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Hillbilly HolidayOnce upon a time, country music was called "hillbilly" music, and nobody took offense. Its Southern and Appalachian origins were part of its identity. But, by the post-war 1940s, hillbillies were flocking to the cities like everybody else, and the broader, more gracious term "country & western" came into vogue - eventually shortened to "country" after the singing cowboy died off. The rural roots of the genre would wax and wane with the "countrypolitan" sound of the 60's and the "outlaw" movement of the 70's. But, "hillbilly" would become a pejorative - not a way to describe country music or its artists.

Rhino Records' Hillbilly Holiday (1988) tells the story of Christmas music during the golden age of Nashville, and by embracing the old appellation, it makes a statement: The best country music never denies its roots. The music changes, for sure, but the essential qualities remain: grit, twang, humor, heart, and soul.

Of course, the 18 songs on Hillbilly Holiday can only begin to tell the story of country Christmas music. There's no Johnny Cash, Gene Autry, Merle Haggard, Chet Atkins, or Eddy Arnold, to name just a few. But, the album serves as an excellent introduction for neophytes - which I was when I first heard it - and an adequate summary for casual fans. To my ears, every track qualifies as absolutely essential, and all are perfect examples of the best these artists had to offer. These are great country songs that happen to be about Christmas.

Off He Went Like A Rocket Ship

Chronologically, Hillbilly Holiday starts with Tex Ritter's "Christmas Carols By The Old Corral" (1945), characterized by the old-timey feel typical of country music at the time. Subsequent tracks by Bill Monroe and Ernest Tubb introduce bluegrass and honky tonk, respectively, into the mix. But, with "Christmas Boogie" (1953), the Davis Sisters (featuring a young Skeeter Davis) begin pulling the Nashville sound into the space age, and things rarely slow down thereafter.

We barrel through the 50's and 60's like a runaway 18-wheeler carrying cargo by some of the brightest lights in country music including Faron Young, Hank Snow, Johnny Horton, and Hank Thompson. A very young Brenda Lee shows up, as well, with "I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus" (1956), two years before she recorded "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree," and three years before her long string of Top 10 hits kicked off with "Sweet Nothin's."

Buck Owens
Loretta Lynn
Louvin Brothers
Marty Robbins
Hank Thompson

Many of these songs were non-LP singles, which makes Hillbilly Holiday all the more valuable to collectors. Plus, a couple of the tracks - the Louvin Brothers' high-and-lonesome "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" (1961) and Marty Robbins' charming " One Of You (In Every Size)" (1967) - are among the best songs from otherwise mediocre albums (Christmas With The Louvin Brothers and Christmas With Marty Robbins, respectively). The albums represented by the Loretta Lynn and Buck Owens tracks, however, are well worth tracking down. Lynn's Country Christmas (1966, reissued on CD as The Best Of Loretta Lynn: The Christmas Collection) includes six original songs, four written by Loretta herself. Even better, Buck Owens recorded two holiday albums made up almost entirely of original compositions, something almost unheard of at the time: Christmas With Buck Owens And His Buckaroos (1965), from which both of his Hillbilly Holiday tracks are taken, and Christmas Shopping (1968).

Twistin' With Ol' Santa Claus

Two tracks on Hillbilly Holiday qualify as novelty songs, and they're notable for opposite reasons. George Jones' "My Mom And Santa Claus" (1962) is a goofy twist song, and it sounds nothing like the guy who recorded the country classic "She Thinks I Still Care" the same year. It's one arguable misstep on Hillbilly Holiday, especially considering that the a-side of the single, "Lonely Christmas Call," is a pretty great country weeper. "My Mom And Santa Claus" is great fun, though, so there's no real complaint. On the other hand, Bill Anderson's "Po' Folks Christmas" (1968) is entirely typical of his homespun, cornpone humor. In fact, it's a sequel to his 1961 hit "Po' Folks," and it would appear the following year on Anderson's album Christmas.

