🎄 Holidays! Did Al Hirt ever have an RCA Christmas Album?

[Rudy]

I thought that Al Hirt may have had a Christmas album out on RCA at one time. Anyone know? Nothing comes up on CD, except on some unfamiliar label called Delta.

 

[Tim Neely]

He sure did!

It was called The Sound of Christmas and was issued on RCA Victor LPM-3417 (mono) and LSP-3417 (stereo) in 1965. There was even a single from it, "Nutty Jingle Bells"/ "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" (RCA Victor 47-8706).

An abridged reissue came out in 1972 under the title Have a Merry Little (RCA Camden CAS-2573). Later still, this same compilation came out on Pickwick ACL-7078.

Nine of the songs from the original album are on CD under the name Have a Merry Little Christmas on Laserlight (Delta) 21 723.

A year earlier, Al recorded "Hooray for Santa Claus"/""White Christmas" on a 45 (RCA Victor 47-8478). The A-side was the song from the immortal bad movie Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. Neither of these songs is on the above Christmas album.

Finally, Al & Ann-Margret's version of "Baby It's Cold Outside" comes from a duet album the two recorded in 1964 called Beauty and the Beard (RCA Victor LPM-2690 mono, LSP-2690 stereo).

 

[Rudy]

Interesting, Tim...thanks! I may have to go vinyl hunting for these, including the 45, and make my own "album" out of it. Too bad. RCA's missing out on this one, in my opinion.