About 30 minutes south of the Quad Cities (where I grew up), sits the small town of Aledo, IL. Probably the most famous person to hail from Aledo is country singer/songwriter Suzy Bogguss. Bogguss graduated from Aledo HS in 1975, and eventually from Illinois State University with a degree in metalsmithing.
Along the way, Bogguss started singing, playing guitar and drums in local coffeehouses. By the mid 80’s, Bogguss moved to Nashville and eventually landed as a singer for Dolly Parton’s Dollywood. By 1987, she had landed a record deal with Capitol and was named Top New Female Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music.
Since she has had several top ten hits on the country charts.
In 2001, Bogguss released a Christmas record pretty much to fulfill her record deal with Capitol. The record, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” doesn’t really cover any new territory. It’s pretty much Bogguss singing Christmas carols. However, she has a wonderful voice that is very reminiscent of Emmylou Harris (and she’s from Aledo).
Tonight I’ll feature Bogguss singing The First Noel.
The First Noel – Suzy Bogguss
Tom's Christmas Music Blog 