Top Albums and Songs of December 2012 (FOLKDJ-L)

Holiday and seasonal music dominated the radio waves during December 2012. Joel Mabus’ A Parlor Guitar Christmas was reportedly the most played album on folk radio, while John McCutcheon’s classic “Christmas in the Trenches” was the top song, according to charts compiled by Richard Gillmann from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in all folk-based music on the radio.

The December 2012 FOLKDJ-L charts are based on 14,489 airplays from 151 different DJs. The number of reported spins (airplays) is shown in parentheses.

Top Albums of December 2012

1: “A Parlor Guitar Christmas,” Joel Mabus [Fossil, 9/12] (75)
“Wexford Carol”
“Stille Nacht”
“Up On The Housetop”
“Wassail Song”
2: “Just One Angel,” Christine Lavin And Friends [Yellow Tail, 2010] (51)
“Jewish Kid Born On Christmas Day Talkin’ Blues,” Sally Fingerett
“Christmas Guitar,” Megon McDonough
“Is It Hanukah Or Chanukah?,” Ruby And Ava Locknar
3: “Hudson Harding Sampler, Vol. 7: Happy Holidays,” Various Artists [Hudson Harding, new] (50)
“Lights Of St. John’s,” Craig Werth
“Bethlehem,” Terence Martin
“Beneath Our Christmas Tree,” Tony Desantis
4: “All The Way To Bethlehem,” Donna Ulisse [Hadley, 10/12] (47)
“I See The Light Of The World”
“Elisabeth”
“All The Way To Bethlehem”
“I’m Gonna Shine”
5: “Grandma’s Rules For Drinking,” Annie Lou [annielou.ca, 6/12] (43)
“Winter Song”
“Don’t You Know Boy”
“Grandma’s Rules For Drinking”
5: “Our Lady Of The Tall Trees,” Cahalen Morrison And Eli West [cahalenandeli.com, 9/12] (43)
“Loretta”
“Church Street Blues”
“Our Lady Of The Tall Trees”
7: “Midwinter,” Peter Mayer [Blue Boat, 2005] (41)
“Green”
“Longest Night”
“Where Is The Light”
8: “Greetings From Cheryl Wheeler Live,” Cheryl Wheeler [Dias, 9/12] (40)
“Gandhi/Buddha”
“Rollin’ By”
9: “The Stray Birds,” The Stray Birds [thestraybirds.com, 9/12] (37)
“Dream In Blue”
“25 To Life”
“My Brother’s Hill”
10: “Heart Of The Country,” Chris Brashear [Dog Boy, 9/12] (36)
“Time The Perfect Stranger”
“Hills Of Arkansas”
“Old Pueblo”
10: “Sing The Delta,” Iris DeMent [Flariella, 10/12] (36)
“Night I Learned How Not To Pray”
“Go On Ahead And Go Home”
“Kingdom Has Already Come”
12: “Next Time Around,” Darryl Purpose [Blue Rock, 10/12] (34)
“Dreams Of Life”
“Girl From Golden”
12: “The Things I Notice Now: Anne Hills Sings the Songs of Tom Paxton,” Anne Hills [Appleseed, 11/12] (34)
“Hold On To Me Babe”
“Early Snow”
“When Princes Meet”
14: “Come Darkness, Come Light,” Mary Chapin Carpenter [Zoe, 2008] (31)
“Longest Night Of The Year”
“Christmas Time In The City”
14: “A Fiddler’s Holiday,” Jay Ungar And Molly Mason [Rounder, 11/12] (31)
“Solstice Set”
“Rovin’ On A Winter’s Night”
“Darkest Days, Brightest Nights”
14: “Reunion,” Lucy Kaplansky [Red House, 9/12] (31)
“This Morning I Am Born Again”
“Beauty Way”
“I’ll See You Again”
14: “Hudson Harding Sampler, Vol. 6: Happy Holidays,” Various Artists [Hudson Harding, 12/11] (31)
“Beneath A Christmas Moon,” Terry Holder
“Broken And Beautiful,” Joe Crookston
“Answer The Knock At The Door,” Zoe Mulford
18: “Blue Clouds,” Elizabeth Mitchell [Smithsonian/Folkways, 10/12] (30)
“Circle Of The Sun”
“Hop Up, My Ladies”
19: “Calling Me Home,” Kathy Mattea [Sugar Hill, 9/12] (29)
“Gone, Gonna Rise Again”
“Maple’s Lament”
“West Virginia, My Home”
19: “Little Pilgrim,” Jory Nash [Thin Man, 11/12] (29)
“Best Of Your Heart”
“Song About Love”
21: “Kindred Spirits: A Collection,” Carrie Newcomer [Rounder, 11/12] (28)
“Long Christmas Dinner”
“Gathering Of Spirits”
21: “King Fisher King,” Sons Of The Never Wrong [Waterbug, 11/12] (28)
“Great Unknown”
