Elvis' Christmas Album
Encyclopedia
Elvis' Christmas Album is the fourth album
by Elvis Presley
on RCA Victor Records, LOC 1035, a deluxe limited edition, released in October 1957, and recorded at Radio Recorders
in Hollywood. It has been reissued in numerous different formats since its first release. It spent four weeks at #1 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums
chart, and was the first of two Christmas-themed albums
Presley would record, the other being Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas
, released in the early 1970s.
According to the latest certifications by the Recording Industry Association of America
, Elvis' Christmas Album has shipped at least 13 million copies in the United States (three million copies of the original 1957 release on RCA Victor Records, plus ten million copies of a "budget" edition first released by RCA Camden
in 1970 and then by Pickwick Records
in 1975). It is the first Presley title to attain Diamond certification
by the RIAA, and is also the best-selling Christmas/holiday album of all time in the United States
.
, and four gospel songs
which had been previously released on the EP
Peace in the Valley
, catalogue EPA 4054, issued March 1957, peaking at #3 on the Pop albums
chart and at #39 on the singles chart
. The two album sides divided into a program of secular Christmas songs on side one, with two traditional Christmas carols and the gospel numbers on side two. Those included two spirituals
by innovator Thomas A. Dorsey
, "Peace in the Valley" and "Take My Hand, Precious Lord
." Coincidentally, A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra
released the previous month by that other 1950s singing icon, also divided into a secular and a traditional side.
While most of the songs selected were traditional Christmas
fare, such as "White Christmas
" and "Silent Night," two new songs by regular suppliers of material for Presley were commissioned. One was "Santa Bring My Baby Back (to Me)" and the other (selected by Elvis to open the album), was a blues
-based rock and roll
number, "Santa Claus Is Back In Town," written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. This writer/producer team was responsible for some of 1950s rhythm and blues
and rock and roll's most finely-honed satire in their work with The Coasters
, as well as penning "Hound Dog
" for Willie Mae Thornton and providing Elvis with some of his biggest hits, including "Jailhouse Rock
" and "Don't."
Elvis had asked the pair to come up with another Christmas song during sessions for the album; within a few minutes, they had the song written and ready for recording. Originally titled "Christmas Blues", this slyly risqué number is given a full-throated treatment by Elvis who, aided by the gritty ensemble playing from his band, was determined to ensure that this Christmas album would not be easily ignored. Much of the remaining program was performed in a more traditional manner appropriate to the solemnity of Christmas, although Elvis' innate sense of occasion shone through on his left-of-centre reading of Ernest Tubb's
1949 hit, "Blue Christmas
."
holiday perennial "White Christmas
," which appeared every year on the Billboard charts from 1942 to 1962, became the center of controversy upon the album's release, with calls by the song's composer Irving Berlin
to have the song, and the entire album, banned from radio airplay. After hearing Presley's version of his song, which Berlin saw as a "profane parody of his cherished yuletide standard", he ordered his staff in New York to telephone radio stations across the US, demanding the song be discontinued from radio play. While most US radio stations ignored Berlin's request, at least one disc jockey was fired for playing a song from the album, and most Canadian stations refused to play the album.
The controversy was, ironically, fueled by Elvis' performance of the song in a style mirroring the version by Clyde McPhatter
's group, The Drifters
, which had been a Top 10 hit on the R&B singles chart in 1954 and 1955. Unlike Elvis' recording, however, their version attracted virtually no adverse reaction, and certainly no reported opposition from Irving Berlin. Part of the reason that The Drifters' version of "White Christmas" was less controversial was because that version was played only on black radio stations. Most mainstream stations did not take interest in The Drifters' version back then, and would not until the 1980s.
Record labels for all original 1957 pressings are black with all-silver print, the famous "His Master's Voice" dog logo at the top of label, and "LONG 33 1/3 PLAY" at the bottom.
in November 1957.
