Musical Fruitcake

Sonny James is a popular American country music singer and songwriter, and in 1952, with the help of his friend Chet Atkins, he signed with Capitol Records. In 1957 Sonny James recorded “Young Love“, and it became the very first teenage country “crossover” single when it topped both the country and pop music charts.

From 1964 to 1972, Sonny James was a dominant force in country music. Sonny James recorded 16 straight #1 singles in addition to 72 verified chart hits. James’s career No. 1 total would eventually stand at 23. He went on to a long and highly successful career and in 1962 he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. In 1969, Billboard magazine named him “Artist of the Year.”

For his contribution to the recording industry, Sonny James has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

In 1966, Sonny James released a Christmas record called “Barefoot Santa Claus” (Capitol 5733), complete with an off-key children’s choir. The song was co-written by Bob Tubert, who also wrote songs for Brenda Lee, Eddy Arnold, Dolly Parton as well as Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs.

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Johnny Adams (1932 - 1998) was an American blues singer from New Orleans, Louisiana. He began his career singing gospel with Bessie Griffin and the Consolators while in his early twenties, but crossed over to secular music in 1959 and scored a national hit with the single “I Won’t Cry.” That was followed by a string of regional hits in the 1960s which included “Release Me,” “Hell Yes, I Cheated” and “Reconsider Me.” During this time, he worked the circuit of black nightclubs throughout the South, where he became known as “The Tan Canary” for the amazing range and beauty of his infinitely expressive voice.

In the 1980s and 1990s Adams recorded several award-winning albums for Rounder Records. Among his many awards are a W.C. Handy Award, a NAIRD Indie Award, six Big Easy (New Orleans) Awards and several OffBeat (New Orleans) “Best of the Beat” Awards. He died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1998 after a long battle with cancer.

In 1994, Johnny Adams released a Christmas album called “Christmas in New Orleans,” which included the song “The Little Boy that Santa Forgot,” a pathetic song about a poor little boy who gets no presents on Christmas from Santa because his father is dead, so instead he has to play with the broken toys he received last Christmas.

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Don Ho (1930 - 2007) was a popular Hawaiian musician and entertainer. Ho’s soothing and seductive baritone voice, treasury of stories and warm island personality, entertained generations of fans for over four decades.

In 1965, he released his debut album, The Don Ho Show, and began to play clubs in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, and New York City.

In the fall of 1966, Ho released his most famous song, “Tiny Bubbles”, which charted on both the pop and easy listening charts and the album remained in the Top 20 for almost a year.

One of Ho’s most memorable TV appearances was a 1972 cameo on an episode of “The Brady Bunch.” He also had his own variety show, the Don Ho Show, on ABC from 1976 to 1977.

Don Ho was a popular concert tour draw among fans of all ages. He performed regularly at the Waikīkī Beachcomber Hotel, as well as at his own restaurant/night club, “Don Ho’s Island Grill,” in downtown Honolulu up until his death.

In 1967, Don Ho released a Christmas album, that was produced and arranged by the legendary Gordon Jenkins (who also worked with Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra). The album included a song that Jenkins also wrote, called “This Christmas.”

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Country singer/songwriter Dan Thacker released a Christmas 45 RPM record called “Santa Claus is Coming Back To Our Town,” backed with “Christmastime is Here Again” (Special Edition Records ACA 6762). I love the bragging, optimistic lyrics, as well as the swinging elevator music instrumental break.

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Suzanne Casale, better known as Lil’ Suzy, is a Puerto Rican-American singer and she is highly regarded as one of the top latin freestyle singers. She released many popular dance hits such as “Take Me In Your Arms” and “Can’t Get You Out of My Mind.” She was named Billboard magazine’s Best New Dance Artist in 1992. “Randy,” a song recorded when she was just seven years old, was her first release on Fever Records. “Take Me In Your Arms” was recorded when she was the ripe old age of 15.

Lil’ Suzy opened a nail salon on Staten Island October 2nd, 2000.

In 2004, Lil’ Suzy contributed a few songs to a Christmas CD called “Freestyle X-mas” including a number called “Letter To Santa.”

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Come on now and meet everybody, and hear us singin’! There’s nothin’ better than being together, when we’re singin’! Five of us, and Mom workin’ all day, she knew she could help us if our music would pay. And then we got Reuben to sell our songs, and it really came together when Mom sang along!

The Partridge Family was an American television sitcom, which ran from 1970 to 1974. The show was about a widowed mother and her five children, living in a small fictional town in Northern California. In the pilot episode this musical family records a pop song in their garage and decide to tour the country in a psychedelically-painted 1957 Chevrolet school bus.

The series was inspired by The Cowsills, a real singing family in the late sixties. In its early development the Cowsill children were approached to be featured on the show, though that idea was quickly discarded when producers wanted to replace their real-life mother.

The show starred Shirley Jones as mother Shirley Partridge and David Cassidy (Jones’ real-life stepson) as her son Keith. The remaining Partridge children were played by Susan Dey as Laurie, Danny Bonaduce as Danny, Jeremy Gelbwaks (replaced after one year by Brian Forster) as Chris, and Suzanne Crough as Tracy Partridge. Dave Madden played Reuben Kincaid, who was their manager and family friend.

Most episodes began at the family home in California. Under the leadership of 70s supermom Shirley Partridge, the five Partridge kids survived various capers that almost always culminated in successful concerts. Mom covered lead vocals, her teenage stepson Keith helped keep the family in line. Keith sometimes clashed with sister Laurie and everyone clashed with ten-year-old brother Danny, the freckle-faced bass player who was always looking for the big score. Danny’s special nemesis was band manager Reuben Kinkaid, an irritable man with a knack for getting the family into trouble when the plot needed fresh complications. Two younger Partridges, Chris and Tracy, rounded out the cast, along with a next-door neighbor Ricky Segall, and Reuben’s nephew, Alan, who joined the show in 1973.

The company promoted the success of the show by releasing a series of albums featuring the music of the family band, though most cast members did not actually play on the recordings. A group of studio singers and musicians, led by producer Wes Farrell actually created the Partridge Family sound. Although he was originally cast with the intent to lip sync, just weeks into production David Cassidy convinced Farrell he could sing, and was allowed to join the studio ensemble as the lead singer.

As the show and associated merchandising took off, David Cassidy became an overnight teen idol. Although the Partridge Family did not actually exist as a live band, Cassidy launched a solo singing career, touring with his own group of musicians and performing Partridge songs as well as hits from his own albums. And in the midst of his overwhelming rise to fame, Cassidy soon grew tired of the show. In the summer of 1972 he gave a very candid interview to Rolling Stone magazine in which he attempted to distance himself from the squeaky-clean image of Keith Partridge.

In 1971, The Partridge Family released a Christmas album called “The Partridge Family Christmas Card.” The only original Partridge Family tune on the album is the song “My Christmas Card To You,” written by songwriter Tony Romeo. The song features the group’s trademark harpsichord sound, as well as the thickly layered vocals of David Cassidy.

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