Merry me

Genre-defying, Grammy Award-winning band The Mavericks have announced the November 2nd release of their first-ever holiday album, Hey! Merry Christmas!. Always a group to forge their own path, The Mavericks wrote eight original songs for Hey! Merry Christmas! featuring the group's distinctive blend of rockabilly Latino, folk, swing, blues, jazz, and more.

If you only know Jackie Gleason from The Honeymooners, you may be surprised to learn of his renown as a bandleader and forefather of what has come to be called lounge music. Gleason's easy-on-the-ears music is redolent of swank parties and conviviality–concepts that are as timeless as his renditions of such smooth favorites as "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."

Freddy Cole is a songwriter's dream, able to impart his own distinct personality to a song while remaining faithful to its lyric and melody. He surrounds a song with the warm presence of his voice, but within that breathy glow, he's capable of the subtlest inflection, from irony to wary satisfaction and the most wistful sense of loss. He's also able to swing masterfully at medium tempos, as he does on "I Remember You" and the relaxed rendition of "It's Impossible." While Cole can stamp his own identity on a familiar tune, he can also bring out the best in an unexpected song. "Merry-Go-Round," by the team of Bobby Scott and Herb Martin…

Best known for her background vocal work on the Rolling Stones' legendary single "Gimme Shelter," Merry Clayton had a long and successful career as backup singer, solo artist, and actress. Born December 25, 1948 (hence the rather "holiday" feel of her first name), in New Orleans, LA, Clayton recorded tracks with Elvis Presley, the Supremes, Ray Charles, and Joe Cocker, as well as being a member of Ray Charles' Raelettes in the early '60s.