No US singles were issued from the album until 1964, when "Blue Christmas
" was paired with "Wooden Heart
," and reached number 1 on the Billboard Christmas Singles chart; however, a pairing of "Blue Christmas" b/w "White Christmas" became a Top 20 UK hit in late 1964. "Santa Claus Is Back In Town"/"Blue Christmas" was a 1965 single release for the US market, and reached number 4 on the Billboard Christmas Singles chart. "Blue Christmas" would re-enter the Christmas or Holiday Singles chart many times in the years that follow.
Two different EPs, Elvis Sings Christmas Songs, EPA 4108 in December 1957, and Christmas With Elvis, EPA 4340 in December 1958, divided the eight Christmas numbers between them. The former topped the newly established Billboard EP Chart
, while the latter failed to chart.
." With ten tracks and a shorter running time, it fit the standard for the budget label issues. The religious and secular Christmas songs were also mixed together. The initial cover of this revised version echoed that of the 1958 reissue, except a more recent mid-60s vintage photograph with Elvis was used.
. The original 1957 version is once again out of print, however it is available on the 2010 7 disc boxset 'elvis the collection'. Also all of the tracks are available on other RCA compilations of Presley's Christmas recordings, Christmas Peace from 2003, and Elvis Christmas
from 2006. All the album's songs are also included in the 1992 RCA boxed set The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s Masters
. In late 2007, Speaker's Corner Records from Germany
reissued the album on a high quality heavy vinyl pressing; this reissue also featured the original album cover and RCA Victor label from 1957.
In addition, in 2010, a DVD was released in a series from Sony Music called "The Yule Log DVD", in which the music from "Elvis' Christmas Album" (but without "I'll Be Home For Christmas") is featured with 3 different holiday visuals (one of them the yule log of the series' title). The original LP cover is featured on the DVD menu.
chart; positions for singles from Billboard Pop Singles
chart.
"If Every Day Was Like Christmas" recorded at RCA Studio B
in Nashville
, and "Mama Liked The Roses" at American Studios in Memphis
, Tennessee
.
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
by Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
on RCA Victor Records, LOC 1035, a deluxe limited edition, released in October 1957, and recorded at Radio Recorders
Radio Recorders
Radio Recorders, Inc. was a recording studio based in Los Angeles, California. Famous musicians to have been recorded in the studio include Charlie Parker, Jimmie Rodgers, Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, and The Carpenters among others. In its prime, the studio was known...
in Hollywood. It has been reissued in numerous different formats since its first release. It spent four weeks at #1 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, and was the first of two Christmas-themed albums
Christmas Album
Christmas Album may refer to:* Christmas Album , a 1968 album by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass* Christmas Album Christmas Album may refer to:* Christmas Album (Herb Alpert album), a 1968 album by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass* Christmas Album Christmas Album may refer to:* Christmas Album (Herb...
Presley would record, the other being Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas
Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas
Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas is a 1971 album by Elvis Presley, and Elvis' second Christmas album. The album was released in October 1971, followed by the single from the album "Merry Christmas Baby" / "O Come All Ye Faithful" released in November 1971...
, released in the early 1970s.
According to the latest certifications by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
, Elvis' Christmas Album has shipped at least 13 million copies in the United States (three million copies of the original 1957 release on RCA Victor Records, plus ten million copies of a "budget" edition first released by RCA Camden
RCA Camden
RCA Camden was a budget record label of recordings, first introduced by RCA Victor.-History:The label was named after Camden, New Jersey, original home to the Victor Talking Machine Company, later RCA Records. It specialized in reissuing historic classical and popular recordings from the RCA catalog...
in 1970 and then by Pickwick Records
Pickwick Records
Pickwick Records was an American record label and distributor known for its budget album releases of sound-alike recordings, bargain bin reissues and repackagings under the brands Design, Bravo , Hurrah, Grand Prix, and children's records on the Cricket and Happy Time labels.The label is also...
in 1975). It is the first Presley title to attain Diamond certification
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the RIAA, and is also the best-selling Christmas/holiday album of all time in the United States
Best-selling Christmas/Holiday albums in the United States
This page shows the best-selling Christmas albums in the United States. It includes artists from all over the world, but it only includes sales in the United States of America....
