Day 8 of the 11 Blogs of Christmas brings us to Carol McComb's The Christmas Star. We first heard Carol's brother Dean perform this song at an open mike in San Jose where the rules state "two songs or 10 minutes, whichever comes first." That night Dean sang only this song, because its 8 minutes long.
Carol is one of those born teachers. Her musical career began when she was still 17, with her duo partner Kathy Larisch. Their album Kathy and Carol debuted on Electra Records in 1965 - the year they played the Newport Folk Festival. For the past 30+ years, Carol has taught guitar at Gryphon Strings in Palo Alto, California - home of the Gryphon Carolers. Each year, Carol and jazz guitarist/vocalist Ed Johnson together with a core group of musicians and around 30 volunteer voices create a magical Christmas concert. As a result, Carol writes a lot of Christmas music.
The Christmas Star is the story of a young, homeless girl who discovers a very special star that warms the snowy streets, growing larger and more brilliant as she sings her song...
Star of wonder, star so bright
I dreamed your heavenly, holy light
Came back to earth on this Christmas night
Came to shine on me
Star of baby Jesus' birth
Born to light the universe
Born to ring peace and love to earth
Oh won't you shine on me
Our version is arranged as a duet, with Greg singing the verses and me singing the chorus - joined by a choir of several of our friends on the last verse.
The only thing is, the song changes key in the chorus. When Carol sings it by herself its no problem. But doing it as a duet meant having to negotiate a key that would work for both Greg and I. Its near the bottom on his range, and pretty much at the top of mine.
So here's one of those behind the scenes stories for you. I thought we were finished recording for the night, and went to taco bell for a taco supreme - yes, with cheese and sour cream. When I got back, Greg told me we had to record all the choruses again. Yeah. The choruses that stretch the limits of my upper range. So, with my stomach growling, I gritted my teeth and sang them again. Once we were finished, I practically dove for the taco and devoured it.
Then through the crunching I heard Greg say oh %?$# (insert inappropriate word to say during Christmas music recording). He lost the file. So with my throat coated with sour cream, I sang those choruses yet again. And they sound pretty good, I think. So maybe I'm on to something with the sour cream.
Download free MP3 of The Christmas Star
available through 9 pm Tuesday Dec. 23 to accommodate email subscribers.
