On December 9, 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas aired on TV screens across America and instantly captured the hearts and ears of a generation. Bolstering the animated special, based on Charles M. Schulz’s immensely popular PEANUTS comic strip, was an engaging score from Bay Area jazz artist Vince Guaraldi, who brought characters like Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Snoopy to life through his evocative cues.
Working primarily with bassist Fred Marshall and drummer Jerry Granelli, Guaraldi paired inspired interpretations of traditional holiday fare (“O Tannenbaum,” “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” and “What Child Is This”) with original compositions, including the instantly recognizable “Linus and Lucy” theme, “Skating,” and “Christmas Time Is Here.” The latter song, available as both an instrumental and vocal track, featured young choral singers from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in San Rafael, CA.
More than five decades later, the Emmy® and Peabody®-winning animated classic has spawned more than two dozen subsequent PEANUTS specials. Guaraldi’s soundtrack, meanwhile, has since become one of the best-selling jazz albums in history, second only to Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, and regularly ranks among America’s top-selling holiday albums every December.
Music video by Vince Guaraldi Trio performing Christmas Time Is Here. (C) 2012 Concord Music Group, Inc.