Christmas Garland • Judy at Home

In 1963, the legendary Judy Garland had her own television show. For show #15, they taped the Christmas episode, which featured many guests, including Judy's children, Liza Minnelli, Lorna and Joey Luft. In this first clip, we get a Christmas Medley with Liza Minnelli and Jack Jones, and, of course, Judy.



In a very special moment, Judy sings Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas in a sweet moment with with Lorna & Joey Luft.



The show also featured Judy singing The Christmas Song with Mel Tormé, who wrote it with Bob Wells. The song was perhaps best known for the version ob Nat King Cole.



While not a part of the special, this is Merry Christmas, with lyrics and music by Fred Spielman and Janice Torre, sung by Judy in the 1949 MGM film, In the Good Old Summertime. She sings it to a very handsome Van Johnson.



Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!

Christmas Cheer

Clockwise: Kate Smith; Doris Day; Ella Fitzgerald; and Rosemary Clooney.

I just put together what I think is an interesting collection of songs and singers to add to your holiday cheer. I will start with a singer who had perhaps most known to me for singing God Bless America. The song was first played before a Philadelphia Flyers hockey game in 1969, and was played before certain home games. Legend grew, and it was thought that with the power of Smith nd that song, the Flyers were nearly unbeatable. I grew up hearing that. So I was quite pleased to find this clip of Kate Smith singing her RCA Victor recording of Christmas Eve in My Home Town on the Bing Crosby Hollywood Palace Christmas Special.



The Doris Day Show feature the forever beautiful and pure actress from 1968 to 1973. Each season, of course, they would do a holiday-themed episode. In 1970, Day sang Silver Bells, composed by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans for a movie soundtrack in 1951. It quickly became a favorite of singers and audience alike.



As if making the 1954 movie musical White Christmas wasn't enough to make her a regular part of the holiday season, her silky-smooth voice singing jazz standards would do the trick. Here she is, singing The Christmas Song on 1965.



Is there ever a time that listening to Ella Fitzgerald sing is not a great thing? No, I didn't think so. I could listen to Ella ever day, and never get bored. So It was a no brainer that she be a part of the holidays. In this clip, she sings Good Morning Blues.

Billboard Top Holiday Songs - #5

To continue with the Christmas celebrations, here is Nat King Cole taking the #5 spot on the chart with The Christmas Song. He released this version of the song in 1946. It is an immortal song written by Mel Tormé and Bob Wells in 1944.

Visit Christopher Dallman for the Holidays

With his striking good looks, a beautiful voice that can sound both strong and willful as well as haunted and hurt, out singer/songwriter Christopher Dallman became part of my music library on a lark, and for that I will be forever grateful. I was ordering a CD from CD Baby a few years ago, and decided I was getting boring, so I picked a couple of others I wasn't too familiar with, and hoped for the best. The fates were being very kind to me that day, as one of those CDs was called Race The Light, and from the first listen, it became a favorite. So I did some research on the web, and found out a little more about the artist, Christopher Dallman. I also wrote him a note on MySpace, thanking him for the music that I loved. He wrote a gracious reply, and I have been following him since.

After a bit of a respite, Dallman came back on the music scene with a bang, releasing Anthem, a marriage equality single, Sad Britney and Never Was in 2009, and Live in LA in 2010. He is also looking to release more music in the beginning of 2011. All of this makes fans like myself quite happy, cause you can never have enough Chris in your life. But, if it weren't for the great music from Race The Light, I am not sure I would have been following Christopher as closely, and know his music now. So I will be grateful for songs like Mistake.



I love that song, like so many others in Christopher's catalog, so of course I wanted to include him in the holiday series. And I was quite pleased he took the time out of his busy schedule to be a part of holidays on Soundtrack to my Day. So I started off my asking about his own favorite holiday music. "I like the classic holiday music like Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole," he replied. "It makes me feel like a kid at Christmas." Well, I can't argue with that one at all, and only hope to encourage it with a clip of the amazing Nat King Cole singing The Christmas Song.



So I wanted to nkow if Christopher had any favorite holiday song he liked to perform live? "I like doing Joni Mitchell's River," he answered, "and my own version of Silent Night. Sad versions, of course." Apparently, sad isn't a word he just associates with Britney. But I have to admit to being intrigued about hearing Dallman performing the Joni Mitchell song. Watch this, and tell me if you you aren't dying to hear Chris sing River, too.



So, Chris Dallman, what are your hopes for the New Year? "I hope my family and friends stay safe and healthy," he said warmly. "And I hope to drink a lot of really nice wine."

Well, while it might be slightly out of sequence, I thought I would slip in another holiday classic, with Bing Crosby singing White Christmas for Mr. Dallman.



Time for my preoccupation with the listening habits of people who are on my iPod. I wanted to know what was his favorite music from 2010. "My favorite music of 2010 is Lissie. She has been around for a while," he explained, "but she blew up this year. I love her album, I love her EP, I love her live show, and I love the song she did with George Stanford on his record Roll Away."

