Hanukkah and Charlie Pride RIP #MusicMovesMe

Hello, fellow music lovers, and welcome to another episode of Music Moves Me!

Who are the #MusicMovesMe bloggers? We are bloggers who blog about music each Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (We hope you will.) First, there is XmasDolly,   Her co-conductors are:  Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy Uncorked   and, finally, me.  

We'd love you to join us every Monday and share your music with us.  But please note this is is a music blog only - please post at least one You Tube or Vimeo video so we can sing and dance with you. 

Each month we have a guest conductor except for December, when it is all holiday music, all the time.  You'll note I said holiday music, not Christmas music, because the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah started the evening of December 10.

I was intending to feature some Hanukkah inspired music today, and I will.  But on Saturday, the death of country music superstar Charlie Pride was announced.  Pride died at age 86 of complications from COVID-19.

When will this horrible year end?

One of my spouse's cousins posted pictures she took last September (2019) when she saw Pride in concert.  She remarked "At 85 he looked and sounded great. Not only a wonderful singer but very funny and a crowd-pleaser."

Pride, just last month, received a lifetime achievement award from the CMA.  But he was more than a country music star - he was a pioneer, starting out his life as the child of sharecroppers in Mississippi.  He played in the Negro Leagues, and later played in the baseball minor leagues, at a time when Blacks had just recently achieved the right to play in major league baseball.

But music was his true love.  What I would like to offer, before I swing into Hanukkah inspired songs, are a couple of Pride's Christmas songs.

From 1970 - Christmas In My Hometown

Silent Night is my other Pride selection today.

And now, some Hanukkah inspired music.

First, three parody songs. The group Six13 wishes us a Happy arianukah (an Ariana Grande chanukah) and sneaks in some education, too, in this 2020 offering.  This group, incidentally, has a local connection with where I live, having started out in 2003 at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York.  It is named after the 613 mitzvot (commandments) contained in the Torah.

 I have to admit that their Bohemian Chanukah from last year is perhaps my favorites of theirs.

 I can't leave out the Maccabeats as their 2020 offering is a cover of a BTS song.  Herewith is "Candlelight 2020".

 By now, you may be asking "are there any traditional Hanukkah songs out there?  There sure are, and I hope you will enjoy this performance, 2020 style (noting some of these songs are not being performed using the original music) at the Park Avenue Synagogue.  It isn't totally traditional, but it sure helps brighten up this holiday season.  I will note that the first song in this medley, Ma'oz Tzur, or Rock of Ages (not to be confused with the Christian hymn), dates from the 13th century. 

And I will wrap this up with They Might Be Giants, and Feast of Lights.

If you want to investigate Hanukkah music more, you may enjoy this guide.

That's a holiday wrap!

You know the drill by now - see you again next Monday, same time, same place.