.
Content
The original 1957 LP consisted of eight Christmas songsChristmas Songs
Christmas Songs is a 2005 album by Diana Krall performed with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. This is Krall's first full-length album of Christmas songs , and her first studio album with a big band. It is her ninth album overall...
, and four gospel songs
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
which had been previously released on the EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Peace in the Valley
Peace in the Valley (EP)
Peace in the Valley is an extended play single by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono, catalogue number EPA 4054, in April 1957. The recordings included were taken from sessions on January 12, 13, and 19 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California...
, catalogue EPA 4054, issued March 1957, peaking at #3 on the Pop albums
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart and at #39 on the singles chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The two album sides divided into a program of secular Christmas songs on side one, with two traditional Christmas carols and the gospel numbers on side two. Those included two spirituals
Spiritual (music)
Spirituals are religious songs which were created by enslaved African people in America.-Terminology and origin:...
by innovator Thomas A. Dorsey
Thomas A. Dorsey
Thomas Andrew Dorsey was known as "the father of black gospel music" and was at one time so closely associated with the field that songs written in the new style were sometimes known as "dorseys." Earlier in his life he was a leading blues pianist known as Georgia Tom.As formulated by Dorsey,...
, "Peace in the Valley" and "Take My Hand, Precious Lord
Take My Hand, Precious Lord
"Take My Hand, Precious Lord" is a gospel song, lyrics by Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey , melody by George Nelson Allen .-History:...
." Coincidentally, A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra
A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra
A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra is a Christmas album by American singer Frank Sinatra, originally released by Capitol Records in 1957.This was Sinatra's first full-length Christmas album...
released the previous month by that other 1950s singing icon, also divided into a secular and a traditional side.
While most of the songs selected were traditional Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
fare, such as "White Christmas
White Christmas (song)
"White Christmas" is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide.Accounts vary as...
" and "Silent Night," two new songs by regular suppliers of material for Presley were commissioned. One was "Santa Bring My Baby Back (to Me)" and the other (selected by Elvis to open the album), was a blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
-based rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
number, "Santa Claus Is Back In Town," written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. This writer/producer team was responsible for some of 1950s rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and rock and roll's most finely-honed satire in their work with The Coasters
The Coasters
The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group that had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and "Young Blood", their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller...
, as well as penning "Hound Dog
Hound Dog (song)
"Hound Dog" is a twelve-bar blues written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and originally recorded by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton in 1952. Other early versions illustrate the differences among blues, country, and rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The 1956 remake by Elvis Presley is the best-known...
" for Willie Mae Thornton and providing Elvis with some of his biggest hits, including "Jailhouse Rock
Jailhouse Rock (song)
"Jailhouse Rock" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller that first became a hit for Elvis Presley. The song was released as a 45rpm single on September 24, 1957, to coincide with the release of Presley's motion picture, Jailhouse Rock...
" and "Don't."
Elvis had asked the pair to come up with another Christmas song during sessions for the album; within a few minutes, they had the song written and ready for recording. Originally titled "Christmas Blues", this slyly risqué number is given a full-throated treatment by Elvis who, aided by the gritty ensemble playing from his band, was determined to ensure that this Christmas album would not be easily ignored. Much of the remaining program was performed in a more traditional manner appropriate to the solemnity of Christmas, although Elvis' innate sense of occasion shone through on his left-of-centre reading of Ernest Tubb's
Ernest Tubb
Ernest Dale Tubb , nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" , marked the rise of the honky tonk style of music...
1949 hit, "Blue Christmas
Blue Christmas
"Blue Christmas" is a Christmas song written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson. The heart-broken tale of unrequited love during the holidays had long been considered a Christmas staple of country music, having been recorded first by Doye O'Dell in 1948 and popularised by Ernest Tubb the next year...
."
Controversy
The Bing CrosbyBing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
holiday perennial "White Christmas
White Christmas (song)
"White Christmas" is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide.Accounts vary as...
