THE FIRST CHRISTMAS . . .‘FOR UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN’

‘THE FIRST CHRISTMAS’

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For three consecutive years in the 1970s, ‘The First Christmas‘ aired on 98.7 WBFG-FM in Detroit during the holiday seasons, 1975, 1976 and 1977. At the time ‘The First Christmas’ first aired, WBFG was Detroit’s only premiere station known for it’s all-religious broadcasting format. The call letters WBFG was also the station’s heralded acronym as well. The calls represented their out-going religious radio content heard daily 24/7 on the FM side, “We’re Broadcasting For God.”

This special holiday recording, “The First Christmas,” was conceived, created, produced and narrated by Bob Pratt.

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A PROPHECY FULFILLED

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“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

A special THANK YOU to Bob Pratt for sharing this special holiday program with Motor City Radio Flashbacks

— Christmas Memories From the Soundtrack of Your Life —

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS * DECEMBER 24, 1977 * WBFG

33 HOURS! ‘JIM HAMPTON’S ‘AN ORIGINAL CHRISTMAS’ ON WJR 760

‘An Original Christmas’

— JIM HAMPTON —

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33 CONTINUOUS HOURS of CHRISTMAS MUSIC and MEMORIES

((((( LISTEN LIVE HERE )))))

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wjr.com or iheartradio.com

STARTS TODAY! 3:00 P.M., CHRISTMAS EVE through 12 M. CHRISTMAS DAY

SPECIAL MESSAGE TO MOTOR CITY RADIO FLASHBACKS’ FRIENDS

THE SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS! A 1963 HOLIDAY ALBUM MEMORY

‘THE ANDY WILLIAMS CHRISTMAS ALBUM’

— ABOUT THIS LP —

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‘The Andy Williams Christmas Album’ is the first Christmas holiday album released by singer Andy Williams and his twelfth studio album overall. It was issued by Columbia Records in 1963, and it would prove to be the first of eight Christmas albums released by Williams. Though it was also the album that introduced Williams’ perennial holiday classic “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, Columbia instead opted to release Williams’ cover of “White Christmas” as the album’s promotional single at the time. From 1963 to 1973, Billboard published special weekly Christmas Albums and Christmas Singles sales charts. For all five weeks that these special charts were published in 1963 (for the weeks ending November 30, 1963 through December 28, 1963), The Andy Williams Christmas Album was the number one selling Christmas album, while Williams’ cover of “White Christmas” was the number one selling Christmas single. The Andy Williams Christmas Album spent three weeks as the number one selling Christmas album during the holiday season of 1964, and one week as the number one selling Christmas album during the holiday season of 1965.

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(Source: Wikipedia)

— Christmas Memories From the Soundtrack of Your Life —

Click on (COMPLETE LP) for the complete track listing on this album.

THE ANDY WILLIAMS CHRISTMAS ALBUM (COMPLETE LP) * 1963

A HOLIDAY RECORDS COUNTDOWN! 03 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

‘THE CHRISTMAS SONG’

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‘The Christmas Song’ (commonly subtitled “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” or, as it was originally subtitled, “Merry Christmas to You“) is a classic Christmas song written in 1945 by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé. The Nat King Cole Trio first recorded the song in June 1946. At Cole’s behest – and over the objections of his label, Capitol Records – a second recording was made in August utilizing a small string section, this version becoming a massive hit on both the pop and R&B charts. Cole again recorded the song in 1953, using the same arrangement with a full orchestra arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle, and once more in 1961, in a stereophonic version with another full orchestra arranged and conducted by Ralph Carmichael. Cole’s 1961 version is generally regarded as definitive. Fourth recording: Recorded at Capitol Studios, New York City, March 30, 1961. This rendition, the first recorded in stereo, is widely played on radio stations during the Christmas season, and has become the most popular/familiar version of this song. Label credit: Nat King Cole (Nat King Cole, vocals; Ralph Carmichael, orchestra conductor). The instrumental arrangement is nearly identical to the 1953 version, but Cole’s vocals are deeper-sounding and more focused. Originally done for The Nat King Cole Story (a 1961 LP devoted to stereo re-recordings of Cole’s earlier hits), this recording was later included in a reissue of Cole’s 1960 holiday album The Magic of Christmas replacing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”. Retitled The Christmas Song, the album was issued in 1963 as Capitol W-1967 (mono) / SW-1967 (stereo) and today is in print on compact disc.

