The Midnight Special, December 13, 2025

By Marilyn Rea Beyer |

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Playlist

  1. Lead Belly: The Midnight Special THEME (excerpt 1); Lead Belly; Midnight Special; RCA Victor LPV-505
  2. Helene Cronin: I Could Use a Silent Night; Helene Cronin; Beautiful December; helenecronin.com 2023
  3. Chaise Lounge: “Trimming the Tree”; Chaise Lounge; Out Under the Sky; Out Under the Sky | Modern Songbook MSR-015
  4. Mark Dvorak: Story of the Christmas Banjo (Old Joe Clark); Mark Dvorak; Old Songs & New People; Depot DEP016CD
  5. Susan Piper: “Aunt Miriam’s Suitcases”; Susan Piper; New On the Planet; New On the Planet | Sliced Bread CD SB71150
  6. Blind of Boys of Alabama: “Last Month of the Year” (Vera Hall); Blind Boys of Alabama; Go Tell it on the Mountain; Go Tell it on the Mountain | Real World Records 72435 90600 2 6
  7. Christine Lavin: “Snow, Snow, Snow/Onward Through the Snow Medley” (Kisslinger/Hayden); Christine Lavin & The Mistletones; Runaway Christmas Tree; Runaway Christmas Tree Appleseed Recordings/APRCD 1075
  8. James Lee Stanley: “Deck the Halls with Sugar Plum Faeries”; James Lee Stanley; A Beachwood Christmas; Beachwood 7 33086 24692 4
  9. Geoff Muldaur w/Clare Muldaur: At The Christmas Ball (Longshaw); Geoff Muldaur; Password; Hightone Records HCD 8125
  10. Finest Kind: The Holly and the Ivy (trad.); Ian Robb, Ann Downey, and Shelley Posen; Feasts & Spirits; Fallen Angle Music FAM 07
  11. Antsy McClain: The Elves’ Strike; Antsy McClain; Christmas in the Trailer Park; DPR Records none
  12. Joel Mabus: “Let’s Do Christmas Right”; Joel Mabus; How Like the Holly; Fossil 1209
  13. Sons of the Never Wrong: “Go Tell it on the Mountain” (John Wesley Work Jr.); Sons of the Never Wrong feat. Emily Hurd; We Three Sons; Faintly Spoken Music
  14. Laurie Lewis: “Christmas Time’s a Comin'”; Laurie Lewis; Winter’s Grace; Signature Sounds Recordings SIG 1251
  15. Sultans of String w/Sweet Honey in the Rock: “Celebrate the Holydays”; Sultans of String w/Sweet Honey in the Rock; Christmas Caravan; McKhool MCK2075
  16. New Grange: Shalom Aleichem/Breakin’ Up Christmas (trad.); New Grange; Christmas Heritage; KOCH KOC CD 8030
  17. Jody Marshall: Frosty’s Favorite/Housetop Hornpipe/Blazing Yule (var., arr. Marshall); Jody Marshall, hammered dulcimer; Carol of the Bells; self JJM 02
  18. Rabbi Joe Black w/Maxwell St. Klezmer Band: “Yodel Dreidel” (Joe Black); Rabbi Joe Black w/Maxwell St. Klezmer Band; Eight Nights of Joy; Eight Nights of Joy | URJ Books and Music 951304
  19. Rabbi Joe Black w/Maxwell St. Klezmer Band: “Ocho Kandelikas” (Flory Jagoda); Rabbi Joe Black w/Maxwell St. Klezmer Band; Eight Nights of Joy; Eight Nights of Joy | URJ Books and Music 951304
  20. Rabbi Joe Black w/Maxwell Street Klezmer Band: Candle Blessings (trad.); Rabbi Joe Black w/Maxwell Street Klezmer Band; Eight Nights of Joy; URJ Books and Music 951304
  21. Peter, Paul and Mary: “Light One Candle”; Peter, Paul and Mary; No Easy Walk to Freedom; No Easy Walk to Freedom | Gold Castle 171 001-2 GC
  22. Ruthie Foster: “Light Up the World”; Ruthie Foster; Crossover; Crossover/M.O.D. RF9912
  23. The Maple Street Project: “A Light on the Hill” (Mel Green); The Maple Street Project; Chanukah on Maple Street; Tuesday Records MSP002
  24. Ian Robb, Ann Downey, Shelley Posen: “On Chanukah” (Nutall/Posen); Ian Robb, Ann Downey, Shelley Posen; Digital download; Digital download | welldonemusic.shelleypose.com welldonemusic.shelleypose.com
  25. Tom Lehrer: “(I’m Spending) Hanukkah in Santa Monica”; Tom Lehrer; The Remains of Tom Lehrer; The Remains of Tom Lehrer | Rhino R2 79831 3