," which appeared every year on the Billboard charts from 1942 to 1962, became the center of controversy upon the album's release, with calls by the song's composer Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
to have the song, and the entire album, banned from radio airplay. After hearing Presley's version of his song, which Berlin saw as a "profane parody of his cherished yuletide standard", he ordered his staff in New York to telephone radio stations across the US, demanding the song be discontinued from radio play. While most US radio stations ignored Berlin's request, at least one disc jockey was fired for playing a song from the album, and most Canadian stations refused to play the album.
The controversy was, ironically, fueled by Elvis' performance of the song in a style mirroring the version by Clyde McPhatter
Clyde McPhatter
Clyde McPhatter was an American R&B singer, perhaps the most widely imitated R&B singer of the 1950s and 1960s, making him a key figure in the shaping of doo-wop and R&B. He is best known for his solo hit "A Lover's Question"...
's group, The Drifters
The Drifters
The Drifters are a long-lived American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group with a peak in popularity from 1953 to 1963, though several splinter Drifters continue to perform today. They were originally formed to serve as Clyde McPhatter's backing group in 1953...
, which had been a Top 10 hit on the R&B singles chart in 1954 and 1955. Unlike Elvis' recording, however, their version attracted virtually no adverse reaction, and certainly no reported opposition from Irving Berlin. Part of the reason that The Drifters' version of "White Christmas" was less controversial was because that version was played only on black radio stations. Most mainstream stations did not take interest in The Drifters' version back then, and would not until the 1980s.
Packaging of original album
Original 1957 copies of Elvis' Christmas Album (LOC-1035) were issued with a red booklet-like album cover (as shown above) featuring promotional photos from Elvis' third movie "Jailhouse Rock". Even rarer than the cover and record itself is a gold foil price tag-shaped "gift giving" sticker attached to the shrink wrap, reading "TO __________, FROM _____________, ELVIS SINGS", followed by a list of the tracks. Original copies with the gold sticker intact on the shrink wrap have proven to be among the most valuable of Elvis' albums. Adding to its already high value are limited red vinyl albums and album covers with gold print down the spine.Record labels for all original 1957 pressings are black with all-silver print, the famous "His Master's Voice" dog logo at the top of label, and "LONG 33 1/3 PLAY" at the bottom.
45 RPM releases
The other new composition on the album, "Santa Bring My Baby Back (to Me)" was paired with "Santa Claus Is Back In Town", and issued as a UK single concurrently with the album's release. The single reached number seven on the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in November 1957.
No US singles were issued from the album until 1964, when "Blue Christmas
Blue Christmas
"Blue Christmas" is a Christmas song written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson. The heart-broken tale of unrequited love during the holidays had long been considered a Christmas staple of country music, having been recorded first by Doye O'Dell in 1948 and popularised by Ernest Tubb the next year...
" was paired with "Wooden Heart
Wooden Heart
"Wooden Heart " is a song best known for its use in the 1960 Elvis Presley film G.I. Blues. The song was a hit for Presley in the United Kingdom, making number one for six weeks, but wasn't released as a single in the United States until November 1964 as the B-side to "Blue Christmas"...
," and reached number 1 on the Billboard Christmas Singles chart; however, a pairing of "Blue Christmas" b/w "White Christmas" became a Top 20 UK hit in late 1964. "Santa Claus Is Back In Town"/"Blue Christmas" was a 1965 single release for the US market, and reached number 4 on the Billboard Christmas Singles chart. "Blue Christmas" would re-enter the Christmas or Holiday Singles chart many times in the years that follow.
Two different EPs, Elvis Sings Christmas Songs, EPA 4108 in December 1957, and Christmas With Elvis, EPA 4340 in December 1958, divided the eight Christmas numbers between them. The former topped the newly established Billboard EP Chart
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, while the latter failed to chart.
