on bass – he began taking music more seriously. He released several albums in the 1970s as a solo artist and as the leader of Buck White & the Down Home Folks, and in 1983, The Whites released their debut album as a family band, “Old Familiar Feeling.” It included hits like “Hangin’ Around” and “I Wonder Who’s Holding My Baby Tonight,” and it earned The Whites CMA nominations for Vocal Group of the Year and the Horizon/New Artist award. (Legacy.com)
Buck White’s daughter Sharon is married to Ricky Scaggs.
17-year old Marianne Faithfull burst onto the pop-rock scene in 1964 singing As Tears Go By, a song co-written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. For some time, she was also Mick’s girlfriend.
I am so saddened to hear of the death of Marianne Faithfull. She was so much part of my life for so long. She was a wonderful friend, a beautiful singer and a great actress. She will always be remembered. Mick Jagger on Facebook
Faithfull recorded I Saw Three Ships on The Chieftains great 1991 album, The Bells of Dublin
Marianne Faithfull w/ The Chieftains – I Saw Three Ships
Johnny Tillotson
Johnny Tillotson’s recording career spans 6 decades. A two time Grammy Nominee, he has 6 #1 international hits and hundreds of charted records worldwide. He has 10 top 10 hits and 16 top 40 Hits on the Billboard charts in the USA alone. His records have charted 48 times on Billboard’s Pop, Country, Adult Contemporary and Album charts. This accomplishment makes Johnny one of the top 100 recording artists of the Rock Era. Some of his biggest records include “Poetry In Motion”, “Without You”, “Talk Back Trembling Lips,” “It Keeps Right On A Hurtin,” “Send Me The Pillow You Dream On,” “You Can Never Stop Me Loving You,” “She Understands Me,” “Worry,” “Dreamy Eyes,” “Heartaches By The Number,” and many more.
Johnny Tillotson died on April 1, 2025 following a Parkinsonism diagnosis. He was 86
People of a certain age will remember Rick Derringer for his hit Rock and Roll Hootchie Koo (recorded as a solo performer and with Edgar Winter).
People of a slightly older certain age best remember Derringer from the band The McCoys and their huge hit Hang on Sloopy.
In 1985, he co-wrote one of his best-known songs: “Real American,” the theme song for WWF/WWE star Hulk Hogan. Around this same time, he was also working as a producer and helped bring some of the best-known songs by parody legend “Weird Al” Yankovic to the masses, producing “Eat It,” “Fat,” and most of Weird Al’s first six albums. All told, he released over two dozen albums as a solo artist, with both Edgar Winter and Johnny Winter, and with bands such as the McCoys, The Derringers, and others. He won a Grammy for his work with Yankovic.
Collaborators took to social media to pay tribute to Derringer. Weird Al said on Instagram, “He had an enormous impact on my life, and will be missed greatly,” while musician Joe Bonamassa said on X, “Rest in Peace my friend. It was an honor to know you, work with you and call you a friend.” (Legacy.com)
Rick Derringer’s cause of death was complications following a medical episode, with his family reporting he passed away peacefully after being taken off life support in late May 2025, having previously had a triple bypass surgery a couple of months prior. He was 77
Derringer released the album Winter Wonderland in 2004. It’s not available in any of the usual places, but you can order a CD from Derringer’s website here.
Rick Derringer – Christmas Valentine
Bobby Sherman
Bobby Sherman, the singer and actor whose boyish good looks and sweet if unshowy vocals made him a teen idol in the overlapping worlds of television and pop music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, died on June 24, 2025. He was 81. No cause of death was given. The former teen idol had been battling Stage 4 kidney cancer, his wife said in April. (LA Times)
His death was announced Tuesday by wife Brigitte Poublon Sherman via friend John Stamos’ social media.
“A textbook heartthrob of the shaggy-haired SoCal variety, Sherman put four singles in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 in less than a year, starting with “Little Woman,” which peaked at No. 3 in October 1969; after that came “La La La (If I Had You),” which got to No. 9 in January 1970, “Easy Come, Easy Go,” which hit the same position three months later, and “Julie, Do Ya Love Me,” which reached No. 5 in September 1970. The cheerful, catchy tunes — each a certified gold-seller — helped define the bubblegum pop sound that also encompassed the Archies, Tommy Roe and the Ohio Express. At the same time that he was scaling the charts, Sherman starred on ABC’s “Here Come the Brides,” a western comedy series set shortly after the Civil War in which he played one of the owners of a family logging business determined to find love interests for the company’s lumberjacks. The multimedia exposure drew the adoration of the era’s teenyboppers, who raced to spend their allowance money on T-shirts, lunch boxes and magazines featuring the face of Bubblegum Bobby, as he was known.” (LA Times)
Here I go with another “people of a certain age” post…
People of a certain age likely best remember Bobby Whitlock as a key member of the band Derek and the Dominoes and the album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. On that record alone, Whitlock wrote or co-wrote, Bell Bottom Blues, Keep on Growing, Anyday, Tell the Truth, Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad and Thorn Tree in the Garden.
