Maps of Music

Once Upon a Christmas (1984)

Where the lyrics of Once Upon a Christmas take you, and where it was really made.

The project started with a phone call: in late 1983 Kenny Rogers asked Dolly Parton whether she would make a Christmas album with him.

Key places

Lion Share Studios (1984)

Recording site Lion Share — Discogs lists Lion Share Studios among the places where the album was recorded. It is a Los Angeles studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Sunset Sound (1984)

Recording site Sunset Sound — Discogs lists Sunset Sound among the places where the album was recorded. It is in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Evergreen Studios, Nashville (1984)

Recording site Nashville — Discogs lists Evergreen Studios among the places where the album was recorded. The point is placed at the city centre of Nashville. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Cecca Sound, Dallas (1984)

Recording site Luminous Sound — Discogs lists Cecca Sound in Dallas among the places where the album was recorded. The point is placed at the city centre of Dallas. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Once Upon a Christmas: collaborative studio album by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
• Released October 29, 1984 by RCA Records on LP, CD, and cassette
• Produced by Rogers with David Foster
• Rogers' second Christmas album, following 1981's Christmas; Parton's first
• Release accompanied by the CBS television special Kenny & Dolly: A Christmas to Remember
• Certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA in 1989

Background

• Rogers and Parton first worked together in 1976, when Rogers guested on Parton's syndicated variety series Dolly
• They joined again on Rogers' 1983 single "Islands in the Stream", a number one hit
• Rogers contacted Parton in late 1983 to see if she would do a Christmas album with him
• Parton said she jumped at the idea when Rogers called, and that this was her first Christmas special or album
• Rogers said he was raised in a Baptist family and saw Christmas as a special time for families

Recording

• Busy schedules delayed recording until August 1984
• According to Billboard, the album was completed and mixing had taken place by late September 1984
• Discogs lists the recording locations as Lion Share Studios, Sunset Sound, Evergreen Studios, Cecca Sound, and Dallas

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Kenneth Donald Ray Rogers was born on August 21, 1938, in Houston, Texas, and began his recording career in the late 1950s with the Houston group the Scholars.
• He was an American country singer-songwriter who moved from teenage rock and roll through psychedelic rock to become a country-pop crossover artist of the 1970s and 1980s.
• In 1967 he co-founded the First Edition with former New Christy Minstrels members, later renamed Kenny Rogers and the First Edition.

Members

• The First Edition's members included Mike Settle, Terry Williams, Thelma Camacho, and Kin Vassy.
• Rogers's backing band Bloodline has toured with him since 1976.

Career

• The First Edition scored hits including "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" and "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" before the group disbanded in 1976.
• As a solo artist he charted more than 60 top-40 singles, including the number-one hits "Lady" and "Islands in the Stream".
• He recorded duets with Dottie West, Dolly Parton, and Sheena Easton, and partnered with Lionel Richie as songwriter.
• His signature song "The Gambler" won a Grammy in 1980 and was selected for the National Recording Registry in 2018.
• He sold more than 100 million records worldwide and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013.
• He retired from touring in 2017 and died on March 20, 2020, at age 81.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Billboard gave a positive review, saying the album showed signs of becoming a seasonal blockbuster
• Billboard called Parton's compositions lively and said the album was devoid of schmaltz and sparkled with warmth
• The album received the Canadian Country Music Association Award for Top Selling Album in 1985

Records

• Debuted at number 19 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart dated December 15, 1984
• Peaked at number 12 on the Top Country Albums chart dated January 12, 1985
• Spent a total of 35 weeks on the Top Country Albums chart as of December 2019
• Peaked at number 31 on both the Billboard 200 and the Canadian Albums Chart
• Norway: number 33; Netherlands: number 37; Sweden: number 40
• RIAA Gold and Platinum certifications on December 3, 1984
• RIAA 2× Platinum on October 25, 1989, for shipment of 2 million copies
• Music Canada Gold and Platinum on December 1, 1984; 3× Platinum on November 14, 1985; 4× Platinum on January 21, 1987
• Music Canada 5× Platinum on April 13, 1988, for shipments of 500,000 copies

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Rogers and Parton promoted the album with the CBS special Kenny & Dolly: A Christmas to Remember, which aired December 2, 1984 and was viewed by 30 million people.
• The Bob Giraldi directed special performed all ten songs from the album, from a Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus segment to a USO party in World War II London and a finale in a country church.
• Three singles were issued together in November 1984: "The Greatest Gift of All" (a duet), a Parton medley, and Rogers' "The Christmas Song".
• "Christmas Without You" was released as a single in Europe in November 1984 and reached number 88 on the UK Singles Chart.
• "The Greatest Gift of All" reached number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 40 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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