Search - Nat 'King' Cole;Judy Garland;Bing Crosby;Perry Como;Gracie Fields;and others :: Frosty The Snowman

Frosty the Snowman
Winter songs for the Christmas season Christmas sing-along songs - perfect for the car! A mixture of favourite Christmas tunes from the past which all the family will know and enjoy. Mistletoe, Jingle Bells, Santa - and Frosty, of course! Christmas comes at a time when the weather is, generally, at its coldest and most uninviting, yet for millions of us around the world, it is a season full of warmth. The traditional images of Christmas play their part - the welcoming open fire with the Yule log crackling away and the plum pudding ablaze with brandy - but its true essence lies in the feelings of togetherness that we share with our family, friends and fellow human beings. It is a joyous time, a time for giving and receiving presents, for sharing and joining in a spirit of peace, renewed hope and reconciliation. Music has always played an important part in Christmas celebrations with carols lying at its heart. Popular songs are now a vital element and their predominantly secular content contrasts with the religious messages that are found in carols. Music provides its own memories and is there waiting to be tapped into our personal banks of nostalgia. So we invite you to enter the world of Christmases past and reacquaint yourselves with the stars of yesteryear and their unforgettable recordings of seasonal favourites that brightened our lives in a time that was much more innocent and far less hurried. Here is music which will appeal to young and old alike, with voices and tunes which will be familiar to many people. The album gives us an opportunity to 'put a name to that singer' and to keep alive the beautiful popular Christmas music of the past. Two cheerful songs from the late 1940s in two cherished recordings are what 'Frosty the Snowman' and 'Christmas Island' share. The former, our title track, was written by Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson, and is given an affectionate rendition by Nat King Cole and the latter, composed by Lyle Moraine, features a very famous group of the period, The Andrews Sisters, who sing this number with humour and charm. For many of us, young and old, Christmas would not be Christmas without Bing Crosby. He, after all, gave us one of the greatest and most timeless of all Christmas favourites 'White Christmas'. Bing introduced this Irving Berlin classic in the 1942 film 'Holiday Inn' and to date it has sold well over 42 million copies. It remains just as fresh and charming today. Bing's partnership with The Andrews Sisters resulted in a string of melodically rich and high-spirited recordings in the 1940s. They are clearly enjoying themselves in four perennial favourites. 'Santa Claus is coming to town' was written in 1932 by Haven Gillespie and one J. Fred Coots, veteran composer for Broadway and the legendary Cotton Club revues. An American schoolteacher, James S Pierpoint, wrote 'Jingle Bells' in 1857 for a Sunday school entertainment. For youngsters at that time, one of their happiest activities was 'riding in a one horse sleigh' (the tune's original title). Gene Autry, a familiar name from 'Westerns' co-wrote the superb song 'Here comes Santa Claus' in 1947. Many other old favourites can be heard here - we hope you enjoy them and we wish you a very Merry Christmas!