Voice of Christmas

Product Description:

Tracks recorded from 1935 to 1956.

Includes liner notes by F.B. (Wig) Wiggins.

Digitally emastered by Steven Lasker.

If your recollections of Crosby at Christmas are limited to "White Christmas," the official MCA/Decca re-release of THE VOICE OF CHRISTMAS is the place to turn. According to the informative and detailed liner notes provided by F.B. (Wig) Wiggins (who's the American representative of the "International Crosby Circle"), Crosby only agreed to record holiday material (which the singer thought was inappropriate for a popular singer) when Decca agreed in 1935 to donate the proceeds to charity.

It will come as a surprise to learn that the recording of "White Christmas" that became a classic was actually Crosby's second version of the chestnut, made in 1947 after the original plates from the 1942 release became worn out. This pair of CDs includes both versions, plus an unreleased 1942 version and a 1954 rendition with Danny Kaye. There are also four versions of "Silent Night," and less religious material like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Jingle Bells."