The Complete RCA Victor & Columbia Christmas Recordings

Description

It’s for good reason that Chet Atkins remains one of the most revered names not only in country music but in American music itself. A producer, A&R man, songwriter, sometimes-vocalist, and above all, a guitarist par excellence, Atkins defined the sound of country with his championing of RCA’s lush Nashville Sound. A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee and a 14-time Grammy winner (including a Lifetime Achievement Award), Atkins recorded three albums of Christmas music throughout his lengthy career. Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records’ 2-CD set The Complete RCA Victor and Columbia Christmas Recordings is packed with almost 50 vintage holiday tunes from this legendary musician originally released between 1953 and 1996 on both of those labels. These joyous and virtuosic recordings encompass rare singles, the complete albums Christmas with Chet Atkins (in both its original 1961 version and re-recorded 1976 iteration) and East Tennessee Christmas, and numerous one-offs from various albums over the years. Chet brought his singular guitar style to recordings of both pop and country hits (“Jingle Bell Rock,” “Blue Christmas”) and classic carols (“Away in a Manger,” “Ave Maria”) plus favorites like “Winter Walkin’” and “East Tennessee Christmas.” Annotated by The Second Disc’s Joe Marchese, and remastered by Vic Anesini at Sony’s Battery Studios, The Complete RCA Victor & Columbia Christmas Recordings proves you don’t have to be from Tennessee to enjoy the classic country sound of Chet Atkins, C.G.P. (that’s “Certified Guitar Player,” naturally)! CD 1 1. The Bells of St. Mary’s 2. Jingle Bells 3. Christmas Carols 4. Sleigh Bells, Reindeer and Snow 5. Greensleeves 6. Jingle Bell Rock 7. Winter Wonderland 8. Jolly Old St. Nicholas 9. White Christmas 10. Blue Christmas 11. Jingle Bells (1961 Version) 12. Silver Bells 13. Little Drummer Boy 14. Medley: The Coventry Carol/God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 15. The First Noel 16. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 17. O Come All Ye Faithful 18. Deck the Halls 19. Silent Night 20. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day 21. Winter Walkin’ 22. Ave Maria CD 2 1. Greensleeves (1961 Version) 2. Bells of Saint Mary’s 3. Winter Wonderland (1976 Version) 4. Jolly Old St. Nicholas (1976 Version) 5. White Christmas (1976 Version) 6. Blue Christmas (1976 Version) 7. Jingle Bells (1976 Version) 8. Silver Bells (1976 Version) 9. Little Drummer Boy (1976 Version) 10. The First Noel (1976 Version) 11. Silent Night (1976 Version) 12. Jingle Bell Rock (1983 Version) 13. White Christmas (1983 Version) 14. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow 15. Winter Wonderland (1983 Version) 16. The Christmas Song 17. I’ll Be Home For Christmas 18. East Tennessee Christmas 19. Do You Hear What I Hear? 20. The Little Drummer Boy (1983 Version) 21. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 22. Silent Night (1983 Version) 23. Away in a Manger 24. Ave Maria (1996 Version)