Appreciating oldies and goodies of holiday song

BITTERSWEET, Ky. — Can you believe it? Christmas music on the radio, already.

Actually, there are stations that began playing it around the first of November and will continue it all the way through the big day.       Now, for a Christmas music lover such as myself, I think it’s great – but for many people, the old rule of nothing Christmas until after Thanksgiving is all they can handle.

Either way, ’tis the season to hear your favorite Christmas tunes, and time for me to check into what’s new and maybe not so new but still such a part of Christmas.

So, to get started, let’s first talk about what we’re already hearing on the radio. Many “lite” music stations have gotten the ball rolling, along with satellite radio, and while I’ll never knock it, it seems like I’m hearing many of the same songs played over and over.

Occasionally there will be a new selection, but for the most part, many of these stations seem to have the same short playlist. And while we all love many of these songs, it would be good to hear a bigger variety of music. I’ll save my thoughts on some of that variety until next time.

For now, I have noticed that sewn into the fabric of the Christmas musical garment is a lot of traditional performers who, for me, are so much a part of the holiday it wouldn’t be the same without them, even if I have to wade through many non-favorites to get to them.

And if it weren’t for the holiday season, I venture to say many of these greats would not be heard by a younger crowd of Christmas music lovers – performing greats such as Andy Williams, Nat “King” Cole, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, just to name a few.

I know, we don’t usually associate country music with these popular performers from the past, but for Baby Boomers such as myself, you know the Christmas season wouldn’t be the same without these classics … and you know how much I love the classics.

So, in starting out my Christmas music season, I first take a moment to relish all those classics and the performers who become new each year thanks to those radio stations with the short playlists.

Bluegrass Johnson comes from a long line of country music performers and enjoys a passion for the rhythm and melody. From the hills of Kentucky, he will offer his opinions on a variety of new country music each week. Readers with questions or comments may write to Johnson in care of this publication.