Christmas Pipes: My Pick of the Top Female Christmas Recordings of the Last Half-Century

When my mind drifts to Christmas music, I’ll frequently hear Bing Crosby crooning, Nat King Cole smoothly balladeering, or perhaps Mark Lowrey’s “Mary Did You Know.”

But when I focus my thoughts on what female artists have contributed to the Christmas recording repertoire this past half-century, I’m truly amazed.

I’ve decided to open up a discussion about the most influential, powerful or classic female Christmas recordings. Below are my selections of true difference makers in the Christmas recording world. There are sixteen in all.

I’ve started with the ones I feel are relevant, but as you near the end of the list you’ll find the ones I feel “win” in incredibly amazing ways.

I’d love to hear your own opinions as well, so please feel free to keep the discussion going as we near our Christmas Holiday. All the best, Red Dirt Kelly

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Noted by some as “the best voice in the world,” Sissel sings an arrangement of “In the Bleak MidWinter.” She’s backed up by the Mormon Tabernacle choir. Her simplicity is where her power lies.

At a time when it was extremely rare to see African American women highlighted on T.V., Mahalia Jackson’s 1961 performance of “Sweet Little Jesus Boy” is indeed music to my ears. I wish the quality was better, but at the same time, perhaps it helps us realize that we’re traveling back in time to be at her side as we listen.

Noted for her unusually creative videos and simple, sweet voice, Regina Spektor’s “Because its Christmas” is trendy and pure. Continue reading Christmas Pipes: My Pick of the Top Female Christmas Recordings of the Last Half-Century

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Hiney, Booty, and Chris: A Tingle Trifecta Conundrum

The first time I read the term “hiney tingles” I knew exactly what the author meant.

You see, I’ve experienced these phenomena. Oh yes. I HAVE experienced them.

I think they started in junior high when Nathan Johns asked me if I would “walk him off the football field after the game.”

What he meant by that was,

“Will you jump the fence with fifty other girls, grab my sweaty arm, stand with me while we thank God for winning the game under the Friday night lights, put up with my sweaty body while I pause during our walk, take my helmet off, shake out my sweaty dark curls, finish walking me to the edge of the locker room entrance and then just prior to me going inside to hear from the coach get your first kiss from me?”

Oh, I’ll walk you off the field, baby.  Heck yeah, I’ll walk you off.  Me and my hiney tingles will do you proud…

I’m sorry, where was I? Ah, yes. Hiney tingles.

For those of you who are familiar with Ree Drummond’s “Pioneer Woman” blog and her “Black Heels to Tractor  Wheels” story, then you know the source of my writing inspiration.

For those of you who don’t read P-Dub’s work, or who are unfamiliar with the term “hiney tingles,” allow me to link you to the highly academic source for all pop-culture answers: the Urban Dictionary definition.

So, assuming that hiney tingles are some sort of electrified sensations felt involuntarily when stimulated by the sight or presence of a romantic prospect, I’m wondering…have YOU experienced them?  And, if so, under what conditions?

I did a little research and found that there is actually a blog with the term in its name.  Something to do with Edward Cullen?

I know a Twitter-Tweep of mine , who immediately went into hiney tingle overdrive when she recently passed by a cowboy and sent this message out to the world:

“GIIIIRRRRL them steer rasslers make me all tingly!”

Then we started talking hiney tingles, then several others jumped in on the conversation and I’m not sure exactly what happened next…but I think some sort of watch-society was created to spot men in tight jeans and also Carhartt/hoodie combinations. Continue reading Hiney, Booty, and Chris: A Tingle Trifecta Conundrum

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The 2011 Imaginary Family Project – Week 49

#49 of 52 : RAYMOND & SADIE
The Imaginary Family Project - Week 49

External Photo Clues:
None

Imagine:

LANEGANICS

 

“Look happy!” Cleo Cliffords knelt down. He pointed the Brownie at little Raymond and Sadie. They looked happy, because they were happy. They played all the time and giggled and really liked each other. It was the one lucky thing in Cleo’s life — his kids were ignorant.

“There’s going to be a scientist who finds out how to get to the moon, but he’s not going to find out happiness. It’s not science.” – Pat Lanegan, Fiftyfold It Comes In: Putting Yourself Out There!

Cleo Cliffords sold things. Or, as he liked to quote Pat Lanegan, he formed relationships with people and they communicated with goods. Continue reading The 2011 Imaginary Family Project – Week 49

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The Gift of A Narrator: Faulk’s Christmas Story; Timeless and Perfect

 

Faulk - Image from NPR via Getty Images.

Dear Red Dirt Chronicles Friends ~

I’m a real sucker for stories, and a friend introduced me this one last year. Told by gifted narrator, John Henry Faulk, NPR plays the story every year.  Recently I’ve been contacted by quite a few people looking for the same Christmas Story Book I wrote about a few weeks back, so I know you can’t re-tell Christmas Stories too many times.

Red Dirt folks are story tellers, and so I knew you would appreciate this one.  Below is the National Public Radio Transcript in full.  However, if you’d rather hear the enchanting voice of Faulk himself, simply click this audio link, sit back, and enjoy.

John Henry Faulk’s Christmas Story

Happy Christmas Week to you,

[kelly]

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The gifted storyteller and former radio broadcaster John Henry Faulk recorded his Christmas story in 1974 for the program Voices in the Wind.

Faulk was born to Methodist parents on August 21, 1913. The fourth of five children, he attended the University of Texas. For his master’s thesis, he researched ten sermons in African-American churches and gained insight into the inequity of civil rights for people of color. He later taught English at the University and served as a medic in the Marines during World War II.

Before the John Henry Faulk Show debuted in 1951 on WCBS Radio, Faulk hosted numerous radio programs in New York and New Jersey.

He was blacklisted in 1957, but with support from Edward R. Murrow, won a libel suit against the corporation that branded him a Communist. Faulk’s book, Fear on Trial, published in 1963, chronicles this experience.

Continue reading The Gift of A Narrator: Faulk’s Christmas Story; Timeless and Perfect

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On the Horizon: True Ag Diversity

Have you ever been on a bus tour anywhere? I’ve been on several of them now and have completely enjoyed my experiences. While most bus tours are all about just seeing what’s to see, the ones I’ve been on this past year have been about not only seeing what’s to see but also about learning how to be an agritourism destination. We’ve learned all sorts of things like insurance, taxes, etc., but one of the most important lessons they’ve learned is simply how to.

All the people who have been on the bus with me have either been owners of agritourism destinations or people who want to become one. Many of them have been on most of the tours with me and I’ve really come to like these people. They are hard working, honest people and will tell you exactly what they think. And they always get ideas to take back home and try out at their places.

In this week’s video blog, meet some of these fantastic people and see some of the places we went on the most recent rolling bus workshop to South Central Oklahoma.

Alisa Hines

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Showcasing Red Dirt culture ~ authored and managed by contributors with connections to the great state of Oklahoma.