Impressively, Hillbilly Holiday includes almost none of the usual pop standards or Christmas carols, but it's worth noting that there aren't many original country songs that have risen to that level. Country artists tend to cover the same ol' stuff as everyone else - "Jingle Bells" ad nauseam. That said, Tex Logan's "Christmas Time's A-Comin'" has certainly become a standard, and Hillbilly Holiday includes Bill Monroe's 1951 debut recording of the song. (I should note that the song by Buck Owens with the exact same title, also included on Hillbilly Holiday, is a completely different song. Go figure.)

Ernest Tubb
Hank Snow
Buck Owens
Willie Nelson
George Jones and Tammy Wynette

"Blue Christmas" almost qualifies as a country Christmas standard, and it was a #1 country hit (#26 pop) for Ernest Tubb in 1949. But, its thunder as a country standard got stolen when Elvis Presley hit #1 on the pop charts with it in 1964. The King of Rock 'n' Roll basically owned "Blue Christmas" after that, so perhaps that's why the song is conspicuously absent from Hillbilly Holiday.

"Pretty Paper" is another song that is obviously and inarguably a country Christmas standard. Willie Nelson wrote it, but Roy Orbison was the first guy to record it - in his own inimitable, operatic style - hitting #15 on the pop charts in 1963. Nelson recorded his own fine version in 1964 with a more traditional country arrangement. Released as a single on RCA, it flopped. History would smile on Willie and his song, however, and "Pretty Paper" became de rigueur on any country Christmas album worth its salt. Willie himself would record the song several more times over the years, but we get his original RCA version on Hillbilly Holiday.

Bottles of Christmas Cheer

Hillbilly Holiday concludes with "Daddy's Drinking Up Our Christmas" (1973) by Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen - a bunch of hippies, basically, albeit talented hippies. Guitarist John Tichy may have written the song with tongue-in-cheek, but it bears all the hallmarks of a classic country weeper, and the band plays it straight. Perhaps it's Rhino's way of telling us that the country tradition will endure, and that hillbillies can be found in unexpected places. It certainly serves as a reminder of the glories of country Christmas past, and it gives us hope that there may be a Hillbilly Holiday on the calendar once again.

Hillbilly Holiday was among the first in a loose series of compact discs compiled by Rhino Records at the height of the CD era documenting holiday music in a dizzying variety of genres including jazz, blues, doo wop, reggae, punk, new wave, and swing (read more). Collectively, they documented the history of recorded Christmas music in the 20th century. Rhino licensed tracks from many disparate labels for use on those specific albums - long before there was such a thing as iTunes or Spotify. So, sadly, virtually none of Rhino's Christmas collections made the leap to the world of downloads or streaming. I wish I could say that there are equivalents in the virtual world but, mostly, there are not. That said, you can find most of the Hillbilly Holiday tracks online, but they may not be properly licensed or, worse, they might be taken from inferior sources. Caveat emptor. [top of page]

Albums Albums

SongsEssential Songs

  • Christmas Boogie (Davis Sisters, 1953) Top 100 Song
  • Christmas By The Old Corral (Tex Ritter, 1945)
  • Christmas Time's A-Comin' (Bill Monroe, 1951)
  • Christmas Time's A-Comin' (Buck Owens, 1965)
  • Daddy's Drinking Up Our Christmas (Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, 1973)
  • Gonna Wrap My Heart In Ribbons (Hank Thompson & The Brazos Valley Boys, 1964)
  • I'll Be Walking The Floor This Christmas (Ernest Tubb & His Texas Troubadours, 1954)
  • I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus (Brenda Lee, 1956)
  • I'm Gonna Tell Santa On You (Faron Young, 1953)
  • It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Louvin Brothers, 1961)
  • My Mom & Santa Claus (George Jones & The Jones Boys, 1962)
  • One Of You (In Every Size) (Marty Robbins, 1967)
  • Po' Folks Christmas (Bill Anderson & The Po' Boys, 1968)
  • Pretty Paper (Willie Nelson, 1964)
  • Reindeer Boogie (Hank Snow, 1953) Top 100 Song
  • Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy (Buck Owens, 1965) Top 100 Song
  • They Shined Up Rudolph's Nose (Johnny Horton, 1959)
  • To Heck With Ole Santa Claus (Loretta Lynn, 1966)

Further ListeningFurther Listening

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