60 min listen
Songcraft's 12 Days of Christmas - Day 5 - "That Spirit of Christmas" (Ray Charles)
Songcraft's 12 Days of Christmas - Day 5 - "That Spirit of Christmas" (Ray Charles)
ratings:
Length:
16 minutes
Released:
Dec 18, 2020
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
We're counting down the 12 Days of Christmas with daily mini-episodes spotlighting a classic holiday song and featuring an interview with the writer. On this fifth day of Christmas, we explore "That Spirit of Christmas" with co-writer Mable John. The first female artist signed to Motown, the sister of Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Little Willie John, and a long-time Ray Charles associate, Mable tells us all about the creation of the song that's probably best known as from the attic scene of the hit holiday film Christmas Vacation.
Released:
Dec 18, 2020
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Ep. 6 - MELISSA MANCHESTER ("Midnight Blue"): Grammy winner Melissa Manchester signed her first publishing deal at the age of 17, before going on to work as a backup singer for Bette Midler. She first came to prominence as an artist with the 1975 single “Midnight Blue,” which climbed to #6 on Billboard’s Pop chart and hit the #1 spot on the Adult Contemporary rankings. Co-written with Carole Bayer Sager, it was the first of nine Manchester-penned compositions to hit the Top 40. Of those, a half dozen reached the Top 10 on the Adult Contemporary chart. In addition to writing her own hits as a performer - including “Just Too Many People” and “Just You And I” - she also found success writing for other artists, including the Top 10 hit “Come In From the Rain” for Captain & Tennille and “Whenever I Call You Friend,” which was a Top 5 Pop hit for Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks in 1978. Her songs have been recorded by Roberta Flack, Dusty Springfield, Alison Krauss, and Barbra Streisand. by Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters