Christmas In July 2008-Day 4

Happy Independence Day! Seems like an odd time to be listening to Christmas music, but that's what you get around here at Ernie (Not Bert)! What have I got on tap for today? How about two distinctive versions of Jingle Bells and four tracks from Ken Griffin? Sound good? Then stay tuned!

Our first version of Jingle Bells is by The Brute Force Steel Band of Antigua, BWI, from the LP Brute Force Steel Band of Antigua, BWI (Cook 1042, 1955). I had this one all ready to go for you last year, but I seem to have forgotten to share it for some reason. Better late than never.

Up next is Jingle Bells Cha Cha Cha by Pearl Bailey from the ultra-cheap LP Around The World With Me (Guest Star GS 1400), an LP that is padded out with tracks by some unknown artist named Margie Anderson. Of course, you the buyer wouldn't know that until you bought the record and examined the label closely. Her name is right there on the cover, but it looks like her name is one of the songs sung by Pearl Bailey on the record. Oh, well. It looks like this was originally the flipside to Pearl's better-known Christmas song, Five Pound Box Of Money.

For no good reason, the rest of today's tracks are odds and sods from Ken Griffin, another organist from the fifties. The first two of these are Kringle's Jingle and Shepherd Serenade from Skating Time (Columbia CL 610). (I think Kringle's Jingle showed up on Griffin's Christmas LP.) The next Griffin song is Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers from The Sparkling Touch!-Bright And Merry Organ Favorites (Columbia CL 1709), and the last track is The Bells Of St. Mary's from You Can't Be True, Dear (Columbia CL 907).

Not a bad collection to celebrate the Fourth of July with. Well, maybe better suited to a holiday in a colder month, like December. If you want some good Fourth music, head on over to Lee's blog, he'll get you set up. But if this is what you want to hear, please be my guest and go get the download.