2. Winter Wonderland
3. Christmas Is Tonight
4. Winter Song
5. Jingle Bell Rock
6. Sleigh Ride
7. Dancin' In The Snow
8. Not Just Another Christmas
9. Under The Christmas Tree
10. Christmastime Is Here
11. When Snowflakes Fall
AMAZON
CD BABY
Back in the early days of Rock And Roll, the world was a much bigger place. And that meant that there were groups that were much bigger regionally than they were nationally, scoring number one hits in some towns while barely scraping the bottom of the Hot 100 overall.
Billy & The Essentials were HUGE in Philadelphia and the surrounding region. The Doo Wop/Philly Dance songs they cut--"Maybe You'll Be There", "Over The Weekend", "The Dance Is Over"--were considered classics there and still are today. Nationally, not so much.
Billy Carlucci was spotted singing in front of a Philly high school by Peter Torres who recalled thinking Billy sounded just like Frankie Lymon. Torres immediately asked Billy to sing with his group which soon became Billy & The Essentials. Johnny Madara, producer for Danny & The Juniors, helped the group put out their first single on Philly's Landra label in 1962. Later, they would record for Jamie, Mercury, and Cameo/Parkway. The group even cut a Christmas song along the way, "Christmastime Is Here" (not the Vince Guaraldi song). Billy had a solo career for awhile, was a member of the Juniors for awhile, and, ultimately, stayed in Philly where he would perform on occasion to enthusiastic local audiences and where he would co-host a radio program with Patti Lattanzi on WVLT. With the Northern Soul revival in the 90s, The Essentials reformed for a few Philladelphia events in 2000 and they were performing, off and on, until Peter Torres passed away early in 2004. Billy has continued performing, mostly under his own name.
Last year, Billy re-recorded "Christmastime Is Here" and a digital single was briefly available. This year, he follows with a full "Christmas Album". Billy's voice may not be entirely what it was 50 years ago, but he still sounds pretty darn good and, given a choice between the Broadway cast of Jersey Boys and the one and only real life Billy Carlucci, I think I'd rather stick with the real deal. Highlights, for me, include "Jingle Stomp" and, of course, "Christmastime Is Here".