DOWNLOAD: Merry Christmas from Homer Rodeheaver, 1955
Homer Rodeheaver (pronounced "Rode-hay-ver"!) had a great voice, wrote some nice gospel songs, promoted some great ones (including Brighten the Corner Where You Are), and told rather corny stories in an Old Time Radio fashion. He was of his period, like most entertainers.
Here's Homer's idea of a Christmas record--a recitation about 1) death, 2) a little boy making a speech by randomly stringing together memorized phrases, and 3) "an old Negro friend" and his brand of positive thinking. The fake dialect in the last one is... embarrassing. But, for context, consider the fact that minstrel shows lasted into the 1960s.
Anyway, what could possibly say "Christmas" more than those three items?
This, by the way, is the ranch (link) he keeps mentioning.
Homer's half-sister Ruth was a very good singer, and Paul Mickelson was a highly skilled organist and arranger, so, while this record is pretty corny, it's beautifully done.
Lee
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