What is Chris looking forward to musically in 2011, since it is so close now? "I'm releasing a new music video for Gimme More from Sad Britney in January," he explained, "followed by a new record produced by George Stanford, and then a short (but hopefully not too short!) US tour. It's going to be a good year."

Now, the idea of Christopher appearing near me on tour soon is enough to make me a happy camper. Near giddy, as a matter of fact. While he may be planning on playing the new music, I also hope he makes time for favorites old and new. One of those is the last video he released for the song Ghosts from Never Was.



For more about Christopher Dallman's music, check out his official website here. You can check in there to find out the latest new on releases and upcoming tour dates. You can also buy some really great music.

Visit SIRPAUL for the Holidays

The many faces of SIRPAUL.

There are some memories you just will have with you, and I can clearly remember the first time I was exposed to the music of SIRPAUL. A couple of years ago I was trolling MySpace, you know, back when everyone lived for MySpace, and I came across this stunning-looking Italian man, and I clicked on the song Addicted. I was blown away. I had to listen to a few more songs, and I was sold, and purchased the Dismantle album. And SIRPAUL has had me in the palm of his hand ever since. So earlier this year, when he was getting set to release his latest album, Music And Me, and he said he would be open to an interview for the blog, I was almost beside myself. I got my questions together, and was so prepared, and SIRPAUL answered them all so thoroughly, the interview had to be broken into 3 parts. There was the interview Part I and Part II, there was also the video party to save some room in the interview.

And still, that did not prepare me for the joy I had when I went to see SIRPAUL performing live in New York City in June, joined by my niece Mandy and my friend Rickey, as we joined the full-house to celebrate the release of Music And Me. The joy and love was obvious from both the audience and the performer, who not only enjoyed singing, you could hell he just adored the people in the audience, too. Well, I thought it would be good to run a video I put together after the show, a recap of some of the great moments I saw in person.



I start off by asking SIRPAUL the burning question of the week, when you listen to holiday music, what is your favorite song/album? "The album that reminds me of Christmas with my family is Johnny Mathis- Merry Christmas. In my family Christmas is a HUGE celebration where, when I show up, the door opens and my father is making Brandy Alexanders," he recalled warmly, "the food is amazing and everyone is singing and playing musical instruments. Whenever I hear Johnny Mathis I think of how thankful I am to have such an close relationship with my family...it's something I try to never take for granted. My personal favorite holiday album of all time is A Very Special Christmas...Songs like Winter Wonderland by Eurythmics and Santa Baby by Madonna really were a sign of the times. You couldn't have found songs more well-suited for each of these legendary Pop artists."



With such a warm spot for the music, I ask him if he has a favorite holiday song to perform. "I really tend not to perform around the holidays because I feel like it's an important time to put your personal life aside and just go back home...so until I write my own holiday song, you won't be hearing a peep from me," he laughed.

Just 2 weeks from 2011, I ask him about his hopes for the New Year. "I hope this year is full of positive energy and prosperity for all of the people who were hit hard by the recession," he answers. "It would be nice to see everyone back on track financially because, as much as I hate to focus on material things, when you're broke, life isn't too much fun. Onward and upward! To up the fun quotient, I thought I would add one of SIRPAUL's favorites, the Eurythmics singing Winter Wonderland!



I still want to know what is on the iPod of the people who are on MY iPod, so what are SIRPAUL's favorite songs from 2010? "Ooooooh that's a tough question!" he replies. "Ok here are my top 10 albums from 2010 in no particular order:
1. Robyn- Body Talk
2. Florence and The Machine- Lungs
3. Goldfrapp- Head First
4. Kylie- Aphrodite
5. Marina & The Diamonds- The Family Jewels
6. Scissor Sisters- Night Work
7. Underworld- Barking
8. William Orbit- Pieces in a Modern Style, Vol. 2
9. Oh Land- Oh Land EP
10. Florrie- Introduction EP

And, to finish with my questions, I quiz SIRPAUL about what is on his horizon that we can look forward to in 2011. "Well there is a LOT on my plate for 2011 already," he told me excitedly. "My husband, Paul Salvatore Petersen, and I will be organizing a benefit concert here in NYC this April for the True Colors Fund. The True Colors Fund was founded by my childhood idol Cyndi Lauper to house displaced LGBTQ youth. Everything about this resonates light for me personally. My parents, Al & Joanne Cucinello, started a halfway house in the 80's called Hope House (in my home town of Port Jefferson.) They helped so many troubled kids work through a difficult time with their families. The song True Colors is very personal to me as well...It helped to reassure me as a child that the fact that I was" different" was a GOOD thing! I want to give back to my community and I want try my best to make this a huge, life-giving experience. So I'll be performing at that benefit alongside some amazing talent. I have a several singles coming out next year from my album Music & Me- Mistaken (featuring Candy Apple Blue) & Give it Up (the video directed by Andreas Anastasis is almost done!!) 2011 will also see the release of the debut album from my band (with musical partner in crime Alex Lauterstein) called Simulover. The eponymous album is unlike anything I've ever worked on before and features vocal appearances by my über talented singer sister, Cherylyn, the angelic voice of Devlinelle & the vocal debut of Alex Lauterstein!! I sing a couple of songs on this album too. We can't wait to share this album with all of you!!!" Whew, that is a lot to accomplish, SIRPAUL. Perhaps you should take a cue from Madonna, and ask Santa Baby for some help!



