December 20, 2025: JH - Christmas Special

December 20, 2025

Host: Jan Hunsinger (JH)

Spotlight: Christmas Special

Rockin' Remnants is broadcast from WVBR-FM Ithaca. Check out our webpage, like us on Facebook, and tune in to 93.5 or stream the show every Saturday night from 6-9pm! (Or download the WVBR+ app now available for iOS and Android!)

Thanks to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!

Playlist

·     songs with * were requests

·     all chart information comes from the Billboard Top 100 (for chart dates before/during July 1958) or Billboard Hot 100 (for chart dates during/after Aug 1958) unless otherwise noted

·     a glossary of terms is below the playlist

6:00 - 7:00

OPENING THEME:  Good Old Rock ‘n’ Roll – Cat Mother & the All-Night Newsboys (1969 - #29: produced by Jimi Hendrix)

Christmas Vacation - Bobby Vee (1962)

Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me - Elvis Presley (1957)

It's Christmas Time Again - Frankie Lymon (1957)

Beatles Christmas Message 1963 (The Beatles produced one of these for their fan club members every year from 1963 to 1969)

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town - The Harmon Grits (1959 - the group consisted of former Drifters)

December - Julie London (1956 - from her "Calendar Girl" LP)

Jingle Jangle - The Penguins (1955 - known for the doo-wop classic "Earth Angel")

What Christmas Means to Me - Stevie Wonder (1967)

Beatles Christmas Message 1964

Song for a Winter's Night - Gordon Lightfoot (1967 - song was re-released on the 1975 LP "Gord's Gold")

Papa Noel - Brenda Lee (1958 - some rockabilly from the singer known as "Little Miss Dynamite")

Christmas Ain't Christmas (Without the One You Love) - The O'Jays (1973)

It's Christmas Time - The Five Keys (1951)

45 Corner

Christmas for Cowboys - John Denver (1975 - #58: from his LP "Rocky Mountain Christmas")

The Twelve Gifts of Christmas - Allan Sherman (1963 - some Christmas humor from the guy who gave us "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah")

Beatles Christmas Message 1965

7:00 - 8:00 The Birthday Calendar

Background song: A Fifth of Beethoven - Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band (1976 - #1)

December 14:
Spike Jones [Lindley Armstrong Jones] - b. 1911
Charlie Rich - b. 1932
Frank Allen (The Searchers) - 82
Joyce Vincent Wilson (Dawn) - 79

December 15:
Jerry Wallace - b. 1928
Cindy Birdsong (The Supremes) - 86
Dave Clark - 86

December 16:
Ludwig von Beethoven - b. 1770
Tony Hicks (The Hollies) - 80
Benny Andersson (ABBA) - 79

December 17:
Eddie Kendricks (The Temptations) - b. 1939
Paul Rodgers (Bad Company, Free) - 76

December 18:
[Bryan] Chas Chandler (The Animals) - b. 1938
Sam Andrews (Big Brother and the Holding Company) - b. 1941
Bobby Keys - b. 1943
Keith Richards - 82
Elliot Easton [Steinberg] (The Cars) - 72

December 19:
"Little' Jimmy Dickens - b. 1920
Alvin Lee (Ten Years After) - b. 1944
Zal Yanovsky (The Lovin' Spoonful) - b. 1944
John McEuen (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) - 80

December 20:
Kim Weston - 86
Bobby Colomby (Blood, Sweat, & Tears) - 81
Peter Criss (KISS) - 80
Stevie Wright (The Easybeats) - b. 1948

My Two Front Teeth (All I Want for Christmas) - Spike Jones and His City Slickers (1948 - #1: George Rock provided the vocals for the song that was written by a second grade music teacher and became a nation-wide hit)

Behind Closed Doors - Charlie Rich (1973 - #15: song won Grammys for Best Country Song and Best Country Male Vocal)

When You Walk in the Room - The Searchers (1964 - #35: song was written by Jackie DeShannon)

He Don't Love You (Like I Love You) - Tony Orlando and Dawn (1975 - #1: song was #1 for 3 weeks in May of '75 and was originally a #7 hit for Jerry Butler in 1960)

Primrose Lane - Jerry Wallace (1959 - #8: Wallace had 9 charting singles on the pop charts and 35 on the country charts after 'turning country' in 1965)

Stoned Love - The Supremes (1970 - #7: Cindy Birdsong replaced Florence Ballard in 1967; we heard the long version of the song with the extended intro)

Over and Over - The Dave Clark Five (1965 - #1: Clark was the drummer for the band that carried his name, but Mike Smith was the lead singer)

