Radio station albums were generally compilations of current-day hits popular with the station's audience. But there were exceptions. This is a particularly nice one, and as it happens, it was put together under the auspices of some of the people who worked at PAMS, who I mentioned in September. In other words, there's a little extra "jingle" in these Jingle Bells.
The folks you'll hear on these tracks are called the Associate Singers, and if you're a jingle fan, you'll know the names: Dan Alexander, best-bass-in-the-business Jim Clancy, Brian Beck, Frank Bloebaum, Chris Kershaw, Bob Biegler, Clark Womack, Trella Hart, Judy Parma, Libba Weeks, Abby Hamilton and Linda Harmon.
All these great voices sing against vibrant musical backdrops provided by Bob Piper, who was responsible for the sound of many PAMS jingle packages in the late '60s and early '70s. The sound is bright and beautiful and deserves to be shared.
Here's Trella Hart out in front, calling for Jolly Old St. Nicholas.
A cheery rendition of We Wish You A Merry Christmas. I wish this song always sounded this good.
Let's go Up On The Housetop and hear what the singers are up to:
An a cappella original by Bob Piper: The Warm Sound Of Christmas
Although the singers are primarily known from PAMS, they did business with most of the other jingle producers in Dallas. Toby Arnold worked in sales for PAMS and eventually started his own company, which produced this album. His company still exists as TAA Music.
A note on the radio station: WGPA is alive and well in Bethlehem, PA and plays a pretty eclectic assortment of music and talk shows. It's currently owned by polka magnate Jolly Joe Timmer.
This post is dedicated to Judy Parma, one of the wonderful voices you hear on these tracks. She passed away recently, so sharing these songs has taken on extra meaning. Rest well, and thank you for making the world sound so nice.
No comments:
Post a Comment