First reissue on RCA Victor
Elvis' Christmas Album was reissued a year after its first release, replacing the iconic cover of the original with a close-up of Elvis as he posed against an outdoor, snowy backdrop. The album continued to reach the album charts each year until 1962, eventually selling more than three million copies in the U.S.Second reissue on RCA Camden
The original Elvis' Christmas Album was out of print by the late 1960s. Interest in the album prompted RCA to re-release it in an altered version on its budget label RCA Camden in 1970. This version eliminated the four gospel tracks from the Peace in the Valley EP and added the 1966 holiday single "If Every Day Was Like Christmas," along with the 1970 non-seasonal B-side "Mama Liked The Roses," issued as the flip to Elvis' top ten single "The Wonder of YouThe Wonder of You
"The Wonder of You" is a song written by Baker Knight. In 1959, Ray Peterson released it as a single. The song became a Top 40 hit for him on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #25. That same year it was recorded by Ronnie Hilton in the United Kingdom, his version reaching #22 on the UK Singles...
." With ten tracks and a shorter running time, it fit the standard for the budget label issues. The religious and secular Christmas songs were also mixed together. The initial cover of this revised version echoed that of the 1958 reissue, except a more recent mid-60s vintage photograph with Elvis was used.
Third reissue on Pickwick
In the mid-1970s, RCA leased the rights to some of its Camden catalogs to the budget label Pickwick Records, which reissued the record in 1975 with yet another cover design, Elvis' face from the RCA Camden version surrounded by ribbons. During the holiday season after Presley's death in 1977, the Pickwick LP was advertised and sold on television via mail order to enormous sales, now recently certified by the RIAA as selling in excess of ten million copies. RCA soon reclaimed the reissue rights to its Camden line. The revised album with its Pickwick cover art continued to be in print until the late 1980s.Further issues
In 1976, the album was re-released on cassette with the title Blue Christmas; this re-issue also had an alternate track listing. In 1985, the album was re-released again but with a new title, It's Christmas Time, after which time RCA reissued the 1957 version with a recreation of its original cover art on LP and compact discCompact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
. The original 1957 version is once again out of print, however it is available on the 2010 7 disc boxset 'elvis the collection'. Also all of the tracks are available on other RCA compilations of Presley's Christmas recordings, Christmas Peace from 2003, and Elvis Christmas
Elvis Christmas
Elvis Christmas is a CD collection featuring all of the tracks from Presley's 1957 Elvis' Christmas Album and his 1971 Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas. The RIAA awarded it a Gold Record on 15 September 2011...
from 2006. All the album's songs are also included in the 1992 RCA boxed set The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s Masters
The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s Masters
The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s Masters is a box set five-disc compilation of the complete known studio master recordings by Elvis Presley during the decade of the 1950s, released in 1992, RCA 66050-2. It peaked at #159 on the album chart...
. In late 2007, Speaker's Corner Records from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
reissued the album on a high quality heavy vinyl pressing; this reissue also featured the original album cover and RCA Victor label from 1957.
In addition, in 2010, a DVD was released in a series from Sony Music called "The Yule Log DVD", in which the music from "Elvis' Christmas Album" (but without "I'll Be Home For Christmas") is featured with 3 different holiday visuals (one of them the yule log of the series' title). The original LP cover is featured on the DVD menu.
Personnel
- Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
– vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Scotty MooreScotty MooreWinfield Scott "Scotty" Moore III is an American guitarist. He is best known for his backing of Elvis Presley in the first part of his career, between 1954 and the beginning of Elvis' Hollywood years...
– guitar - Gordon Stoker - piano, backing vocals
- Dudley Brooks - piano
- Hoyt Hawkins - organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
- Marvin Hughes - piano
- Bill BlackBill BlackWilliam Patton "Bill" Black, Jr. was an American musician who is noted as one of the pioneers of rockabilly music. Black was the bassist in Elvis Presley's early trio and the leader of Bill Black's Combo....
– bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - D.J. Fontana - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Millie KirkhamMillie KirkhamMildred 'Millie' Kirkham is an American singer who was featured on many classic hit recordings from the mid 1950s through the 1980s.-Early life:Kirkham was born in Nashville, Tennessee...