  26. Woody Guthrie: Hanukkah Dance; Woody Guthrie; Hard Travelin’ The Asch Recordings Vol. 3; Smithsonian Folkways SF CD 40102
  27. Ella Jenkins: “I Got a Harmonica for Hanukkah”; Ella Jenkins; single; Elbert EP-321-B
  28. Layla Frankel: Hanukkah Honey; Layla Frankel; digital single; laylafrankel.com [2023]
  29. Peter Mayer: “Where is the Light?”; Peter Mayer; Midwinter; Midwinter | Blue Boat BB1207
  30. Barnstar!: Anybody Got a Light? (Armerding); Barnstar!; Furious Kindness; barnstar.bandcamp.com none
  31. Ollabelle: Soul of a Man (Johnson); Ollabelle; Ollabelle; Columbia CK 90572
  32. Fannie Lou Hamer: Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning (Davis); Fannie Lou Hamer; Songs My Mother Taught Me; Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40216
  33. Rose Cousins: Borrowed Light; Rose Cousins; Conditions of Love – Vol. 1; Nettwerk OFPR01
  34. Sultans of String: The Power of the Land; Sultans of String feat. Dr. Duke Redbird & Twin Flames; Refuge; Canada Council for the Arts MCK2230
  35. Kim Moberg: The Eighth Fire: Wings of the Winds; Kim Moberg; The Seven Fires Prophecy: Suite for Humanity; KimMobergMusic.com 1 95269 22787 6
  36. Mames Babegenush: Elvermose Cocek; Mames Babegenush; COVID Can’t Keep Klezmer Down (advance); mames.dk single 7822
  37. Charles Strouse: “Bye Bye Birdie”; Dick Van Dyke, br; Orch/Elliot Lawrence; Broadway Greatest Hits; Sony MLK-62365
  38. Dick Van Dyke & Co.: Chim Chim Cher-ee (Sherman/Sherman); Dick Van Dyke & Co.; Mary Poppins (Original Walt Disney Soundtrack); Walt Disney Records 60615-7
  39. Dick Van Dyke & the Vantasticks: St. James Infirmary (trad.); Dick Van Dyke & the Vantasticks; Step Back in Time; Apple Music UPC0888295626644
  40. The Thumbless Walnuts: Dick Van Dyke Show Theme (Amsterdam/Hagen); The Thumbless Walnuts; The Thumbless Walnuts; Apple Music 10.6.2022
  41. The Chenille Sisters: “Namedroppings”; The Chenille Sisters; True to Life; True To Life Red House/RHR CD 67
  42. Holy Modal Rounders: “TV Song”; The Holy Modal Rounders; Last Round; Last Round | Adelphi (CD reissue) GCD 1030
  43. John Prine: Spanish Pipedream; John Prine; John Prine; Atlantic 19156-2
  44. Steve Goodman: “Vegematic”; Steve Goodman; Affordable Art; Affordable Art | Omnivore Recordings OVCD-337
  45. Still on the Hill: Turn Off the TV; Still on the Hill; MouthPeace; Termite Tracs 84501 08410
  46. David Stoddard: Reality TV; David Stoddard; Get Off My Lawn; David Stoddard 2008
  47. Terence Martin: The Last Black and White TV; Terence Martin; The Last Black and White TV; Good Dog GoodDog007
  48. James Lee Baker: 100 Summers; James Lee Baker; 100 Summers; jamesleebaker.com 559435365760
  49. James H. Jewell: Another Day; James H. Jewell; Songs from the Fridge; jamesjewell.com 1 95269 26367 6
  50. Helene Cronin: Not the Year; Helene Cronin; Maybe New Mexico; helenecronin.com 3.7.2025
  51. John McCutcheon: “One Hundred Years”; John McCutcheon; Cabin Fever; Cabin Fever | folkmusic.com Appalsongs B08C24B3Q6
  52. Mark Stepakoff: Watching Rudolph; Mark Stepakoff; Yule Like This; markstepakoff 11242023
  53. Nowell Sing We Clear: Sherburne/Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer (Reid/May); Nowell Sing We Clear; Best of Nowell Sing We Clear; Front Hall FHR 301 CD
  54. Laura Love: I Still Believe (Unplugged); Laura Love; She Loved Red; Laura Love 88295 68276
  55. Andrew Beyer: “The Midnight Special – cigar box slide”; Andrew Beyer; Midnight Special Collection; Midnight Special Collection AABeyer/MS 004