Beyond that, Whitlock worked with Stephen Stills, George Harrison (on All Things Must Pass), Delaney and Bonnie, Steve Winwood, Steve Cropper, Sam and Dave and Booker T & The MGs and many others.
Later in his career, he also worked with John Prine on his Aimless Love album. And during that time, he and Prine co-wrote Silent Night All Day Long which appeared on a John Prine Christmas
“…one of the originals was “Silent Night All Day Long.” Co-written with Bobby Whitlock (born 1948), who was best known as a member of the short-lived (1970-71) band Derek and the Dominos, each verse is a vignette of Christmas, wistful but not sad. But the chorus comes back to a happy couple who was asked by the angel on top of the tree to sing a song, so they chose “Silent Night,” which isn’t a bad song to sing over and over again.
Before Prine finally recorded it, the song had been around for years, possibly since 1985, the year Alabama’s first Christmas album came out. He fleshed out the story of “Silent Night All Day Long” before a rare 1992 live performance of the song:
“It was about the middle of July one year, and word got around the [Music] Row [in Nashville] that Alabama was making a Christmas record, so everybody was trying to write a Christmas song in July so they could make money by Christmas. So me and Whitlock, we went down to one of those year-around Christmas stores, and we bought an ornament for each one of us, and we took ’em back over to Brown’s [a Nashville diner in business since 1927 not far from Music Row] and got a couple beers and a burger and sat the ornaments there and looked at ’em and made up this song here.”
“Over more than three decades, Snider went on to release more than twenty solo albums and multiple collaborations. His 2004 record “East Nashville Skyline” is often cited as a high-point of the alt-country movement.
From the earliest days of his professional career, Snider became known for his live shows, which blended his humor with his music. In long breaks between songs, Snider told stories that meandered around the point before eventually leading to it. Concertgoers loved to sing along with songs like “Beer Run” and “Play a Train Song.” (Legacy.com)
Todd Snider died of complications from pneumonia on November 14, 2025. He was 59.
Billy Jo Shave w/ Todd Snider – Merry Christmas to You
Chris Rea
Chris Rea is best known for his 1986 Christmas song, Driving Home For Christmas. The song has been covered by dozens of artists since its release.
You might also be aware of Rea from his 1978 hit song “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)” It reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. This success earned him a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist in 1979.
Rea had battled all kinds of health issues through the years starting with pancreatic cancer when he was just 33.
Tonight starts day one of three days of tributes to people who passed away this year AND recorded Christmas music. A bit of a niche I know, but these are the most popular posts of the month.
Quick reminder, this is not a tribute to everyone who passed. But just those who passed AND recorded Christmas music. And, they’re in no particular order.
Along with his band Love Song, Chuck Girard was one of the founders of Christian rock and roll.
Girard and his band Love Song started to perform what they called “Jesus music” in Southern California in the early 1970s. They became one of the regular groups at pastor Chuck Smith’s Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, where thousands of young people flocked to hear about God’s love and peace, get baptized in the ocean, and join the “Jesus People movement.” Love Song’s earnest folk rock—with tunes like “Welcome Back,” “Changes,” “Little Country Church,” and “Since I Opened the Door”—became the soundtrack of salvation for a generation. Christianity Today
Chuck Girard lost his battle with lung cancer on August 11 this year. He was 81.
American singer and half of the duo Sam & Dave best known for their 1967 hit Soul Man
In their 20-year career, the duo of Sam Moore and Dave Prater recorded several of the most memorable records in the history of soul and R&B music. Sam & Dave’s biggest hit was Soul Man (1967), which topped the US R&B chart and reached No 2 on the pop chart. Its funky, driving beat, powerful horns and vocal interplay between Moore’s high tenor voice and Prater’s gritty baritone made it a soul and gospel classic.
Its writers, Isaac Hayes and David Porter, had drawn inspiration from the US civil rights movement, seeing the song as “a story about one man’s struggle to rise above his present conditions”.
The song won a Grammy in 1968, and in 1999 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. It achieved further immortality in 1978 when the version by the Blues Brothers, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, reached the charts. Moore reflected on how the song “turned out to be an anthem, sort of like Blowin’ in the Wind or one of those”.
