History of Christmas Carols...

LAST QUIZ #73-C...
After writing this Christmas Carol in 1942, Irving Berlin was pleased with the result. To a critic friend he said, "I think it's my best since 'Easter Parade.'" To his own staff, he added, "Not only is it the best song I ever wrote, it's the best song anybody ever wrote." According to the Guinness Book of Records, over 170 million copies of today's carol had been sold in North America by the end of 1987. By most estimates this carol is the most popular song ever written.

THIS MOST FAMOUS CHRISTMAS CAROL IS ... 'WHITE CHRISTMAS'

TODAY'S QUIZ (#6-C)...
The words for today's carol were found in Scotland in the late 1700's and later they were combined with a melody from an opera. Somehow these lyrics and melody were played by a big band called 'His Royal Canadians' at the University of Virginia in December of 1932 as a closing number at a college dance. The students cheered so mightily at the end of the performance that the band leader decided to make it their regular closing number. The title of the song translates literally as 'old long since.'
NAME THIS VERY POPULAR SONG...

History of Christmas Carols...

LAST QUIZ #77-C...
Imitation is the sincerest form of capitalizing on someone else's idea. So it went with the writing duo of Nelson and Rollins in 1949 as they saw someone else's cute little Christmas tune sell over 2 million copies in its first season.
Three things came to their minds: 1.) "We could write something that stupid." 2.) "Those writers are making a fortune." and 3.) "We want money, too!"
They wrote a catchy tune and then pushed the tune on Gene Autry and soon it was a huge hit. (Hint...their next huge success was to be...'Here comes Peter Cottontail.'
NAME THIS CUTESY CHRISTMAS TUNE...
ANSWER #77-C...'FROSTY, THE SNOWMAN'

TODAY'S QUIZ #73-C...
In 1942, Irving Berlin conceived the idea of a motion picture whose musical score would cover all the holidays of the year. It was to be called 'Holiday Inn.' He already had written the holiday hits: 'Easter Parade' and 'Happy Holiday.' After writing today's Christmas Carol, Berlin was pleased with the result. To a critic friend he said, "I think it's my best since 'Easter Parade.'" To his own staff, he added, "Not only is it the best song I ever wrote, it's the best song anybody ever wrote." According to the Guinness Book of Records, over 170 million copies of today's carol had been sold in North America by the end of 1987. By most estimates this carol is the most popular song ever written.
NAME THIS MOST FAMOUS CHRISTMAS CAROL #77-C...

History of Christmas Carols...

TODAY'S QUIZ (#58-C)...
Ad-man Robert May created a cartoon character in 1939 when he wrote a whimsical little story while working for the Montgomery Ward department stores. He circulated it at Christmas time in pamphlet form among the Montgomery Ward mail-order department. Ten years later, tunesmith Johnny Marks composed a musical setting to May's cartoon character and today's popular Christmas song burst onto the holiday scene.
THE ANSWER IS...'RUDOLPH, THE RED-NOSED REINDEER.'

TODAY'S QUIZ...
Imitation is the sincerest form of capitalizing on someone else's idea. So it went with the writing duo of Nelson and Rollins in 1949 as they saw someone else's cute little Christmas tune sell over 2 million copies in its first season.
Three things came to their minds: 1.) "We could write something that stupid." 2.) "Those writers are making a fortune." and 3.) "We want money, too!"

They wrote a catchy tune and then pushed the tune on Gene Autry and soon it was a huge hit.
(Hint...their next huge success was to be...'Here comes Peter Cottontail.'
NAME THIS CUTESY CHRISTMAS TUNE...
[I promise these will end on New Year's Day!]

History of Christmas Carols...

LAST CAROL QUIZ #48-C...
One perishingly hot day in July 1945, the writers of this Christmas carol were in Los Angeles to talk to their publisher. When their business was finished, they thought about going to the beach to cool off, but decided to cool off by writing a winter song. They formed the beginnings of these popular lyrics.
THE ANSWER... 'LET IT SNOW!'

