John Schneider and Tom Wopat are best known for their witty and sometimes crime solving roles on The Dukes of Hazzard TV series. After their popular TV show, both John and Tom remained in each other's lives to the point where they performed in concert over several years. The two have solidified their 35 years of friendship and music with the release of their first full recording together - a holiday album called Home For Christmas.
The CD which is available in stores today features the guys accompanied by a big band and string section on this rollicking compilation that captures the spirit of Christmas and all the emotions that it brings.
With twelve tracks deep, Home For Christmas cleverly blends a few Christmas standards with lesser-known holiday songs. This is the CD that you would want to have on deck when it comes to stringing the lights and decorating the home for this festive time. It's what would keep you with a smile on your face as you go through the holiday preparations; you may even want to pause to dance along to some of the songs.
In a recent interview, Tom described the CD as "a fresh take on the Christmas album.” “Jazz fans and serious musicians will appreciate what we’ve done with theses tunes. Our arranger John Oddo has a true affinity for that classic 50s and 60s sound. He really nails it. Tedd Firth is a major talent and a creative voice. And, of course, I love singing with John Schneider. The timbre of our voices match, the harmonies blend so easily. Plus, he’s a barrel of laughs.”
John added, “Tom and I really bring out the best in each other. We may not sound alike when we talk, but when we sing sometimes you can’t tell us apart. In the studio, I put him first and he puts me first. If that’s not friendship, I don’t know what is.”
The record opens with a warm, crystalline duet of “Christmas Time Is Here,” followed by a smooth mid-tempo version of the beloved staple “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” which is highlighted by a deft call-and-response vocal arrangement. Their sizzling take on “Cool Yule” – written by famed “Tonight Show” host Steve Allen and memorably introduced by Louis Armstrong – has a distinctly retro flavor. This is an instant favorite.
The wistful “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” is an emotional solo turn for Tom, crooning over a plush bed of stirring strings. John takes the spotlight in the charming “Even the Snow (Falls for You)” – one of those rare numbers that says “I love you” in a new and inventive way – by Chris Wallin, the noted Nashville songwriter who has penned #1 hits for Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney and Montgomery Gentry. The song “Johnny, It’s Cold Outside” makes for a fine bromance, a wry and funny twist on Frank Loesser’s classic with the alternate lyrics written by Tom.
“The Secret of Christmas” – a tender ballad gorgeously rendered by John – was written by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen. Tom takes on “Blue Xmas” – a brooding lament by jazz iconoclast Bob Dorough that demonstrates the dark side of that most wonderful time of year, enhanced by a melancholy dissonant horn arrangement.
The infrequently performed “Holiday Season” – a joyous composition with an exciting rhythmic heft by Kay Thompson, the legendary doyenne of MGM’s music department – was recommended by John Oddo, who himself worked with many of the girl singers of the golden age.
Wopat and Schneider later return to their country roots with a traditional take on “On a Quiet Christmas Morn,” featuring a prominent fiddle part and vocal harmonies that are pure Americana. Silver Bells” makes a soft and reverent finale to the album, with the duo’s voices delicately interweaving, laced with a twinge of twang.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
JOHN SCHNEIDER was 18 when he was cast as Bo Duke in the hit CBS television series “The Dukes of Hazzard.” He has gone on to a wide-ranging and accomplished career on stage, in music and on screen. Recent TV appearances include “Glee,” “Hot in Cleveland,” “Smallville” (portraying Clark Kent’s adoptive father for ten seasons), “CSI: Miami,” “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” (with his real-life son Chasen), “Nip/Tuck,” “Desperate Housewives” and hosting “Trick My What?” on Country Music Television. He is currently featured on Tyler Perry’s “The Haves and The Have Nots” on the OWN Network, which will return for a third season in January 2015. Schneider starred on Broadway in Chicago and Grand Hotel, in addition to crossing the country on the national tour of The Civil War. His ten solo albums have topped the Billboard Country charts since the 1970s, including four #1 Country Hits, eleven Top 20 Country Hits and the #1 Country Album “A Memory Like You.” More recent albums are available on his own Faith Works record label. His TV specials include “John Schneider Back Home” and “John Schneider’s White Christmas.” In 1983 John Schneider and Marie Osmond co-founded the Children’s Miracle Network, a charity which raises funds for children’s hospitals throughout North America. Schneider and Osmond continue to tour together. His most recent film project, Smothered – which he wrote and directed – was released in May 2014.
TOM WOPAT’s engaging presence and warm baritone have taken him from his breakout role as Luke Duke in “The Dukes of Hazzard” to the recording studio, the Great White Way, and the silver screen, in addition to concert and nightclub stages around the world. After a series of popular country albums, he released a string of acclaimed pop/jazz albums featuring new arrangements of American Songbook classics, as well as contemporary songs by Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen and James Taylor. The Still of the Night from Angel Records – which was praised for its “tender and elegant vocals, touched with jazz feeling” by The New York Times – was followed by Dissertation on the State of Bliss, Consider it Swung and I’ve Got Your Number (all available from LML Music).
Other notable TV roles include “Cybill” – for which he shared a SAG Award nomination for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series – “Smallville” and “Blue Bloods.” As a Broadway leading man, he received Tony Award nominations for starring in Annie Get Your Gun (opposite Bernadette Peters) and A Catered Affair. Other major Broadway credits include Chicago, 42nd Street, Sondheim on Sondheim, Glengarry Glen Ross, Catch Me If You Can and last season’s Tony Award- winning play The Trip To Bountiful with Cicely Tyson. In Hollywood, he appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained and the upcoming dramatic feature Fair Haven.
The duo will celebrate with an exclusive CD release concert at New York’s Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater on Tuesday, December 2 at 9:30 PM. This concert marks their first time performing together in the city.
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