- backing vocals - The JordanairesThe JordanairesThe Jordanaires are an American vocal quartet, which formed as a gospel group in 1948. They are best known for providing vocal background for Elvis Presley, in live appearances and recordings from 1956 to 1972...
- backing vocals
Track listing
Chart positions for LPs and EPs from Billboard Top Pop AlbumsBillboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart; positions for singles from Billboard Pop Singles
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart.
Side One
| Track | Recorded | Song Title | Writer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 9/7/57 | Santa Claus Is Back In Town | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | 2:22 |
| 2. | 9/6/57 | White Christmas White Christmas (song) "White Christmas" is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide.Accounts vary as... |
Irving Berlin Irving Berlin Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous... |
2:23 |
| 3. | 9/6/57 | Here Comes Santa Claus Here Comes Santa Claus "Here Comes Santa Claus " is a Christmas song written by Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman.Autry got the idea for the song after riding his horse in the 1946 Santa Claus Lane Parade in Los Angeles, during which crowds of spectators chanted, "Here comes Santa Claus". This inspired him to write a song... |
Gene Autry Gene Autry Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s... and Oakley Haldeman Oakley Haldeman Oakley Haldeman was a songwriter , composer, author and the general manager for a music publisher... |
1:54 |
| 4. | 9/7/57 | I'll Be Home for Christmas | Buck Ram Buck Ram Buck Ram was an American songwriter, and popular music producer and arranger.-Biography:... , Kim Gannon Kim Gannon James Kimball "Kim" Gannon was an American songwriter, more commonly a lyricist than a composer. He was born in Brooklyn, New York but grew up in New Jersey where he attended Montclair High School and was a member of The Omega Gamma Delta Fraternity. He graduated from St... , Walter Kent Walter Kent Walter Kent was a Jewish American composer who wrote the music for songs including the Christmas standard "I'll Be Home for Christmas", and the wartime hit " The White Cliffs of Dover", co-written with fellow American Nat Burton. He died at the age of 82-External links:... |
1:53 |
| 5. | 9/5/57 | Blue Christmas Blue Christmas "Blue Christmas" is a Christmas song written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson. The heart-broken tale of unrequited love during the holidays had long been considered a Christmas staple of country music, having been recorded first by Doye O'Dell in 1948 and popularised by Ernest Tubb the next year... |
Bill Hayes and Jay Johnson | 2:07 |
| 6. | 9/7/57 | Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me) | Aaron Schroeder Aaron Schroeder Aaron Schroeder was an American songwriter and music publisher.-Biography:Born Aaron Harold Schroder , he graduated from the school now known as the Fiorello H... and Claude Demetrius Claude Demetrius Claude Demetrius was an African American songwriter.Born in Bath, Maine, by his early twenties he was in New York City writing music for and/or with the likes of Louis Armstrong, Jimmy Witherspoon and B.B. King. Demetrius wrote the 1945 musical comedy short film Open the Door, Richard... |
1:54 |
Side Two
| Track | Recorded | Original EP Issue | Catalogue | Release Date | Chart Peak | Song Title | Writer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 9/7/57 | O Little Town of Bethlehem O Little Town of Bethlehem "O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a popular Christmas carol. The text was written by Phillips Brooks , an Episcopal priest, Rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia. He was inspired by visiting the Palestinian city of Bethlehem in 1865. Three years later, he wrote the poem for his... |
Phillips Brooks Phillips Brooks Phillips Brooks was an American clergyman and author, who briefly served as Bishop of Massachusetts in the Episcopal Church during the early 1890s. In the Episcopal liturgical calendar he is remembered on January 23... and Lewis H. Redner |
2:35 | ||||
| 2. | 9/6/57 | Silent Night | Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber | 2:23 | ||||
| 3. | 1/13/57 | Peace in the Valley Peace in the Valley (EP) Peace in the Valley is an extended play single by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono, catalogue number EPA 4054, in April 1957. The recordings included were taken from sessions on January 12, 13, and 19 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California... |
