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Up To Date

The 10 Best Holiday Songs By Kansas City Artists

By Steve Kraske,
Mackenzie Martin
Published December 24, 2020 at 1:56 PM CST
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Samantha Fish
One of Bill Brownlee's favorite Kansas City holiday songs is “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” from singer-songwriter Samantha Fish.

From jazz to folk, Kansas City has a rich collection of music for this time of year. Music critic Bill Brownlee recommends adding these to your holiday playlist.

  1. Charlie Parker — “White Christmas” from a 1948 radio broadcast
  2. Barnaby Bright — “If We Listen” from the 2020 album “Bleak Midwinter”
  3. Ida McBeth — “Kansas City Christmas” from the 1998 compilation album “The Kansas City Holiday”
  4. Samantha Fish — “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” a 2019 single
  5. Jay McShann — “Hootie’s Christmas Baby” from the 1992 album “Jim and Jay’s Christmas”
  6. Andrea Lewis — “Winter Wonderland” from the 2020 album “Have a Very Merry Christmas”
  7. Melissa Etheridge — “Light a Light” from the 2007 album “A New Thought for Christmas”
  8. Count Basie Orchestra — “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” from the 2015 album “A Very Swingin’ Basie Christmas”
  9. Isaac Cates & Ordained — “Little Drummer Boy” from the 2014 EP “Carol of the Bells”
  10. Oleta Adams — “There’s Still My Joy” from the 2006 album “Christmas Time with Oleta”

Bill Brownlee is a music critic and blogger at There Stands the Glass and Plastic Sax.

Tags
Up To Date Talk ShowPodcastMusicLocal musicCharlie ParkerChristmasholidayWinterjazz
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Steve Kraske
When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
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Mackenzie Martin
Whether it’s something happening right now or something that happened 100 years ago, some stories don’t fit in the short few minutes of a newscast. As a podcast producer and reporter at KCUR Studios, I help investigate questions and local curiosities in a way that brings listeners along for adventures with plot twists and thought-provoking ideas. Sometimes there isn’t an easy answer in the end – but my hope is that we all leave with a greater understanding of the city we live in. Reach me at mackenzie@kcur.org.
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