I would think this Christmas would be a good one for SIRPAUL, with his latest video, the title track from the Music And Me album, hitting VH1, MTV and Spike websites! Of course, it also had the debut on LOGO, so onward and upward. With all this going on, SIRPAUL still wanted to make sure to speak to everyone. "I'd like to wish the readers of Soundtrack to my Day a very warm holiday season full of light & love... xoxo, SIRPAUL" To return his wishes, you can find him on his official website here.

And, finally, in the spirit of giving back this holiday season, here is SIRPAUL's video for the song Colors, dedicated to Tyler Clementi, and all those LGBTQ youth encountering discrimination and bullying.

Visit Chad Cavanaugh for the Holidays

At the beginning of the year, I discovered the music of the stay-at-home-rockstar-dad through the kindness of my friend Bounmy. Boy, am I glad she did. Not only have I enjoyed Chad's music a great deal, I have enjoyed getting to know him as well. Whether he is talking about his music or about his daughter's first dance recital, you can help but be affected by his infectious charm and energy. Take, for example, the title cut on his most recent album, We Got Love, which you can purchase on iTunes here.



The father of two girls - with another on the way - Chad certainly has much to be happy about during the holidays. So it was a foregone conclusion I would be asking him to take part in the festivities here. So I started out by asking him what is his favorite holiday tune. "I love the song Little Drummer Boy," he said excitedly. "It's my favorite to listen to and to play. The story is incredible and just gets me every time. To have a gift for someone that wasn't bought but created from what's inside your soul is powerful." So I thought I would join in with one of my favorite versions of the song, by the band Jars of Clay.



As I have already documented my interest in what my favorite artists are listening to when they aren't making music, I was interested in what Chad had on his iPod. "A couple of my favorite songs from this passed year, not sure if they were released this year or not but this year is when I first heard them," he explained. "The Dead Weather have a song on the Eclipse soundtrack called Rolling in on a Burning Tire that I really like and Mumford and Sons Little Lion Man are up there along with Linkin Park's new single "Waiting for the End". A must listen is Kenny Eng's The Angels off of his Live At Lestat's CD is a beautiful song. When we're at the same open mic he'll play it for me. It's good to run in the same circles as people you like listening to. To round out my top 5 I'd have to include the guy I was introduced to by you and Bounmy, Chris Dallman's Ghosts is a song I first heard in the past month. Love it! I hope we get a chance to play a show together soon." Hey, I'd love to see two of my favorites like Chad and Chris sharing a stage! As I couldn't find any holiday music to post from Chad, I thought I would grab something from some of his favorites. So this is Kenny Eng singing The Christmas Song.



With an eye on the future, Chad offered, "For the new year I want to get out on the road more, have an effective street team and get on radio cross country." But there are other concerns fro the handsome singer/songwriter. "As for what I'm looking forward to in 2011, I shift it back to being a daddy, I look forward to my new baby daughter, and watching my two other daughters be big sisters. I look forward to the inspiration that comes from them and the songs that will be bourne out of that inspiration."

Another of Chad's favorites is the band Mumford & Sons, and this is their seasonal offering, Winter Winds.



Chad is never one to fail to take an opportunity, either. "And I look forward to being featured again and again on an award winning blog called the Soundtrack To My Day. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it," he said, smiling. I have no worries about Chad being featured again, and soon. He will soon have a new album, Live On Adams Ave, available, and I got a preview copy, and it is wonderful - it truly captures Chad's passion for his music and performing. For more about Chad, you can check out his MySpace page here, and his FaceBook page here. You can also check out his blog here.

Christmas Music - Manhattan Transfer

The vocal group Manhattan Transfer first formed in 1969 and worked their way to find a sound, with five people involved. By 1972, the line-up had changed to just four, with only one original member surviving, Tim Hauser. Alan Paul, Janis Siegel, and Laurel Massé were brought on board, and the direction of the group moved to a more jazz-driven sound. In 1978, Massé was injured in a car accident, and replaced by Cheryl Bentyne, and that is the line-up that exists today. The acapella/doo-whop/jazz/pop sound propelled them to high placements on the charts from the mid 70s to the early 80s, with songs as varied as Chanson D'Amour, Twilight Zone, and Boy From New York City.

Silent Night


In 1992 they released The Christmas Album, with 11 strong songs done as only they could deliver. Part of the push included an appearance on the Tony Bennett Christmas special on TV, and where they sang The Christmas Song with Tony.



One of my favorite songs they did was Birdland, which is still incredible. They use their voices so well, like additional instruments for the orchestra. Powerful.



You can find out more about Manhattan Transfer on their official website here.

Christmas Music - Nat King Cole

Hearing the soft and warm baritone of Nat King Cole at the beginning of any song pretty much says it is gonna be good. Hearing the opening bars of The Christmas Song, and you can't help but think of him. His amazing grasp on combining jazz and American pop made him a leader in the recording industry for decades.

The Christmas Song


O Holy Night