Stop Stop Stop - The Hollies (1966 - #7: besides being one of the lead vocalists, Tony Hicks was lead guitarist for the band and played banjo on this tune; it was tape delayed and sped up to sound like a balalaika)

SOS - ABBA (1975 - #15: only song to make the BB Hot100 where both the group and song title are palindromes)

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - The Temptations (1968 - their version of the Christmas classic)

All Right Now - Free (1970 - #4: Rolling Stone magazine ranked lead singer Paul Rodgers #55 on its list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time)

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - The Animals (1965 - #15: Chas Chandler played bass for the group; song ranks #315/RS500)

Piece of My Heart - Big Brother and the Holding Company (1968 - #12: song ranks #344/RS500, with vocals by Janis Joplin)

Brown Sugar - The Rolling Stones (1971 - #1: song ranks #490/RS500 and features session sax player Bobby Keys and, of course, guitarist Keith Richards)

Bye Bye Love - The Cars (1978 - NR: classic cut from their debut LP; Elliot Easton was lead guitarist)

8:00 - 9:00

May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose - "Little" Jimmy Dickens (1965 - #15 Country & Western: Dickens stood a mere 4'10" tall)

I'd Love to Change the World - Ten Years After (1971 - #40: Alvin Lee wrote, sang, and played guitar on this track)

She Is Still a Mystery - The Lovin' Spoonful (1967 - #27: born in Toronto, Zal Yanovsky was lead guitarist for the group)

Some of Shelly's Blues - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1969 - DNC; 1971 - #64: song was written by Monkee Mike Nesmith and included his habit of not including the title of the song in the lyrics)

It Takes Two - Kim Weston and Marvin Gaye (1967 - #14: Weston left Motown Records shortly after this single due to a dispute over royalties)

Sometimes in Winter - Blood, Sweat, & Tears (1969 - DNC: song was the B-side to "And When I Die"; Bobby Colomby was the group's drummer)

Hard Luck Woman - KISS (1977 - #15: Peter Criss, aka "The Catman" for his make-up, was the band's drummer and sang lead vocals on this hit)

Friday on My Mind - The Easybeats (1967 - #16: Stevie Wright was lead singer for the Australian group; song has been voted the "Best Australian Song" of all time)

Passing: Carl Carlton - born in Detroit 10/22/52, Carlton passed away 12/13/25 (73). He had 5 charting singles on the BB Hot100.

Everlasting Love - Carl Carlton (1974 - #6: his biggest hit, BMI posts that song has been played over 4 million times)

Beatles Christmas Message 1966

We Need a Little Christmas - The New Christy Minstrels (1966)

To Heck With Old Santa Claus - Loretta Lynn (1966)

Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday - William Bell (1967)

Merry Twistmas - The Marcels (1961)

Silver Bells - Jim Reeves (1963)

This Time Of Year - Brook Benton (1959 - #66)

CLOSING THEME:  Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959 - #1 for two weeks; brothers Santo [steel guitar] and Johnny [rhythm guitar] Farina from Brooklyn)

Glossary of Terms:

dnc = did not chart

nr = not released as a single at the time

AC = Billboard’s chart for “Adult Contemporary” records

BB = Billboard Magazine, which publishes the Hot 100 chart (previously known as the Top 100), along with several other charts

Bubbling Under = songs that were ranked but fell below the top 100

C&W = Billboard’s chart for “Country & Western” records

R&B = Billboard’s chart for “Rhythm & Blues” records

RRHOF = Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

RS500 = Rolling Stone Magazine’s ranked list of the top 500 singles of all-time

Host December 27: Gregory James (GJ) with a spotlight on 3 Chord Classics!

Thanks for tuning in! You can listen to Rockin' Remnants every Saturday night from 6-9pm on WVBR (93.5 FM in Ithaca, NY) or streaming here. 

Thanks again to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!

December 13, 2025 - GJ - Walking

Rockin’ Remnants

Rockin’ Remnants is broadcast from WVBR-FM Ithaca. Check out our webpage, like us on Facebook, and tune in to 93.5 FM or stream the show every Saturday night from 6-9 p.m. Eastern. (Or download the WVBR+app now available for iOS and Android.)

Thanks to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!