TODAY'S QUIZ (#58-C)...
Ad-man Robert May created a cartoon character in 1939 when he wrote a whimsical little story while working for the Montgomery Ward department stores. While growing up, May was a rather sickly, shy and introverted child, and it seems that he based the story on his childhood feelings of alienation from children of his own age.
He circulated it at Christmas time in pamphlet form among the Montgomery Ward mail-order department. Ten years later, tunesmith Johnny Marks composed a musical setting to May's cartoon character and today's popular Christmas song burst onto the holiday scene.
NAME TODAY'S CAROL...

History of Christmas Carols...

LAST QUIZ...#47-C
The composer of this Christmas carol is Meredith Willson, who is probably best known as the composer who gave Broadway one of its finest moments with 'The Music Man,' starring Robert Preston.
That was in 1950. A year later, he wrote this Christmas carol and Perry Como's 1951 recording with The Fontane Sisters reached #20 on the pop charts. A recording of today's carol is heard prominently in the movie: 'Home Alone 2: Lost in NY.'
THE NAME OF THIS CHRISTMAS CAROL IS ... 'It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas'

TODAY'S CAROL #48-C...
One perishingly hot day in July 1945, the writers of this Christmas carol were in Los Angeles to talk to their publisher. When their business was finished, one of them suggested that they go to the beach to cool off. His partner, always businesslike, thought they ought to work a little first. He suggested that they might "cool off" by writing a winter song. They agreed and dashed off the beginnings of today's lyrics.
Vaughn Monroe's recording shot to the top of the pop charts during Christmas 1945. This carol has also been recorded by: Woody Herman, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Harry Connick, Jr., Toby Keith, Vince Gill, and even Twisted Sister.
NAME TODAY'S FAMOUS 'CHRISTMAS' CAROL...

History of Christmas Carols...

LAST QUIZ...
The composer of this Christmas Carol wrote this song for his father's Sunday school class to sing at the church's Thanksgiving service in 1857.
(Hint)...Even though this popular Christmas carol has been performed and recorded by Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck, Count Basie, Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nat King Cole ... it might be the 1955 canine version by Don Clark which might be the most memorable.
ANSWER TO LAST QUIZ... 'JINGLE BELLS'

TODAY'S QUIZ...#47-C
The composer of today's Christmas carol is Meredith Willson, who is probably best known as the composer who gave Broadway one of its finest moments with 'The Music Man,' starring Robert Preston.
That was in 1950. A year later, he wrote today's Christmas carol and Perry Como's 1951 recording with The Fontane Sisters reached #20 on the pop charts. A recording of today's carol is heard prominently in the movie: 'Home Alone 2: Lost in NY.'
NAME THIS VERY POPULAR CHRISTMAS CAROL...

History of Christmas Carols...

ANSWER TO LAST QUIZ...
Kim Gannon and Walter Kent were a song writing team, who had received many awards for their music during the 1940's. During the horror of World War II, they decided to try to corner the wartime 'hankie' market and come up with a real 'tear-jerker' song for the troops and their loved ones back home. When they managed to get popular crooner Bing Crosby to sing their song, they nailed the market down.
NAME THIS CHRISTMAS CAROL... 'I'll Be Home for Christmas.'

TODAY'S QUIZ...
The composer of today's Christmas Carol wrote the song for his father's Sunday school class to sing at the church's Thanksgiving service in 1857. A children's choir sang it in the church service and it was such a hit, they were asked to sing it again the following year. The composer had not bothered to put his name on the very catchy tune, so he didn't realize how popular his song had become. The composer finally got credit for his popular tune some 7 years later when the local paper printed the words to the song with the composer's name on it.
(Hint)...Even though this popular Christmas carol has been performed and recorded by Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck, Count Basie, Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nat King Cole ... it might be the 1955 canine version by Don Clark which might be the most memorable.
NAME TODAY'S CHRISTMAS CAROL...

History of Christmas Carols...

