12 -20 -25 IT'S SATURDAY - TODAY IS THE DAY TO HEAR SOME "AMERICAN" MUSIC - BLUEGRASS GALORE - NO. 6 ON THE NOMAD ARCHITECT TOP 25 CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

 

BLUEGRASS MUSIC came to be in the Appalachian Region of America in the 1940's. It has since become one of the most favored genres of music in the world. Combining acoustic instruments and great singing it usually tells stories of the simplicity, beauty and hardship of life. Today, all Nomads will hear some cool Christmas tunes from some of the greats in this truly American music.

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First for today - The great Earl Scruggs and The Bluegrass Allstars including sons Randy & Gary, Sam Bush, Ricky Scaggs and Phil Leadbetter - an instrumental arrangement of JINGLE BELLS.

From one of the truly gifted singers & fiddle players with a voice as pure and fresh as cool mountain water - Allison Kraus & Union Station give us SILVER BELLS.

And from one of the truly talented band of singers and players - The U.S Army Band performs live at the 2015 American Holiday Festival - BLUEGRASS CHRISTMAS MEDLEY!

When in doubt - All Nomads gotta sing! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

DLStafford

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12 - 19 - 25 IT'S THE LAST FRIDAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS - I HOPE ALL NOMADS WILL ENJOY SOME VERY COOL TUNES FROM SOME GREAT SINGERS - NO. 7 ON THE NOMAD ARCHITECT TOP 25 CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

 

Friday nights have changed over the years. Now, it's just the day before Saturday! Like most people my age, I have memories of doing really dumb things on Friday when I didn't really understand life and all of its dynamics. But one thing that started as a kid was my love for music of all kinds. I still love all music genres & I have seen hundreds of artists over the years.

Today's selection of tunes is fairly diverse. From bluegrass to rock to banjo pickin' for Christmas, I hope all Vagabonds and Nomads will get the feel of today's tunes.

First up - A great singer and an insanely great guitarist - Keith Urban, who has won more awards than I care to count, gives the listener a great tune - I'll Be Your Santa Tonight!

Two great artists from completely different worlds of music combine to deliver a great tune. A member of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame and winner of 27 Grammies - Allison Krauss joins one of the greatest rock singers in history, also a multiple award winner, the one and only Robert Plant, lead singer of Led Zeppelin, gives us a very cool tune from the movie The Coopers - The Light of Christmas Day.

And to watch some amazingly talented pickers from The United States Navy Band perform their song of choice - Dueling Jingle Bells!

Jingle All the Way! Merry Christmas to All Nomads & Vagabonds

     DLStafford

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12-18-25 JUST SIT BACK & THINK ABOUT IT - IT'S THURSDAY - EVERYBODY's AT THE BEACH - IT'S A BALMY 75-80 DEGRESS AT ALLIGATOR POINT FOR SPRING BREAK - NO. 8 ON THE NOMAD ARCHITECT TOP 25 CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

 

If you are my age and went to Leon High in the late sixties, you'll remember we got out of school at noon on a Wednesday for Spring Break. I loaded up my car with 4-5 guys and headed for Alligator Point to commiserate with friends, girls and other ne'er-do-wells without the direct supervision of parents! Some would say we were young and stupid. Looking back, I certainly agree with that admonition. What does that have to do with Christmas, you ask. Nothing! However, at 8 AM this morning it was 32 degrees, and it made me wish I was at the beach relaxing in a comfy beach lounge chair sipping on a nice glass of Pinot Noir. 

So, now that that memory is etched solidly in my brain and my heart, it's time to get back on the celebrate Christmas train. So Merry Christmas to all beach lovers! Who better to celebrate Christmas and our adoration of the beach and all its pleasures than THE BEACH BOYS? I saw the Beach Boys at the world renown Tully Gym at Florida State University way back in the day.

Here we go - Still going strong for 64 years - LITTLE SAINT NICK from the band that started "The California Sound" in 1961.

From 1991 here is another cool video with a great Christmas tune - THE MAN WITH ALL THE TOYS!

And one of the greatest tunes ever recorded that has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas - Enjoy Paul McCartney's favorite song by this 100 million selling group - From1966 live - GOD ONLY KNOWS!