Date: December 13, 2025

Host:  Gregory James

Feature: Walking

Birthday Calendar

December 7

Tom Waits 76 years old

Harry Chapin  b. 1942  d. 1981

December 8

Gregg Allman    b. 1947   d. 2017

Jim Morrison  b. 1943   d. 1971

Jerry Butler  b. 1939  d. 2025

December 9

Joan Armatrading  75 years old

Shirley Brickley  (Orlons)  b. 1944   d. 1977

December 10

Chad Stuart  b. 1941  d. 2020 

December 11

Brenda Lee   81 years old

December 12

Denny Dias    (early Steely Dan guitarist)   79 years old

Dickey Betts   b. 1943   d. 2024

Dionne Warwick  85 years old

Terry Kirkman  (Association)   b. 1939  d. 2023

Connie Francis  b. 1937  d. 2025

December 13

Jeff “Skunk” Baxter (Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers)  77 years old

Rock n’ Roll Trivia

What  piece of classical music starts “Walking the Dog” by Rufus Thomas?

(scroll down to find the answer below the playlist)

Playlist

* songs with * were requests

* all chart information comes from the Billboard Top 100 (for chart dates before/during July 1958) or Billboard Hot 100 (for subsequent dates) unless otherwise noted

* glossary of terms is below the playlist

6:00

OPENING THEME: Good Old Rock n’ Roll—Cat Mother and the All Night Newsboys (1969, #29, produced by Jimi Hendrix)

I’m Walkin’   Fats Domino  1957  #4 H100  #1 RB

Ricky Nelson’s version also reached #4 on the Hot 100 and #10 on the RB chart. For awhile, both Domino and Nelson recorded on the Imperial label.

Walking on Sunshine   Katrina and the Waves  1985  #9

The band was not enthusiastic about the song at first and did not expect it to do well. It did very well for musical publisher EMI and was subsequently sold to BMG Rights Management (along with the rest of their catalog) for £ 10 million.

Walk on the Wild Side Lou Reed   1973  #16

Reed has said of the song: “I always thought it would be kinda fun to introduce people to characters they maybe hadn’t met before, or hadn’t wanted to meet.”

*D.W. Washburn   The Monkees 1968  #19

A non-album cover single of a Leiber-Stoller song first recorded by The Coasters in 1967 but not released until 1968. This was the first Monkees single not to chart in the top 10.

Walking Along   Solitaires   1957  DNC

This record was on the Argo label and was the Solitaires’ best selling record.

Walkin’ With My Angel  Bobby Vee  1962  #53

This Carole King and Gerry Goffin composition was included on his album “Take Good Care of My Baby.”

*Walk Like a Man   Four Seasons   1963   #1

Legend has it that a room directly above the recording studio caught fire during the recording of the song.

Remember (Walking in the Sand)  Shangri-Las   1964  #5

According to one source, the original version of the song was almost 7 minutes long.

I Walk the Line   Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two  1956  #17

This song recorded for Sun Records topped the country chart first, then crossed over to the pop chart. 

These Boots are Made for Walking   Nancy Sinatra  1966  #1

Apparently Lee Hazlewood took the song’s title from this line spoken by Frank Sinatra in the 1963 film 4 for Texas: “They tell me them boots ain’t built for walkin’.”

Walking the Dog   Rufus Thomas   1963  #10

The opening notes are from Mendelssohn’s Wedding March.

Walking in Rhythm  Blackbyrds   1975  #6 H100, #4 RB, #5 AC

*Twenty-Five Miles    Edwin Starr    1969   #6 Hot 100 and RB

The title track from Starr's second album. Requested by Scottie for Peggy.

Walkin’ in the Rain   Ronettes   1964  #23 H100, #3 RB (1965)

Cynthia Weill and Barry Mann wrote the song with some tinkering by Phil Spector.

Walk on the Water   Creedence Clearwater Revival  1968 NR

This song was written by Tom Fogerty.

Walkin’ After Midnight   Patsy Cline   1957    #12 H100, #2 CW

This was Cline’s first major hit record. She is backed by session players The Nashville A-Team, with Don Helms on steel guitar.

7:00

Step Right Up   Tom Waits   1976

Jim Hughart played bass, the legendary Shelly Manne on drums and Lew Tabackin played tenor sax.

W.O.L.D.   Harry Chapin  1973

One sure way to get your song played on the radio was to make radio the subject of the song. Deejays used to be an itinerant lot with each market having its own hometown deejays. Now, a lot of radio is syndicated with deejays broadcasting from studios far away from the cities they serve.

Please Call Home   Allman Brothers  1970

From their second album Idlewild South. The Brothers built their reputation from their live dates. In 1970 they played 161 shows according to setlist.fm.

Crystal Ship   Doors  1967

The B-side to “Light My Fire.” The song was about a romantic break up, not about crystal meth.

He Will Break Your Heart    Jerry Butler  1961  #1 RB  #7 H100

Curtis Mayfield co-wrote the song and sang the harmony. Butler and Mayfield had previously sung together in the Impressions.