“I’d Marry You”
21: “Northwest Passage,” Stan Rogers [Fogarty’s Cove, 1981] (28)
“Northwest Passage”
“Night Guard”
24: “Gift Of The Magi,” Darryl Purpose [darrylpurpose.com, 2002] (26)
“Christmas In The Trenches”
“Mary And Joe”
24: “What We Lost,” Ben Bedford [Waterbug, 9/12] (26)
“Guinevere Is Sleeping”
“John The Baptist”
“What We Lost”
26: “Outshine The Sun,” The Foghorn String Band [foghornstringband.com, 9/12] (25)
“Salty River Reel”
“Humpback Mule”
26: “Resurrection Day,” Kim And Reggie Harris [Appleseed, 11/12] (25)
“Tree Of Life”
“Hallelujah I’m A Bum”
“Look ’em In The Eye”
28: “Fa La La,” Nancy Beaudette [Moonlit Pond, 11/12] (24)
“Fa La La”
“Silence Tonight”
“My Silvertone Guitar”
28: “Prelude,” Ronstadt Generations [ronstadtgenerations.com, 10/12] (24)
“Find The Cost Of Freedom”
“Thunder And Sadness”
28: “Tender Is The Night,” Old Man Luedecke [True North, 11/12] (24)
“Kingdom Come”
“Jonah And The Whale”
28: “Time,” Kathy Kallick Band [Live Oak, 8/12] (24)
“Time”
“Fare Thee Well”
32: “Among Friends,” Debra Cowan [Muzzzy House, 8/12] (23)
“Star In The East”
“Cold Day In November”
32: “Voices Of Winter,” Herdman, Hills And Mangsen [Gadfly, 1997] (23)
“Hanerot Halalu”
“Voices Of Winter / Red And Green”
“Wintergrace”
32: “Winter’s Grace,” Laurie Lewis And Tom Rozum [Signature, 1999] (23)
“If We Make It Through December”
“Hot Buttered Rum”
35: “A Catie Curtis Christmas,” Catie Curtis [catiecurtis.com, 11/12] (22)
“Song For A Winter’s Night”
“Some Children See Him”
35: “Holidays Rule,” Various Artists [Hear, 10/12] (22)
“Auld Lang Syne,” Andrew Bird
“I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day,” Civil Wars
35: “Red Apples And Gold,” Gathering Time [gatheringtimetrio.com, 5/12] (22)
“Path That’s Right For You”
“Family Tree”
“Sincerely Yours”
35: “A Word Child,” Susan Kane [susankane.com, 11/12] (22)
“New York Winter”
“Loser”
39: “American Hornpipe,” Dana And Susan Robinson [Threshold, 6/12] (21)
“Sailing Around Cape Solstice”
“When This Old Hat Was New”
39: “Christmas,” Bruce Cockburn [Columbia, 1998] (21)
“Mary Had A Baby”
“I Saw 3 Ships”
39: “The First Christmas Gift,” Robin And Linda Williams [Red House, 2005] (21)
“Shotgun Shells On A Christmas Tree”
“Together All Alone”
39: “The Same Way Down,” Annalivia [annaliviamusic.bandcamp.com, 9/12] (21)
“False Sir John”
“New Mown Meadow”
“Restless For A While”
39: “Trouble In The Fields,” Various Artists [Paradiddle, 10/12] (21)
“Gulf Coast Highway,” Tracy Grammer And Jim Henry
“I Wish It Would Rain,” Eric Brace And Last Train Home
44: “Beneath Some Lucky Star,” Bill Staines [Red House, 10/12] (20)
“If I Come To Need An Angel”
“Along The Road”
44: “Out Under The Sky,” The Early Mays [theearlymays.com, new] (20)
“Stopping By Woods”
“Merry, Merry Christmas”
44: “Sugar Plums,” Various Artists [Sugar Hill, 1993] (20)
“Making Plans,” Tim And Mollie O’Brien
44: “Where The Sun Don’t Shine,” The JD Hobson Band [jdhobson.com, 12/11] (20)
“Last Kind Words”
“Carter Cain”
48: “Country Christmas Singalong Spectacular,” The Sweetback Sisters [Signature, 11/12] (19)
“Christmas Boogie”
“12 Days Of Christmas”
48: “Rough Edges & Ragged Hearts,” Linda McRae [42rpm, 5/12] (19)
“Rough Edges And Ragged Hearts”
48: “Scrimshaw,” Nels Andrews [nelsandrews.com, 4/12] (19)
“3 Hermits”
“Tridents”
48: “Silver Lining,” The Honey Dewdrops [thehoneydewdrops.com, 6/12] (19)
“One Kind Word”
“Hills Of My Home”
48: “This Time & Place,” Various Artists [Wherefore Arts, new] (19)
“Christmas Time,” Reed Waddle
“Gathering,” George Wurzbach
48: “Walls That Talk,” Roy Schneider [Shiny Gnu, 9/12] (19)
“Signs”
“Dancin’ On The Mountain”