Wherever you may be - town or beach - Merry Christmas!

DLStafford

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12-17-25 ANOTHER DECEMBER HUMP DAY - HOW ABOUT SOME PENTATONIX FOR NO. 9 ON THE NOMAD ARCHITECT TOP 25 CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

The acapella group PENTATONIX changed modern music in a profound way. The influences on their unique sound are diverse stretching back to the original acapella groups from the fifties and sixties. Formed in 2011, the group has won multiple Grammies and other awards over the course of their existence as a premier group of talented singers performing unique vocal arrangements. On occasion, the group will perform with a band, but their acapella performances are always top tier.

First up - A PENTATONIX arrangement of DECK THE HALLS!

As only this group can do it - GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN!

And, with a cool animated video - UP ON THE HOUSETOP!

DLStafford

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12-16-25 IT'S BOY BAND TUESDAY FOR ALL NOMADS THAT NEED A LITTLE LIFT TO CELEBRATE - NO. 10 ON THE NOMAD ARCHITECT TOP 25 CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

BOY BANDS HAVE BEEN AROUND A LONG TIME. Many "experts" in the world of popular music consider the greatest selling band of all time to be the first Boy Band - The BEATLES. The term Boy Band came along when the top selling dancing and singing NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK started performing for all those teen age girls and young women. They have sold over 80 million records since they were founded in 1984.

First up on this next to last Tuesday before Christmas - THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, still sounding good, perform a very cool tune after they got back together for a tour in 2017 - UNWRAP YOU! 

Have another listen from another top selling Boy Band. This band, formed in 1995 has sold over 0 million units - NSYNC performs MERRY CHRISTMAS - HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Here is an energetic tune from the multi-Grammy award winning BACKSTREET BOYS  performing HAPPY DAYS!

So, get your Boys & Girls together and sing loud and proud - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

DLStafford

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12-15-25 LET'S DO SOME BOOGIE WOOGIE - NO. 11 ON THE NOMAD ARCHITECT 2025 TOP 25 CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

 

So, what exactly is Boogie Woogie Music? From the experts at WIKAPEDIA - Boogie Woogie is a genre of blues music that became popular during the late 1920s but already developed in African-American communities since the 1870s.^[1] It was eventually extended from piano-to-piano duo and trio, guitar, big band, country and western, and gospel. While standard blues traditionally expresses a variety of emotions, boogie-woogie is mainly dance music (although not usually played for the competitive dance known as boogie-woogie, a term of convenience in that sport). The genre had a significant influence on rhythm and blues and rock and roll.

Take a listen - THE BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA performing THE BOOGIE WOOGIE SANTA CLAUS first recorded in 1947.

It just wouldn't be CHRISTMAS BOOGIE WOOGIE WITHOUT SOME PIANO - Here's a BOOGIE WOOGIE WHITE CHRISTMAS!

Here are THE TRACTORS performing THE SANTA CLAUS BOOGIE!

DLStafford
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12-14-25 IT’s SUNDAY -TIME FOR SOME SERIOUS SINGIN' - NO. 12 ON THE NOMAD ARCHITECT TOP 25 COUNTDOWN

Today is Sunday - Time to celebrate with powerful music to honor the birth of Jesus Christ which we will soon proclaim December 25. Power singing in church has been in my life since I was a kid. I've always said - the joy of singing great and powerful music has no equal.

Here, singing one of the great classics of gospel music based on the Swedish Hymn "O Store Gud" written in 1885, this amazing song was written in English in 1949. The song is ranked No. 2 as the favorite hymn of all time just behind Amazing Grace at No. 1 based on a poll entitled Songs of Praise in 2019.  Multi award winning Country Artist WARREN ZEIDERS performs HOW GREAT THOU ART at the National Christmas Tree Lighting 2025.

From one of the greatest Gospel Choirs in the world is this powerful song - THE BROOKLYN TABERNACLE CHOIR performs the great gospel hymn NO OTHER NAME at The Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York City. We had the pleasure and the joy of seeing this magnificent choir a few years back!

Here is a classic Christmas melody in a unique performance - THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY by the incomparable group from Australia - for KING AND COUNTRY!

DLStafford
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