In 2022, Bruce Springsteen recalled how “Sam & Dave were gigantic in my musical development,” and described Moore as “a great guy and probably our greatest living soul singer”. He recruited Moore to sing on his album Human Touch (1992) and his album of soul cover versions, Only the Strong Survive (2022). (The Guardian)
Publicist Jeremy Westby said Moore died Friday morning, January 10 in Coral Gables, Florida, due to complications while recovering from surgery. No additional details were immediately available. He was 89
As part of a Stax Records Christmas compilation album titled Christmas Soul Special, Sam Moore recorded O Come All Ye Faithful
Sam Moore – O Come All Ye Faithful
Garth Hudson
Garth Hudson, a multi-instrumentalist and the last founding member of The Band, died in his sleep on January 21st at the age of 87
Hudson played the keyboard, accordion and saxophone. But it was his way of playing the Lowrey organ and the clavinet as lead instruments that gave The Band’s music its signature churchy, post-psychedelic sound, particularly on tracks like “Chest Fever” and “Up On Cripple Creek.”
“The best line I ever heard with respect to Garth is, ‘Music is his first language,’ ” Canadian writer Harry Hew tells NPR. “He’s always been in his own world, and I’m just grateful he found a way to communicate with our world.” (NPR)
The Band released Christmas Must Be Tonight on their seventh album Islands. The song has been covered dozens of times including notable versions by Elton John, The Explorers Club, Goose, Train, and Ronnie Hawkins
The Band (Garth Hudson) – Christmas Must Be Tonight
Jesse Colin Young
Jesse Colin Young started performing in Greenwich Village in 1961, releasing his first album, The Soul of a City Boy, in 1964. In the mid-Sixties, Young and Jerry Corbitt formed a duo and toured as the Youngbloods. Eventually, Lowell “Banana” Levinger and Joe Bauer joined the group, and they became the house band at the Café Au Go Go in the Village. The group’s 1967 eponymous album contained the song “Get Together,” which didn’t receive much attention at the time. Two years later, in 1969, when the Youngbloods’ version of “Get Together” appeared in a public service announcement for the National Council of Christians and Jews, the Youngbloods’ song took off and became the anthem of a generation advocating for love, peace, and justice. After the Youngbloods broke up in 1972, Young embarked on a solo career, releasing eighteen albums from the early 1970s through his most recent in 2020, including, among others, Song for Juli (1973), Light Shine (1974), Songbird (1975), and The Perfect Stranger (1982). (FolkAlley.com)
Wilson’s role in the Beach Boys went beyond just being a songwriter and pianist. He was the creative force behind many of the band’s most famous songs, including “God Only Knows,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” and “Good Vibrations.” He also produced the band’s records, bringing in new sounds and techniques that were ahead of their time. This was most apparent on 1966’s “Pet Sounds,” a defining album of the era now considered one of the most influential in pop music history. Its layered production techniques and complex arrangements informed countless records that followed. That same year, Wilson started work on an ambitious project called “Smile,” the intended follow-up to the hugely successful “Pet Sounds.” However, the album was never completed due to his declining mental health and other factors. (Legacy.com)
Helen Cornelius and Jim Ed Brown – Fall Softly Snow
Jeannie Seely
Jeannie Seely, the beloved Grand Ole Opry member whose voice, wit and longevity made her one of country music’s most enduring figures, died August 1, 2025 following a lengthy illness. She was 85.
Known affectionately as “Miss Country Soul,” Seely was a force across seven decades of country music—an artist, songwriter, host, producer and fearless innovator who broke ground for generations to follow. She was the first woman to regularly host segments on the Grand Ole Opry, and the first artist to wear a miniskirt on its stage. At the time of her death, she had notched the most Opry performances in history, having stepped into that iconic circle 5,397 times. (MusicRow.com)
The Moody Blues released their 16th album, and their only Christmas record, December in 2003. It’s a very good record.
The Moody Blues – December Snow
Raul Malo
Raul Malo, the golden-throated frontman of the band the Mavericks, died December 8, 2025, after fighting colon cancer. He was 60.
Malo was born Raul Francisco Martínez-Malo Jr. on August 7, 1965, in Miami to Cuban immigrant parents. He rose to fame as the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter of the Mavericks, a band he co-founded in 1989.
Across a career spanning more than three decades, Malo helped redefine American music by fusing country, rock, Latin, Americana, Tejano, and swing. His sweeping tenor, capable of both raw soulfulness and operatic flourish, became the signature sound of the Mavericks.
