Christmas Morn with Mahalia Jackson

Merry Christmas, one and all. Is there a better way to celebrate Christmas on a Sunday morning that with the amazing voice of Mahalia Jackson? No, I didn't think so. So let's start with Mahalia singing Sweet Little Jesus Boy.



I love her version of Silent Night. I remember being a kid, and hearing it on one of my mother's Christmas compilations. Hearing her sing it just brings back so many wonderful memories.



Enjoy the day with you family!

Christmas Music - Anthony Callea - Hymns

As previously stated, I love to listen to Anthony Callea sing. His voice is just amazing to me, and I am just so jealous of the Australians who get to see and hear him on their television, let alone live and in person. Once again this year, Anthony will be performing at Carols by Candlelight, a charitable function in Melbourne, on Christmas Eve. And once again, I will be scouring the web searching for clips and hoping I could have been there myself. So here are clips of him singing Silent Night, O Holy Night, and Ave Maria. They are just beyond description to me.

Silent Night (2006)


O Holy Night (2007)


Ave Maria (2008)


For more about Anthony, you can check out his website here. You can find out more about Tim at his website, here. For further information on Carols by Candlelight, click here.

Christmas Music - Il Divo

Il Divo was formed om 2001 with the idea that classical singers taking on a combination of genres, from classical to pop, would sell, and I'll be damned if Simon Cowell wasn't right. Il Divo are renowned Spanish baritone, Carlos Marín; two classically trained tenors, Swiss Urs Bühler and American David Miller; and a French pop singer, Sébastien Izambard. Some referred to Il Divo as the first classical boyband.



In 2005, they released The Christmas Collection, which included both secular and religious hymns for the holiday season. The album was certified platinum in the US. The third of five studio albums, it is the only one not to reach the top 10 in the US, settling for #14, not bad for a holiday collection. Their voices are magnificent, and they are certainly not bad to look at, either.

Silent Night at Rockefeller Center


White Christmas


O Holy Night


Somewhere


You can find out more about Il Divo at their offiical website here.

Christmas Music - Andy Williams

When I was growing up, each and every year we watched the latest Andy Williams Christmas special on. My mother was a huge Andy fan, and he certainly had a variety of guests on, including the very young Osmonds. Here is Andy doing what he does best, singing the hack out of a standard.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year


Silent Night

Christmas Music - Boston Gay Men's Chorus

This first clip is Santa Quodlibet (or: A Christmas Medley that makes no sense), performed by the Boston Gay Men's Chorus in Stars: A Holiday Celebration. December 14, 19, 20, and 21, 2008, at Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory



Here is a clip from the 2008 concert, Silent Night, with guest sololist Claire Phillipe.



You can find more information about the Boston Gay Men's Chorus here. I am sure they would appreciate any support.

Christmas Music - London Gay Men's Chorus

Christmas Medley - London Gay Men's Chorus featuring Vinny Mann. Performance at The Barbican on Wednesday December 20, 2006.



Here is there version of Silent Night, with an opening sung in German.



And here is I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus in the 2008 Christmas Concert. Love these guys!



Check out more on the London Gay Men's Chorus here, including their schedule for Christmas concerts this season.