Austin Rhythm and Blues Christmas
- Artist: Various Artists
- Total time: 25:27
- Label: Epic/Legacy
- Availability: In stock
- Item #: 8565655
- Member Price: $16.99
Review
Originally issued on the Austin label in 1983, this rockin' release was reissued with a new cover on Epic in 1986. Standouts include The Fabulous Thunderbirds' spirited instrumental "Rockin' Winter Wonderland" and vocalist Kim Wilson pouring his harp and soul into Hop Wilson's "Merry Christmas, Darling." Two of Austin's finest blues divas, Angela Strehli and Lou Ann Barton, turn in smokey and sultry covers of yule classics, but it is bassist/vocalist Sarah Brown who sizzles with her original "My Christmas Is Hung with Tears." ~ Dennis MacDonald, All Music Guide
Read About This Recording
As the yuletide season draws closer and the holiday-themed discs start piling up like so many snowflakes, An Austin Rhythm and Blues Christmas is sure to stand out among the myriad mistletoe-tappers. After all, when's the last time you saw a fleet of skybound armadillos pulling Saint Nick's sleigh? Rest assured that the 12 tracks inside are as wink-wink fun as the offbeat cover art, with such roots-rockin' stalwarts as the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Charlie Sexton, Sarah Brown, and that wizened old elf himself, Willie Nelson, offering up their own boot-scootin' interpretations of merry little classics. The T-Birds hand out not one but two presents here, with rumbling juke-joint takes on Merry Christmas Darling (featuring bandleader Kim Wilson's bluesy harmonica solo) and Winter Wonderland. Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me) highlights the one-two punch of honky-tonk' guitar-man Sexton doing one heck of an Elvis impersonation and hyped-up drummer Gary Mudcat Smith setting a hip-swiveling pace. Brown's My Christmas Tree Is Hung With Tears is even more Kleenex-worthy than its title. And Nelson's Blue Christmas, which closes the crowd-pleasing disc, is an all-out weeper, with the red-headed stranger's weathered voice and nimble-fingered guitar plucks putting a tender spin on what, for some, just isn't the most wonderful time of the year.
-Sean Daly
Angela Strehli: Boogie Woogie Santa Claus; Sweet Little Baby Boy; The Fabulous Thunderbirds: Merry Christmas Darling; Winter Wonderland; Lou Ann Barton: Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree; Please Come Home For Christmas; Sarah Brown: My Christmas Tree Is Hung With Tears; Paul Ray: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas; Let's Make Every Day Christmas Day; The Kaz Jazz Quartet: The Christmas Song; Charlie Sexton: Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me; Willie Nelson: Blue Christmas.
Contents
Angela Strehli: Boogie Woogie Santa Claus; The Fabulous Thunderbirds: Merry Christmas Darling; Winter Wonderland; Lou Ann Barton: Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree; Please Come Home For Christmas; Sarah Brown: My Christmas Tree is Hung With Tears; Paul Ray: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas; Let's Make Every Day Chrismas Day; The Kaz Jazz Quartet: The Christmas Song; Charlie Sexton: Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me; Angela Strehli: Sweet Little Baby Boy; Willie Nelson: Blue Christmas.
Willie Nelson, Guitar/Vocal; Charles Sexton, Guitar/Vocals; Sarah Brown, Bass; Lou Ann Barton, Vocals; Angela Strehli, Vocals; The Fabulous Thunderbirds; The Kaz Jazz Quartet.
1979, 1986
Tracks + Soundclips
| Austin Rhythm and Blues Christmas | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
1. Boogie Woogie Santa Claus | 2:27 |
|
2. Merry Christmas Darling | 4:23 |
|
3. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree | 2:05 |
|
4. My Christmas Tree Is Hung With Tears | 3:07 |
|
5. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas | 3:24 |
|
6. Christmas Song | 3:31 |
|
7. Winter Wonderland (Rockin') | 2:07 |
|
8. Please Come Home for Christmas | 4:01 |
|
9. Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me) | 2:03 |
|
10. Sweet Little Baby Boy | 3:54 |
|
11. Let's Make Every Day a Christmas Day | 3:31 |
|
12. Blue Christmas | 2:37 |
Details and Credits
- Label: Epic/Legacy
- Release date: 1989
- Various artists collection, Best of, Holiday
- Soul
- Early R&B
- Christmas
- Blues-Rock
- Electric Texas Blues
- Contemporary Blues
- Modern Electric Texas Blues
| Album Credits | |
Performance Credits |
|
| Alex Napier | Bass |
| Charlie Sexton | Guitar |
| Denny Freeman | Guitar |
| Gary Smith | Guitar |
| Gary Vajgrt | Trumpet |
| George Rains | Drums |
| Jack Moore | Bass |
| Joe Sublett | Saxophone |
| Kim Wilson | Glockenspiel |
| Mark "Kaz" Kazanoff | Saxophone |
| Nick Connolly | Organ |
| Paul Ray | Bells |
| Sarah Brown | Bass |
| Steve Pentecost | Piano |
| Wes Starr | Drums |
Technical Credits |
|
| Angela Strehli | Performer |
| Bill Johnson | Engineer |
| Billiken Johnson | Engineer |
| Greg Calbi | Mastering |
| Herschel Cunningham | Executive Producer |
| I. Johnson | Performer |
| Jack Davis | Illustrations |
| Jack Davis | Illustrations |
| Jimmie Vaughan | ? |
| Kaz Kazanoff | Arranger |
| Keith Ferguson | ? |
| Lou Ann Barton | Performer |
| Patrick Clifford | Artwork |
| Richard Mullen | Engineer |
| The Fabulous Thunderbirds | Performer |
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