ABBA

On 23^rd August 1954, they backed Frank Sinatra on a trio of tracks: “The Christmas Waltz”, “When I Stop Loving You”, and “White Christmas”. In fact, much of their recording output was Christmas fare, such as Billy May’s 1958 offering, A Christmas to Remember. They are also the background singers on Allan Sherman’s hilarious take on “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, on which they were required to sing a dozen tongue-twisting and regrettable gift ideas. It reached #5 on the Christmas chart.

In 1963, they recorded This is Christmas: A Complete Collection of the Alfred S. Burt Christmas Carols. It was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1964. In 1965, they backed Alvin & The Chipmunks on Chipmunks Sing with Children. They did another Christmas album in 1968, The Sinatra Family Wish You a Merry Christmas. A single from the album, “It’s Such a Lonely Time of Year” backed with “Kids” by Nancy Sinatra was released in 1969. The same year found them backing Petula Clark on Just Pet, which reached a modest #176 on the Billboard Top 200.

In the 1970s, they made several appearances on TV. They did three episodes of The Red Skelton Show in 1970, including “You Can Take the Boy out of the Country if You Promise Not to Bring Him Back”. They also appeared on a series of Tim Conway specials, simply titled The Tim Conway Comedy Hour, which aired in the fall of 1970. In the early ‘70s, they appeared on another variety program, The Bobby Darin Amusement Company. They rallied ‘round the flag for the patriotic musical extravaganza, Make Mine Red, White and Blue, hosted by Fred Astaire in 1972.

In the mid-‘70s, they provided the singing voices for Harold Lloyd’s World of Comedy, an unusual re-working of Lloyd’s silent films with new music, narration and sound effects. You can catch their act on a number of CDs, including many of the aforementioned. In 2007, they made the cut on Alvin & the Chipmunks’ Greatest Hits: Still Squeaky After All These Years. Other albums on which they have appeared include Tennessee Ernie Ford’s Abide With Me, Allan Sherman’s Allan in Wonderland, and Kay Starr’s I Hear the Word. Jimmy Joyce has passed on, but many of other members are still active.

Members:

Milt Chapman

David Joyce

Jimmy Joyce

Jon Joyce

Rick Lipp

Darice Richman

Oriell Smith

Kathy Westmoreland

Nancy Sinatra recordings

It’s Such a Lonely Time of Year (Al Gorgoni/Chip Taylor)

Kids (Scott Davis)

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