ANSWER TO LAST QUIZ...
Ross Bagdasarian is most famous for a bizarre hit he came up with in 1958. This Christmas song sold over 5 million copies in 1958 and received 3 Grammy Awards that year for 'Best Comedy Performance,' 'Best Recording for Children' and 'Best Engineered Record.'
THE ANSWER IS 'THE CHIPMUNK SONG'

TODAY'S QUIZ...
Kim Gannon and Walter Kent were a song writing team, who had received many awards for their music during the 1940's. During the horror of World War II, they decided to try to corner the wartime 'hankie' market and come up with a real 'tear-jerker' song for the troops and their loved ones back home. When they managed to get popular crooner Bing Crosby to sing their song, they nailed the market down. Their song stayed pinned to the top of the music charts for 7 weeks. In December 1965, astronauts Frank Borman and James Lovell hurtled back to earth aboard their Gemini 7 spacecraft. Asked by NASA communication personnel if they wanted any particular music piped up to them, the crew requested Bing Crosby's recording of this Christmas classic.
NAME THIS CHRISTMAS CAROL...

History of Christmas Carols...

Answer to last quiz...
To black slaves in the United States, the birth of a Savior who would set all men free was a miracle worth singing about. What Christmas Carol was based on a Spiritual and was first popularized by the Fisk University 'Jubilee Singers?' The Carol is 'Go Tell It On The Mountain.'

Today's Christmas Carol quiz...
Ross Bagdasarian was a novelty writer who wrote the hit song 'Come Onna my House' for Rosemary Clooney in 1951. But Ross preferred tinkering with the dials, gauges and lights in the sound booth at the recording studio. He is most famous for a bizarre hit he came up with in 1958. This Christmas song sold over 5 million copies in 1958 and received 3 Grammy Awards that year for 'Best Comedy Performance,' 'Best Recording for Children' and 'Best Engineered Record.' This is the last Christmas song to reach #1 on any US single record chart.
Name this popular Christmas song...

History of Christmas Carols...

Answer to last Christmas Carol...

The Christmas carol written on Christmas Eve of 1818 in the Austrian Alps when the church pipe organ was broken was...

'Silent Night'

Today's History of Christmas Carols...

To black slaves in the United States, the birth of a Savior who would set all men free was a miracle worth singing about. And there was no better place from which to communicate such a marvelous thing than a mountain.

Today's carol is an authentic spiritual that probably dates from the early 1800's and was first popularized by the Fisk University 'Jubilee Singers.' Appropriately enough, Fisk University was a college founded in Nashville, Tennessee to educate freed slaves.

Name this popular Christmas Carol...

History of Christmas Carols...

The words to this Christmas carol were written on the afternoon of Christmas Eve in 1818 in a tiny village high in the Austrian Alps by the local Catholic priest, Joseph Mohr.
The church pipe organ had just given out and the pipe organ repairman wasn't available at such short notice to repair the organ in time for the Christmas Eve service. The church organist, Franz Gruber, agreed to write out a simple tune to the pastor's text, setting the words for choir and a guitar.

Name this familiar Christmas carol, which was frantically put together on Christmas Eve, 1818.

History of Christmas Carols (answer)...

What singer thought the cute Christmas song would ruin his 'tough guy/cowboy' image?

Gene Autry singing 'Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer.'

History of Christmas Carols (answer)...

This singer/actor was afraid that singing a cute Christmas carol would ruin his 'tough guy' cowboy image. His wife had to talk him into recording it.
Name the song...'Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer'
Singer...Gene Autry

History of Christmas Carols...

He thought singing a Christmas carol would damage his 'tough guy' image.

For 16 years the public listened to him on on his radio show on the CBS Radio Network. He was the first performer to sell out Madison Square Garden. His concert appearances throughout the United States and Europe are legendary and served as a model for other performers. He is the only entertainer to have all five stars on the Hollywood 'Walk of Fame,' one each for Radio, Recording, Motion Pictures, Television, and Live Theatre/performance.

So when presented with the opportunity to sing this cute Christmas carol, he had to be convinced by his wife, Ina to record what was to become his most popular recording.

Name the singer.
Name the Christmas carol.

History of Christmas Carols...

This ancient French carol title comes from the Latin word for 'birthday.' The words of the carol describe the Christmas story of the shepherds, the angels, the star and the kings arriving with the gifts. The elation of that blessed night described in the carol was so joyful that it struck severe Puritans in England and the New World colonies as a little too sinfully exuberant, and the carol was suppressed in the mid-17th century.
NAME THAT CHRISTMAS CAROL.