Christmas Bluegrass

Chris Curtis BellaOnline's Folk Music Editor



Christmas music is a joyful sound at this time of year. I love listening to Christmas music during the holiday season. Although many artists perform the classic songs, I never get tired of hearing them because each artist spins the tune in their own unique styling making each rendition new again. If you love Bluegrass and closely related root music, here is a list of some of the best Christmas music available by Bluegrass artists. Folks, if you are going to add to your Christmas music collection, you can't go wrong with any one of these selections. Enjoy!
1. Christmas on the Mountain: A Bluegrass Christmas – Various Artists, Nominated for 2004 Grammy for "Best Bluegrass Album.", this project features ten holidays tunes from top artists including Tim O'Brien, Mac Weisman, Del McCoury, Doc Watson, Cyndi Wheeler, and the Osborn Brothers. It is an eclectic but wonderful selection of tunes for the holidays.
2. Bluegrass Christmas Collection: Christmas Time's a Comin –Various Artists, Traditional Christmas collection from esteemed bluegrass artists such as Bill Monroe, Stanley Brothers, Reno & Smiley, Johnston Mountain Boys, Jimmy Martin and many more. You will find traditional songs like Rudolph, Jingle Bells, and White Christmas.
3. A Skaggs Family Christmas – Skaggs and White Family plus members of Kentucky Thunder, This project offers a good selection of Christmas standards performed by two musically venerated families from the country and bluegrass genres. While arguable not pure bluegrass, the project offers a selection of both traditional Christmas hymns, and original seasonal music in the Skaggs family tradition. You won't find another Christmas project with the quality of vocal harmonies that can only come from the melding of these two musically oriented families.
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