Blues Blues Christmas 3 / Various Blues Blues Christmas 3 / Various CD

Volume 3 of the acclaimed Blue, Blues Christmas series from Document Records is our most wide-ranging collection yet, jumping genres from blues, gospel, jazz, rock, doo-wop and country spanning the 1920's through the 1960's, many songs which have not been anthologized before. Most of the pre-war Christmas blues recordings have been collected on our first two anthologies but there are a few leftover gems by Bumble Bee Slim, Victoria Spivey, Lil McClintock and Walter Davis. From the post- war era some fine Christmas blues from Leadbelly, Amos Milburn, B.B. King, Jimmy McCracklin, John Lee Hooker and Thelma Cooper. We hear from a fine contingent from the Lone Star State including Lightnin' Hopkins, Hop Wilson and Freddy King. We turn our attention to the religious side with selections by Rev. JM Gates, Rev. D.C. Rice, Magnolia Five, The Fairfield Four and the Spartanburg Famous Four. Jumping across the tracks we spotlight some fine country and rockabilly performers including Joe Poovey, Cordell Jackson, Fiddling' John Carson, Coy McDaniel & Shorty Warren, the Davis Sisters and Vernon Dalhart. If you're talking about country, real country music, the first of what we know today as "country music" was broadcast by radio and recorded for phonograph by Fiddlin' John Carson. We bring you a batch of Christmas vocal group numbers I know all too well by the Penguins, The Ravens, The Five Keys, The Larks, Billy Ward and His Dominoes, The Youngsters and The Jackson Trio. In the late 1940's, early 1950's the clear delineation between blues, R&B and vocal group music got a little fuzzy with groups becoming harder to classify, eventually morphing into rock and roll. From that era, we feature holiday platters by Dee Dee Ford and Oscar McLolli. We jump to the jazz side of the street with selections by Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Jordan, the Wardell Gray/Dexter Gordon Quintet and a pair by Duke Ellington

1. Lead Belly - Christmas Is Coming 2. Rev JM Gates - Gettin' Ready for Christmas Day 3. Victoria Spivey - I Ain't Gonna Let You See My Santa Claus 4. John Lee Hooker - Blues for Christmas 5. Dee Dee Ford - Good Morning Blues 6. Penguins - Jingle Jangle 7. Magnolia Five - the Holy Baby 8. Famous Jubilee Singers - Go Tell It to the Mountain 9. Cordell Jackson - Rock and Roll Christmas 10. Coy McDaniel ; Shorty Warren - Christmas Choo Choo Train 11. Davies Sisters - the Christmas Boogie 12. Thelma Cooper - I Need a Man 13. Jimmy McCracklin - Christmas Time Part 1 14. Bumble Bee Slim - Santa Claus Bring Me a New Woman 15. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordon - Baby It's Cold Outside 16. Amos Milburn - Christmas Comes Once a Year 17. Freddy King - Christmas Tears 18. Jo Poovey - Santa's Helper 19. Fiddlin' John Carson - Christmas Time Will Soon Be Over 20. Dexter Gordon - Jingle Jangle Jump 21. Lightnin Hopkins - Santa 22. Jimmy McCracklin - Christmas Time - Part 2 23. Hop Wilson - Merry Christmas Darling (Take 1) 24. Duke Ellington - Sugar Rum Cherry (Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy) 25. Ozie Ware with Duke Ellington's Hot Five - Santa Claus Bring My Man Back 26. Rev DC Rice - What Do You Call That Wonderful Counsellor 27. Spartanburg Famous Four - Go Where I Send Thee 28. The Ravens - Silent Night 29. The Youngsters - Christmas in Jail 30. Jackson Trio - Jingle Bell Hop 31. Cordell Jackson - Be-Boppers Christmas 32. Vernon Delhart - Santa Claus That's Me 33. Lil McClintock - Don't Think I'm Santa Claus 34. Walter Davis - New Santa Clause 35. BB King - Christmas Celebration 36. The Larks - Christmas to New Year's 37. The Five Keys - It's Christmas Time 38. Oscar McLolli and His Honey Jumpers - Dig That Crazy Santa Claus 39. Billy Ward and His Dominoes - Ringing in a Brand New Year 40. Ella Fitzgerald - the Secret of Christmas