EPA 4054 | 3/57 | #3 | (There'll Be) Peace in the Valley (For Me) Peace in the Valley "Peace in the Valley" is a 1937 song written by Thomas A. Dorsey, originally for Mahalia Jackson. The song became a hit in 1951 for Red Foley and the Sunshine Boys, reaching No. 7 on the Country & Western Best Seller chart. It was among the first gospel recordings to sell one million copies... |
Thomas A. Dorsey Thomas A. Dorsey Thomas Andrew Dorsey was known as "the father of black gospel music" and was at one time so closely associated with the field that songs written in the new style were sometimes known as "dorseys." Earlier in his life he was a leading blues pianist known as Georgia Tom.As formulated by Dorsey,... |
3:22 |
| 4. | 1/12/57 | Peace in the Valley Peace in the Valley (EP) Peace in the Valley is an extended play single by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono, catalogue number EPA 4054, in April 1957. The recordings included were taken from sessions on January 12, 13, and 19 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California... |
EPA 4054 | 3/57 | #3 | I Believe I Believe (1953 song) "I Believe" is the name of a popular song written by Ervin Drake, Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl and Al Stillman in 1953.I Believe was commissioned and introduced by Jane Froman on her television show, and became the first hit song ever introduced on TV... |
Ervin Drake Ervin Drake Ervin Drake, born Ervin Maurice Druckman is an American songwriter whose works include such American Songbook standards as "It Was a Very Good Year". He has written in a variety of styles and his work has been recorded by musicians from all over the world in a multitude of styles... , Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl, Al Stillman Al Stillman Al Stillman was an American lyricist.-Biography:Stillman was born in New York City. His name was originally Albert Silverman, but changed it to that of a well-known New York banking family. He was Jewish. He attended New York University. After graduation, he contributed to Franklin P... |
2:05 |
| 5. | 1/13/57 | Peace in the Valley Peace in the Valley (EP) Peace in the Valley is an extended play single by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono, catalogue number EPA 4054, in April 1957. The recordings included were taken from sessions on January 12, 13, and 19 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California... |
EPA 4054 | 3/57 | #3 | Take My Hand, Precious Lord Take My Hand, Precious Lord "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" is a gospel song, lyrics by Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey , melody by George Nelson Allen .-History:... |
Thomas A. Dorsey Thomas A. Dorsey Thomas Andrew Dorsey was known as "the father of black gospel music" and was at one time so closely associated with the field that songs written in the new style were sometimes known as "dorseys." Earlier in his life he was a leading blues pianist known as Georgia Tom.As formulated by Dorsey,... |
3:16 |
| 6. | 1/19/57 | Peace in the Valley Peace in the Valley (EP) Peace in the Valley is an extended play single by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono, catalogue number EPA 4054, in April 1957. The recordings included were taken from sessions on January 12, 13, and 19 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California... |
EPA 4054 | 3/57 | #3 | It Is No Secret (What God Can Do) | Stuart Hamblen Stuart Hamblen Stuart Hamblen , born Stuart Carl Hamblen, was one of American radio's first singing cowboys in 1926, and later became a Christian songwriter, temperance supporter and recurring candidate for political office.... |
3:53 |
Side One
| Track | Recorded | Original LP Issue | Catalogue | Release Date | Chart Peak | Song Title | Writer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 9/5/57 | Elvis' Christmas Album | LPM 1951 | 10/15/57 | #1 | Blue Christmas Blue Christmas "Blue Christmas" is a Christmas song written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson. The heart-broken tale of unrequited love during the holidays had long been considered a Christmas staple of country music, having been recorded first by Doye O'Dell in 1948 and popularised by Ernest Tubb the next year... |
