''Number One Christmas'' is a studio album by American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

artist

Jeannie Seely Marilyn Jeanne Seely (born July 6, 1940) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She also has several acting credits and published a book. Seely found success with the Grammy Award-winning hit "Don't Touch Me" (1966) ...

. It was first released on October 1, 1996, by Power Pak Records. It was co-produced by Moe Lytle and Tommy Hill. Her twelfth studio recording, ''Number One Christmas'' was also Seely's first album of

holiday music Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject ma ...

to be released. The album was later reissued on

Gusto Records Gusto Records is a Nashville, Tennessee-based record company that specializes in reissuing and licensing recordings. The catalogues that Gusto owns include King Records (except for recordings by James Brown), Starday, Scepter (except for rec ...

in 2007 where it was re-titled as ''A Golden Christmas''. The newer version remain unchanged with the exception of two new album tracks.

Background, content and release

''Number One Christmas'' was recorded in 1996 in sessions produced by Moe Lytle and Tommy Hill. Seely had worked with both producers on a prior album project with

Jack Greene Jack Henry Greene (January 7, 1930 – March 14, 2013) was an American country musician. Nicknamed the "Jolly Greene Giant" due to his height and deep voice, Greene was a long time member of the Grand Ole Opry. A three-time Grammy Award nomine ...

in 1982 in which they re-recorded their former hits. In its original release, the album consisted of eight tracks. All tracks were cover versions of traditional holiday recordings. Among these recordings was "

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" is an English traditional Christmas carol. It is in the Roxburghe Collection (iii. 452), and is listed as no. 394 in the Roud Folk Song Index. It is also known as "Tidings of Comfort and Joy", and by other varian ...

", "

What Child Is This? "What Child Is This?" is a Christmas carol with lyrics written by William Chatterton Dix in 1865 and set to the tune of "Greensleeves", a traditional English folk song, in 1871. Although written in Great Britain, the carol today is more popular ...

" and "

Silent Night "Silent Night" (german: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht", links=no, italic=no) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an ...

". The original album was released on Power Pak Records in 1994 as both a CD and

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in the ...

. The album was re-released on October 7, 2007, on

and was issued in a digital format. It was also re-titled ''A Golden Christmas''. The re-release included the same material, as well as two new track that were added. The song, "

Up on the Housetop "Up on the Housetop" is a Christmas song written by Benjamin Hanby in 1864.Bronson, Fre"Signs Of The Season" Billboard Magazine; December 6, 2007. It has been recorded by a multitude of singers, most notably Gene Autry in 1953. Fresh Beat Band ...

", was featured and included featured instrumentation from a group called the Nashville Fiddles. A second new recording was included on the re-release, "

Little Drummer Boy "The Little Drummer Boy" (originally known as "Carol of the Drum") is a popular Christmas song written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. First recorded in 1951 by the Trapp Family, the song was further popularized by a 19 ...

". The track featured instrumentation from a group called the Nashville Banjos. In addition, the album included new cover art that had not been previously released.

Track listing

''Number One Christmas'' track listing

''A Golden Christmas'' track listing

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''Number One Christmas''. * Tommy Hill – producer * Moe Lytle – producer * Jeannie Seely – lead vocals * Chuck Young – art direction and liner notes

Release history

References

{{Jeannie Seely 1994 Christmas albums Christmas albums by American artists Country Christmas albums Jeannie Seely albums