Down to Zero   Joan Armatrading   1976

Drums by Kenney Jones of the Faces.

Walk Right In    Orlons  1962

This track was a cover of a popular song at the time off their album “Wah-Watusi.” The group was signed to Cameo Parkway records after three auditions and started out singing back up vocals for Dee Dee Sharp. 

Sunstroke  Chad and Jeremy   1968  DNC

The duo had relocated to California where they attempted a psychedelic album called “Ark” in the fashion of Sgt. Pepper’s.

Coming On Strong    Brenda Lee   1966   #11

This was the only single released from the album of the same name, and it was her last top 20 single.

Do It Again     Steely Dan   1972  #6

Some folks see the songs as a meditation on the wheel of karma—doing things over and over until you get it right.

Blue Sky    Allman Brothers   1972

Dickey Betts wrote, sang and played co-lead guitar with Duane Allman. At Duane’s encouragement, it was Dickey’s debut as a vocalist.

Walk On By   Dionne Warwick  1964  #6

This was Warwick’s second international million selling record.

8:00

How Do the Fools Survive?   Doobie Brothers  1979

Outstanding guitar by Jeff Baxter on this B-side to “Depending On You.”

Walk Away Renee  Left Banke   1966  #5

An uncredited Jackie Kelso played the flute solo.

Walk Right Back   Everly Brothers   1961  #7

Sunny Curtis did write a second verse of the song, and it has appeared on cover versions by Perry Como and Andy Williams, but the Everlys never recorded the second verse.

Walk Slow   Little Willie John   1960    #48

Walk Don’t Run  The Ventures   1960  #2 H100, #13 RB

It was written by jazz guitarist Johnny Smith in 1954. The Tacoma based Ventures released their version on Dolton Records

* Sleepwalker    The Kinks  1977  #48

Legend has it that the song is about Ray Davies' insomnia.

Walk a Mile in My Shoes    Joe South and the Believers  1970  #12

This track was recorded at South’s Atlanta home studio.

Walk On   Neil Young   1974   #69

Recorded at Young’s home studio at Broken Arrow Ranch,

The Walk   Jimmy McCracklin  1958  #7 H100, #5 RB

McCracklin began recording in 1946 and his popularity surged after he performed “The Walk” in 1957 on American Bandstand.

Walk On  Roy Orbison  1968  #121

The record is a cult favorite, even though it bubbled under the Hot 100.

Walk on the Wild Side Brook Benton  1962   #43

Walk on the Wild Side Pt. 2 Jimmy Smith and Oliver Nelson  1962  #21 H100, #4 RB

Brook Benton’s version of the Elmer Bernstein song was heard over the ending and the credits of the film “Walk on the Wild Side”. Jimmy Smith’s version was released as a double sided single. 

Walk Away   Donna Summer   1980  #36

This was a single from “Bad Girls,” her final album for Casablanca Records.

Walk This Way   Aerosmith  1977  #10

According to legend, the title and refrain of the song were inspired by the film “Young Frankenstein.”

You’ll Never Walk Alone   Gerry and the Pacemakers  1965  #48

The Rogers and Hammerstein song from Carousel has become the anthem for the Liverpool Football Club. Gerry Marsden has said that the manager of the team, once said, “Gerry, my son, I have given you a football team and you have given us a song.”

Walking Back to Georgia    Jim Croce  1972 NR

An album cut from “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim.”

That Lonesome Road   James Taylor   1981  NR

Peter Asher and Jennifer Warnes were part of the backing choir for the song.

CLOSING THEME: Sleep Walk – Santo and Johnny (1959, #1 for two weeks)

Trivia Answer

“Walking the Dog” by Rufus Thomas starts with Mendelsshon’s “Wedding March.”  

Congratulations to Dave from Ithaca for correctly answering the question and winning a pair of passes to Cinemapolis, downtown Ithaca’s home for first-run, international, independent and local films.

Glossary of Terms:

DNC = did not chart

NR = not released as a single at the time

AC = Billboard’s chart for Adult Contemporary records

H100 = Billboard Hot 100

Bubbling Under = songs that were ranked but fell below the top 100

CW = Billboard’s chart for country and western records

RB = Billboard’s chart of rhythm and blues records

Host December 20, 2025: Jan Hunsinger with a pre-recorded Christmas Special!

Thanks for tuning in! You can listen to Rockin’ Remnants every Saturday night from 6-9 p.m. Eastern on WVBR (93.5 FM in Ithaca NY) or streaming on WVBR.com.

Thanks again to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!