Deep Within My Heart There Lies a Christmas Melody!

As “Richard” commented after reading my first Musings related to Christmas songs and recordings, which was published on this page in November 2017 …

“Most of the Christmas music stations play the same old tired chestnuts year after year.”

I cannot disagree with Richard. While I like many of those “old tired chestnuts,” I think you’ll agree that none of these eight melodies fall into that category.

At the time, I responded to Richard by saying …

“radio programmers have found that Christmas music is all about tradition … and most listeners want Johnny Mathis and Bing Crosby versus something new and unfamiliar.”

This first song, released by Ray Conniff and his Singers in 1965, is not a carol as such … rather it speaks of LOVE, which is central to the Christian message, based on the words spoken by Jesus Christ … the reason Christmas is celebrated in the first place.

While not universally familiar to many outside of the Southern Gospel music-loving segment of the population, this carol is now beloved by many. It was only discovered by yours truly after I became involved with programming the genre for XM Radio’s enLighten channel in 2004. Here’s “Beautiful Star of Bethlehem” as performed by the Gaither Homecoming Folks featuring the legendary Gospel artist, Ben Speer:

This happy, celebratory song, written by one-time Christian singer Andrew Culverwell, has now been recorded by many singers. However, one of the first to record and popularize “Come On, Ring Those Bells” was a young singer named Evie Tornquist, who later would become Mrs. Karlsson. I would be introduced to both the singer and the song by a longtime friend, Jim Hutto, who was the program director of WPCH radio in Atlanta through much of its heyday years.

If you are not a listener to Southern Gospel music, this next song may not be familiar to you either, as I’ve not heard it sung by an artist from any other genre. This performance by the Gold City Quartet took place more than a decade ago on the stage of Southern Gospel’s biggest annual event, the National Quartet Convention, at the time held in Louisville, Kentucky. Now, get up and get ready to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child as Gold City sings “That Little Baby!”

My dear late wife Alicia recorded an album of Christmas music in the late 1980’s, in which she included an original carol written by our friend, Reverend Armand Weller, titled “Bethlehem Star.” It has been a favorite of mine since I first heard it, so my webmaster Trishah made it possible to be included here:

To me, this is the one modern Christmas carol which ranks up with all of the great carols we’ve sung all of our lives. The text of “Mary, Did You Know” was written by the gentleman who sings it here, Mark Lowry, in 1984. Originally written as words to be spoken, not sung, for a Christmas presentation at Liberty University, it did not become a carol until Mark’s friend, Buddy Greene, composed the melody in 1991.

At this point, what more is there to say than … here’s Johnny Mathis:

Even though it’s by far the oldest recording you’ll find here, this tune has become one of my favorites, Mele Kalikimaka … presumably because my heart yearns for another trip to those Polynesian islands named Hawaii, as it’s been far too many years since my last visit. (P. S. – I challenge you to learn to pronounce Mele Kalikimaka without hesitating!).

Whoever you are … wherever you are … let me leave you with this beautiful recording!

This original version of “Merry Christmas, Darling” was released in 1970, with Karen Carpenter singing a very pure solo. I, like many others, have long described her as having “the voice of an angel.” Now, nearly 50 years later, this heartfelt melody is loved just as much, if not more, than the day it was released!

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