A Christmas Yuleblog

This was downloaded at the Members Share forum of FaLaLaLaLa on November 30, 2006 at 12:07 AM. Veteran FLLLL'er Inkydog posted this unique album there for all to share. Last Christmas, he posted this very same album at his own blog Cheerful Earful - go download and hurry back! Some of you are asking yourself "Who's Helen O'Connell?" She was born in Lima, Ohio on May 23, 1920 and her family eventually moved to the metropolis known as Toledo to settle in. It was here that Helen began singing and was noticed by bandleader Jimmy Richards. She went on the road with Richard's nine-piece orchestra and toured the country for 1 1/2 years. This exposure led to a radio show in St. Louis for a brief time until Larry Funk and his Band of A Thousand Melodies persuaded O'Connell to go with them to New York City in 1938. While in New York, popular bandleader Jimmy Dorsey heard Helen sing in a nightclub and wanted her in his band. O'Connell said goodb...

Today starts a look back at the 125+ Christmas albums (yes, 125 plus!) that I downloaded during the 2006 holiday downloading season. Some will get serious looks. Others will get thumbnail sketches. Will I get to them all? Only time will tell. This was the first full album I clicked. Even wrote down the date, the place, the time, and from who - November 18, 2006 at 9:03 AM from FaLaLaLaLa community member Inkydog . If you look closely at the bottom right hand corner of the album, you'll notice that this is from Design Records , a budget budget division of the budget label Pickwick International. Design Records are the same folks who brought you wonderful Christmas albums like " Dennis Day Sings For The Family ", " Christmas With The Happy Crickets ", and probably the greatest budget Christmas release ever: " Tijuana Christmas " by The Border Brass. Not much info is out there on the Cricketones. But the music is festive, fun, and very ligh...