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(Source: Wikipedia)

— Christmas Memories From the Soundtrack of Your Life —

DECEMBER 24 * 02 * NAT KING COLE

DAVE PRINCE: ‘ONE SOLITARY LIFE’ . . . DECEMBER 1962

‘THE GREATEST MAN WHO EVER LIVED’

— DAVE PRINCE —

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Conceived, created, produced, and narrated by Dave Prince. WKMH; December 1962

WKMH Radio 1310 personality lineup: Robin Seymour, Dave Prince, Bill Phillips, Paul Connor and Lou Sherman. December 1962

FIFTY-EIGHT YEARS AGO

THE GREATEST MAN WHO EVER LIVED

WKNR KEENER CONTACT NEWS: ‘THE CHRISTMAS DAY THAT WAS’

**Detroit Free Press** December 23, 1966

Friday, December 23, 1966

A DETROIT RADIO BACK-PAGE AD

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DETROIT FREE PRESS: WKNR

The above featured WKNR ad was ‘clipped,’ saved, and imaged from the credited source by Motor City Radio Flashbacks

THE SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS! A 1964 HOLIDAY ALBUM MEMORY

‘THAT HOLIDAY FEELING!’

— ABOUT THIS LP —

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The husband-and-wife duo of Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme were firmly established as one of the best traditional pop acts in the United States when they recorded this lush Christmas offering for Columbia Records in 1964. On ‘That Holiday Feeling!‘, Steve and Eydie deliver solid solo performances — Gorme on “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “White Christmas,” Lawrence with “Let Me Be The First To Wish You Merry Christmas” and “The Christmas Song” — while they show off the splendid vocal give and take that made them stars on “Sleigh Ride,” “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,” and “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” Featuring arrangements from some of the best studio men in the business (including Don Costa, Al Cohn, and Patrick Williams), That Holiday Feeling! is a beautifully crafted artifact from the era of great singers, and captures Steve & Eydie at their best.

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(Source: AllMusic)

— Christmas Memories From the Soundtrack of Your Life —

Click on (COMPLETE LP) for the complete track listing on this album.

THAT HOLIDAY FEELING! (COMPLETE LP) * 1964

A HOLIDAY RECORDS COUNTDOWN! 03 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

‘MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING‘

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“Merry Christmas Darling” is a Christmas song by the Carpenters (music by Richard Carpenter, lyrics by Frank Pooler), and originally recorded in 1970. It was first available on a 7-inch single that year (A&M Records 1236), and was later re-issued in 1974 (A&M 1648) and again in 1977 (A&M 1991). The single went to number one on Billboard’s Christmas singles chart in 1970 (and did so again in 1971 and 1973) and peaked at number 41 in Cashbox. In 1978, the Carpenters issued their Christmas Portrait album, which contained a new version of “Merry Christmas Darling”. The original 1970 mix continued to be used for all single releases, however. The major difference between the 1970 and 1978 versions is a newly recorded vocal by Karen Carpenter on the latter, which was done at her request. Richard Carpenter himself calls the original recording one of his sister’s very best.

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(Source: Wikipedia)

— Christmas Memories From the Soundtrack of Your Life —

DECEMBER 23 * 03 * THE CARPENTERS

WXYZ RADIO 1270 DETROIT SOUND SURVEY: DECEMBER 22, 1964

**WXYZ DETROIT SOUND SURVEY** December 22, 1964

WXYZ DETROIT SOUND SURVEY

—DECEMBER 22, 1964—

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This list is selected each week by WXYZ Radio reports of records sales gathered from leading record outlets in the Detroit area and other sources available to WXYZ.

The above WXYZ chart was digitally restored by Motor City Radio Flashbacks

—ACKNOWLEDGEMENT—

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A special THANK YOU to Larry Good, of Saline, MI., for contributing this featured WXYZ chart — December 22, 1964 — with Motor City Radio Flashbacks.

Earlier in the year, Larry contributed 16 WXYZ 1964 charts for the website’s archive.

Thank you for this WXYZ Detroit radio contribution. Inasmuch, this site realizes these WXYZ charts from 1964 are scarce, having been a most difficult find today as in recent years. Much appreciated! 🙂

THE SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS! A 1957 HOLIDAY ALBUM MEMORY

‘A JOLLY CHRISTMAS’

— ABOUT THIS LP —

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A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra is a Christmas album by American singer Frank Sinatra, originally released by Capitol Records in 1957.

This was Sinatra’s first full-length Christmas album. It features the Ralph Brewster Singers along with an orchestra conducted by Gordon Jenkins.

Capitol reissued the album in 1965 with different cover art and a new title, The Sinatra Christmas Album, both of which also featured on the album’s initial 1987 compact disc pressing. The original title and cover were eventually restored for subsequent CD pressings in 1990 and 1999. In 2001, the album art was altered from its 1957 version. The CD bonus tracks were originally issued on a 1954 Capitol 45 rpm single, arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle.

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(Source: Wikipedia)

— Christmas Memories From the Soundtrack of Your Life —

Click on (COMPLETE LP) for the complete track listing on this album.

A JOLLY CHRISTMAS (COMPLETE LP) * 1957