The Mavericks broke out in the 1990s with platinum-selling albums like “What a Crying Shame” and scored several chart hits. Their top hit I the U.S. was “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down,” which featured accordionist Flaco Jimenez (1939–2025). In addition to his work with the Mavericks, Malo released solo albums and collaborated with groups such as Los Super Seven.
He remained deeply proud of his heritage and his commitment to multilingual American music. In 2020, he made history when the Mavericks released the first album ever to debut atop both the Latin Pop and Folk-Americana charts.
Malo’s health troubles came to public attention in June 2024, when he revealed a colon cancer diagnosis. By September 2025, the cancer had become complicated with the rare leptomeningeal disease, affecting the membranes around his brain and spinal cord. Despite his illness, a two-night tribute concert, billed as “Dance the Night Away: A 35-Year Musical Legacy Celebration Honoring Raul Malo,” took place on December 5 and 6 at Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium. He was hospitalized on December 4 and died four days later. (Legacy.com)
The Mavericks recorded and released the album, Hey Merry Christmas in 2018. It’s an excellent album.
The Mavericks – Christmas Time is Coming ‘Round Again
The title for the week, The Week Between comes from a great song from Jonathan Coulton and and John Roderick, aptly named, The Week Between. It’s the week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve and Day and well, here’s the song. Follow along below. (And remember, for the next three days we’ll remember those who passed this year and wrote/produced Christmas music. And I’ll be posting through New Year’s Eve.)
The Week Between - Coulter/Roderick
The wrapping paper's put away Except the bits the cat got hold of Someone comes by to say hello And bring a tin of cookies
The mistletoe's not used up yet And the popcorn garlands hold up You secretly hope the snow will last a little while
In the week between All your drunken uncles and cousin's cousins are on the scene The week between New Year's resolutions and conversation with last year's dreams
We take a slow ride into town Past empty office buildings Red lights go green for wind blown snow And so we don't mind waiting
It's almost time to eat again The first ham sandwich shows up We're curling up on the couch to wait until next year
The week between is also the time a lot of people get the Christmas Blues. I can see why. We build up Christmas Day starting in October and then WHAM! about 6p on Christmas Day, we close it all up and move on. Getting the blues after Christmas is a real thing and songwriters do write about it.
There are also several songs for people who just don’t want the holiday to end. I listed a whole bunch on December 26th last year.
I’ll start with Candlelight and Mistletoe from Mary Beth Maziarz. She wrote and released the song in 1997. It’s a lovely song and holds up very well/
Candlelight and Mistletoe - Mary Beth Maziarz
Candlelight and mistletoe, every year the visit home Passes by so quickly and too soon it's time to go Fold the velvet carefully, take the lights down from the tree Wrap up every ornament and pack the old nativity
Every year we journey here and see the friends we used to know Funny how we move away and suddenly believe we're grown
Candlelight and mistletoe, lights on houses down the road Coming down like christmas trees and pretty cards hung in a row
Everytime the family's more distant than they used to be In miles, but every heart is warm amongst the snowy scenery
Candlelight and mistletoe, kisses in a warming glow Spirit makes this great old house a home With holly boughs, and candy houses, Tinsel flashes, clinking glasses Laughing, singing songs that we all know I realize it every time I go . . . There's no place else like home.
Working for Christmas - by Paul Brady We’re gonna miss them at Christmas They won’t be here for the fun They’ll be working at Christmas Cos they got a job that must be done Doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers Postmen, firemen, airplane pilots Singers ‘n’ dancers, the folks on tv And then there’s Ma stuffing the turkey They’re all working at Christmas Doing what has to be done Working hard at Christmas God bless them everyone
They don’t want to leave the party Just when the fun has begun To make sure Christmas is covered So here’s to them from us at home Soldiers, sailors, lighthouse keepers Santa’s mates the chimney sweepers Police lookin out for you and for me And then there’s Ma stuffing the turkey They’re all working at Christmas Doing what has to be done Working hard at Christmas God bless them everyone
And all the heroes living right next door Are doing everything they can and more To make a Christmas dream come true for me and you Ooooh ooooh!
Lifeboat crews and taxi drivers Clergy folks who seek to guide us Chefs and waiters, the maitre d’ And then there’s Ma stuffing the turkey They’re all working at Christmas Doing what has to be done Working hard at Christmas God bless them everyone Working hard at Christmas God bless them everyone
Guys and gals in the radio stations Spinning those yuletide excitations Doctors nurses, airplane pilots Postmen, firemen, ambulance drivers Lifeboat crews and taxi drivers Singers and dancers, milkmen, farmers Oooh! God bless them everyone
Tonight…three songs, I go back to Nils Landgren again tonight (featured on Dec 2) but I grab a tune from his Christmas With My Friends VI collection. We’ll also hear from the gospel choir called The Choir Room. I’ll finish the night with the latest single from pianist Les Moray.
