Uploaded June 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
"What Child Is This?" is a popular Christmas carol written in 1865. At the age of twenty-nine, English writer William Chatterton Dix was struck with a sudden near-fatal illness and confined to bedrest for several months, during which he went into a deep depression. Yet out of his near-death experience, Dix wrote many hymns, including "What Child is This?", later set to the traditional English tune "Greensleeves."
"What Child Is This?" is a popular Christmas carol written in 1865. At the age of twenty-nine, English writer William Chatterton Dix was struck with a sudden near-fatal illness and confined to bedrest for several months, during which he went into a deep depression. Yet out of his near-death experience, Dix wrote many hymns, including "What Child is This?", later set to the traditional English tune "Greensleeves."
![The Ramsey Lewis Trio - The Sound of Christmas [Full Album] (Argo Records 1961)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/o-pbp70zWbI/mqdefault.jpg "The Ramsey Lewis Trio - The Sound of Christmas [Full Album] (Argo Records 1961)
Sound of Christmas is an album of Christmas music by Ramsey Lewis Trio featuring tracks recorded in 1961 and released on the Argo label.
Lewis recorded a second seasonal album, More Sounds of Christmas, in 1964.
Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (May 27, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five gold records and three Grammy Awards in his career. His album The In Crowd earned Lewis critical praise and the 1965 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance. His best known singles include The In Crowd, Wade in the Water, and Sun Goddess. Until 2009, he was the host of the Ramsey Lewis Morning Show on the Chicago radio station WNUA.
Lewis was also active in musical education in Chicago. He founded the Ramsey Lewis Foundation, established the Ravinias Jazz Mentor Program, and served on the board of trustees for the Merit School of Music and The Chicago High School for the Arts.
The trio started as primarily a jazz unit and released their first album, Ramsey Lewis and the Gentlemen of Swing, in 1956. Following their 1965 hit The In Crowd (the single reached No. 5 on the pop charts, and the album No. 2) they concentrated more on pop material. Young and Holt left in 1966 to form Young-Holt Unlimited and were replaced by Cleveland Eaton and Maurice White. White left to form Earth, Wind & Fire and was replaced by Morris Jennings in 1970. Later, Frankie Donaldson and Bill Dickens replaced Jennings and Eaton; Felton Crews also appeared on many 1980s releases.")
![Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians - The Sounds of Christmas [Full Album] (Capitol Records 1959)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/otsdF0QCHek/mqdefault.jpg "Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians - The Sounds of Christmas [Full Album] (Capitol Records 1959)
For generations of baby boomers, year-end festivities would not have been the same without Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians. This compilation is derived from the classic Now Is the Caroling Season (1957) and Caroling, Caroling (1959) collections, the former bearing the distinction of heralding in the era of the holiday music long-player. Waring initially assembled a group he christened the Collegians during his tenure at Penn State. He incongruously arrived at the moniker the Pennsylvanians after the band relocated to Michigan. The lineup was an instantly recognizable fixture from numerous appearances on radio as well as the silver screen. When television was introduced, Waring and company were the first combo to have their own show. All that exposure guaranteed that when they began to release albums, the platters were sure to become instant best-sellers. True to form, Now Is the Caroling Season reached the upper tiers of the charts in 1957 and 1958. The highlights included here aptly represent what makes those original recordings so very special. The material is drawn from sacred and secular titles, with longtime Waring arrangers Robert Shaw, Roy Ringwald, Jack Best, and Hawley Ades adapting the traditional tunes. The opening track has been renamed from Now Is the Caroling Season to Caroling, Caroling. Regardless, it immediately evokes the romanticism and nostalgia inherent in the customary celebration. There is a discernible innocence in White Christmas and The Christmas Song (aka Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) that has escaped most other versions. The robust vocal blend and tastefully discreet orchestrations are flawless. That similarly translates into the placidity and reverence of O Holy Night and Angels, from the Realms of Glory. Sadly, they dont make em like this anymore, but luckily these repackagings remain readily available for interested parties.
Fredrick Malcolm Waring (June 9, 1900 – July 29, 1984) was a musician, bandleader, and radio and television personality, sometimes referred to as Americas Singing Master and The Man Who Taught America How to Sing. He was also a promoter, financial backer and eponym of the Waring Blendor, the first modern electric blender on the market.")