Bill Hayes and Jay Johnson | 2:07 |
| 2. | 9/6/57 | Elvis' Christmas Album | LPM 1951 | 10/15/57 | #1 | Silent Night | Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber | 2:23 |
| 3. | 9/6/57 | Elvis' Christmas Album | LPM 1951 | 10/15/57 | #1 | White Christmas White Christmas A white Christmas refers to the presence of snow on Christmas Day. This phenomenon is most common in the northern countries of the Northern Hemisphere... |
Irving Berlin Irving Berlin Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous... |
2:23 |
| 4. | 9/7/57 | Elvis' Christmas Album | LPM 1951 | 10/15/57 | #1 | Santa Claus Is Back In Town | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | 2:22 |
| 5. | 9/7/57 | Elvis' Christmas Album | LPM 1951 | 10/15/57 | #1 | I'll Be Home for Christmas | Buck Ram Buck Ram Buck Ram was an American songwriter, and popular music producer and arranger.-Biography:... , Kim Gannon Kim Gannon James Kimball "Kim" Gannon was an American songwriter, more commonly a lyricist than a composer. He was born in Brooklyn, New York but grew up in New Jersey where he attended Montclair High School and was a member of The Omega Gamma Delta Fraternity. He graduated from St... , Walter Kent Walter Kent Walter Kent was a Jewish American composer who wrote the music for songs including the Christmas standard "I'll Be Home for Christmas", and the wartime hit " The White Cliffs of Dover", co-written with fellow American Nat Burton. He died at the age of 82-External links:... |
1:53 |
Side Two
| Track | Recorded | Original LP Issue | Catalogue | Release Date | Chart Peak | Song Title | Writer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 6/10/66 | 47-9056 | 11/15/66 | If Every Day Was Like Christmas | Red West Red West Red West is an American actor, film stuntman and songwriter.West was born Robert Gene West in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Lois and Newton Thomas West. He was a close high school friend of rock and roll singer Elvis Presley. An excellent athlete and former U.S... |
2:42 | ||
| 2. | 9/6/57 | Elvis' Christmas Album | LPM 1951 | 10/15/57 | #1 | Here Comes Santa Claus Here Comes Santa Claus "Here Comes Santa Claus " is a Christmas song written by Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman.Autry got the idea for the song after riding his horse in the 1946 Santa Claus Lane Parade in Los Angeles, during which crowds of spectators chanted, "Here comes Santa Claus". This inspired him to write a song... |
Gene Autry Gene Autry Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s... and Oakley Haldeman Oakley Haldeman Oakley Haldeman was a songwriter , composer, author and the general manager for a music publisher... |
1:54 |
| 3. | 9/7/57 | Elvis' Christmas Album | LPM 1951 | 10/15/57 | #1 | O Little Town of Bethlehem O Little Town of Bethlehem "O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a popular Christmas carol. The text was written by Phillips Brooks , an Episcopal priest, Rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia. He was inspired by visiting the Palestinian city of Bethlehem in 1865. Three years later, he wrote the poem for his... |
Phillips Brooks Phillips Brooks Phillips Brooks was an American clergyman and author, who briefly served as Bishop of Massachusetts in the Episcopal Church during the early 1890s. In the Episcopal liturgical calendar he is remembered on January 23... and Lewis H. Redner |
2:35 |
| 4. | 9/7/57 | Elvis' Christmas Album | LPM 1951 | 10/15/57 | #1 | Santa Bring My Baby Back (to Me) | Aaron Schroeder Aaron Schroeder Aaron Schroeder was an American songwriter and music publisher.-Biography:Born Aaron Harold Schroder , he graduated from the school now known as the Fiorello H... and Claude DeMetruis |
1:54 |
| 5. | 1/15/69 | 47-9835b | 4/20/70 | Mama Liked the Roses | John Christopher | 2:47 |
"If Every Day Was Like Christmas" recorded at RCA Studio B
RCA Studio B
RCA Studio B is a noted recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee. Situated at 30 Music Square W and originally known simply as RCA Studios, it became famous in the 1960s for being a part of what many refer to as the Nashville Sound...
in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, and "Mama Liked The Roses" at American Studios in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
Certifications/sales
| Country | Certification (thresholds) |
Sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Diamond | 10,000,000 |