I featured Nils Landgren’s latest Christmas With My Friends record on December 2nd. Recall, Landgren is The Man with the Red Horn because he plays a red trombone. His music is eclectic, running the gambit from folk to jazz to classical.
The Choir Room is led by three-time Grammy Award-winning songwriter and Producer Dwan Hill and is a non-profit, multi-racial, multi-generational, multi-economic, non-denominational family of singers and musicians. I first heard about them when they appeared on Ben Rector‘s 2022 album The Joy of Music
The Choir Room released their take on Silent Night in October. Great version for a Christmas Eve.
Lastly, a reflective piano piece from Les Moray. There’s not a ton of information on Les Moray other than he’s French and plays the piano. If you’re a fan of George Winston then you should appreciate this piece from Moray.
Conde Nast says December 23rd is the busiest traveling day of the Christmas season. Accordingly, I reserve the 23rd for songs about coming home for Christmas, being away from home for Christmas, not being with loved ones and such. you get the drift. The not being able to be home tunes are generally pretty sad. While the songs about anticipating the journey home are mostly upbeat as you might imagine.
I’ll feature three songs tonight — including a new one from Michael Buble.
The 1975 is an indie-rock band out of the UK. Their song Wintering is a fantastic song — both musically (great guitar riffs) and lyrically. And hey… it’s about coming home on the 23rd! Lyrics below — follow along. It’s worth it.
Wintering Yeah, it's just like, it's just start It's just, it's just come straight in, just be like She walks down the stairs, feeling herself Looking like she just won a court case He's got a funny way of using the same four chords for every song he makes Yeah, he's called Bill and he plays with words Like a skill, yeah, he's pretty great He said his official friend died 'cause of a fish he ate Yeah, she's called Hannah and she plays the Joanna Grade A, but she's got no soul John's obsessed with fat ass and he's ten years old Oh, Dad's an "Otis Reading at a wedding" type guy With the best voice you've ever heard He said, "Give me a date I can work on, my heart hurts" I get home on the 23rd Yeah, drive up on the 23rd And I bumped into Judy in the co-op She asked how the family's been I said, "Alex is a sculptor and Olivia's been a vegan since ten" Well, Vin wears dresses while Debbie coalesces In a fleece that doesn't work And I'll be giving my chair to my mum 'cause her back hurts I get home on the 23rd Yeah, drive up on the 23rd (yeah, yeah) Now mum's not a fan of that line about her back She said it makes her sound frumpy and old I said, "Woman, you are sixty-four years old" Now stop the percussion, I wanna have a discussion And it's Christmas so this is gonna be a nightmare I just came for the stuffing, not to argue about nothing But mark my words, I'll be home on the 23rd Yeah, drive up on the 23rd Oh, come home on the 23rd
Maybe This Christmas I've been running all my life I've been trying to get it right Sentimentally, the thing I do well But it's Christmastime again And I'm missing all my friends A million miles away, a toast to their health Now it's a shot out in the dark I'm just wishing on a star And I wish I knew just what to do Lord, I think I need your light On this cold and silent night I'm just hanging on, it's all that I can do And all the snow Falling down on the city, and the good souls below It ain't the same When it comes down and turns into rain 'Cause it's Christmastime I can't be alone again You've been running through my mind And no matter how I try When the bells of Old St. Pat's start to ring And it's so hard for me to hear You're alone this time of year And the bitterness that that cold must bring And when you're sitting in the dark And it's falling all apart I'll be lighting up a candle for you I know it's sad to be alone I wish you joy and peace and hope Wish you all the love that your heart can hold And all the snow Falling down on the city, and the good souls below It ain't the same When it comes down and turns into rain 'Cause it's Christmastime Shouldn't be alone again Maybe this Christmas Don't have to be alone again
I came across Blessing Offor’s 2023 Christmas EP, Snow Globe back in 2023 and initially skipped past it pretty quickly. I did revisit (and add) the recording and am glad I did. The song, Like a Child ended up being one of my favorite new finds of ’23.
Well, the two-time GRAMMY Nominee and Gold-Certified multi-instrumentalist is back with a new album titled To All a Good Night.
“I have a deep love for the Christmas season,” shares Blessing Offor. “The nostalgia of it, the magic of it, the fun of it, and the meaning of it. I think all of those are represented on this EP and I’m excited for people to have it as the soundtrack of their holiday season.” TheChristianBeat.org
Tom's Christmas Music Blog 