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!)

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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!