Christmas Rockabilly
The Christmas season isn’t complete without hearing the Christmas music classics, including “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee at least once. This song combines Christmas with some country and rock and roll for a bit of rockabilly. The song was written by Johnny Marks, a prolific songwriter of many holiday standards, including “Ruldolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” “Silver and Gold,” and “Run Rudolph Run.” Lee was only 13 at the time they recorded the song, and was known at the time as “Little Miss Dynamite.” (The little referred to her diminutive size.) Lee said in a 2006 interview with the Chicago Tribune that the recording session occurred in July, 1958, in Nashville. Producer Owen Bradley “had the studio all freezing cold with the air conditioning, and he had a Christmas tree all set up to kind of get in the mood just a little bit. We had a lot of fun.” The recording features Hank Garland on guitar and Boots Randolph on the saxophone. The song was released in 1958 and 1959, but was not that successful. Decca Records tried again in 1960 when Lee was more popular, and it went to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on Billboards Christmas Singles chart. The song was featured in the 1990 film Home Alone.
The artists who have recorded a cover version are too numerous to mention for a comprehensive list, but a few include Bill Haley & His Comets, The Partridge Family, Amy Grant, Ronnie Spector and Darlene Love, Dion, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Cyndi Lauper, Alabama, Green Day, LeAnn Rimes, Rhonda Vincent, Miley Cyrus, Toby Keith, and She & Him.
8 Comments
Love the oldies
So glad!
Great voice. We listen to this every Christmas along with my favorite doo wop group The Drifters who do White Christmas doo wop style.
Thanks. Little Miss Dynamite, of course! Love all the rock and roll hits from that time.
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love allbrendas songs