48: “Weiss Christmas,” Ilene Weiss [Gadfly, 1997] (19)
“Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”
“It’s That Time Again”
55: “The Music & Song Of The Great Tapestry Of Scotland,” Various Artists [Greentrax, new] (18)
“Duthaich Mhrcaoidh,” Kathleen MacInnes
55: “Pete Remembers Woody,” Pete Seeger And Friends [Appleseed, 9/12] (18)
“I Ain’t Got No Home,” Fred Gillen, Jr. And Steve Kirkman
55: “American Noel,” Dave Carter And Tracy Grammer [Signature, 2007] (18)
“American Noel”
“Footsteps Of The Faithful”
“Go Tell The Fox”
55: “Brambles And Thorns,” John Wort Hannam [Borealis, 10/12] (18)
“Memphis”
“Great Lakes”
55: “From Fresh Water,” Stan Rogers [Fogarty’s Cove, 1984] (18)
“White Squall”
“Nancy”
55: “New Siberia,” Antje Duvekot [antjeduvekot.com, 4/12] (18)
“Into The City”
“Ballad Of Fred Noonan”
55: “Wonderland: A Winter Solstice Celebration,” Various Artists [Signature, 2001] (18)
“Tree,” Jim Henry
“American Noel,” Dave Carter And Tracy Grammer
62: “We’re Usually A Lot Better Than This,” Tim O’Brien & Darrell Scott [Full Light, 10/12] (17)
“Long Time Gone”
62: “Wilder Girl,” Sally Barris [Self, 8/12] (17)
“Wilder Girl”
“Angel Of The North”
“Let The Wind Chase You”
64: “Buddy And Jim,” Buddy Miller And Jim Lauderdale [New West, new] (16)
“I Lost My Job Of Loving You”
“That’s Not Even Why I Love You”
64: “Small Braveries,” Carey Creed [Azalea City, 9/12] (16)
“Great Unknown”
64: “Then There’s Me,” Michael Reno Harrell [Dancing Bear, 8/12] (16)
“I Don’t Listen To The Radio”
“Mama’s Still In Jail”
64: “We Have Made A Spark,” Rose Cousins [Old Farm Pony, 2/12] (16)
“All The Stars”
“Darkness”
68: “At The Turning Of The Year,” Herdman, Hills And Mangsen [Hand And Heart, 2000] (15)
“At The Turning Of The Year”
“Solstice Round”
68: “Celtic Christmas,” Various Artists [Windham Hill, 2007] (15)
“Angels We Have Heard On High,” Brian Taheny And Loretto Reid And Family
68: “Home Sweet Home: Songs of Love, Loss, and Belonging,” Amy White with Al Petteway [Fairewood, 10/12] (15)
“Salt Of The Earth”
68: “How Like The Holly,” Joel Mabus [Fossil, 1999] (15)
“Let’s Do Christmas Right”
“How Like The Holly”
68: “Jewels And Harmony,” Mara Levine with Gathering Time [myspace.com/maralevine, 10/11] (15)
“Burning Tree”
68: “Last Month Of The Year,” Magpie [Sliced Bread, 2002] (15)
“Solstice Carol”
“Chanukah Chase”
68: “Merry Fishes To All,” Trout Fishing In America [troutmusic.com, 2004] (15)
“Santa Brought Me Clothes”
68: “A More Perfect Union,” Pete Seeger And Lorre Wyatt [Appleseed, 9/12] (15)
“God’s Counting On Me. . . God’s Counting On You”
“This Old Man Revisited”
68: “A Secret Gift,” Red Rock Rondo [Steamboat Mountain, 8/12] (15)
“Silent Snow”
68: “Tinsel Tunes,” Various Artists [Sugar Hill, 1997] (15)
“Blue Christmas Lights,” Chris Hillman And Herb Pedersen
“Last Month Of The Year,” Nashville Bluegrass Band With The Fairfield 4
68: “Hudson Harding Sampler, Vol. 4: Happy Holidays,” Various Artists [Hudson Harding, 2009] (15)
“Cold Cold December,” Pat Wictor And Beaucoup Blue
68: “Hudson Harding Sampler, Vol. 3: Happy Holidays,” Various Artists [Hudson Harding, 2008] (15)
“Simple Christmas,” Pat Wictor

Top Songs of December 2012

John McCutcheon

1. “Christmas In The Trenches” (25)
by John McCutcheon
from “Live At Wolf Trap”
also “Winter Solstice”
2. “American Noel” (13)
by Dave Carter And Tracy Grammer
from “American Noel”
also “Wonderland: A Winter Solstice Celebration”
2. “Dreams Of Life” (13)
by Darryl Purpose
from “Next Time Around”
2. “First Christmas” (13)
by Stan Rogers
from “Between The Breaks…Live!”
2. “Wexford Carol” (13)
by Joel Mabus
from “A Parlor Guitar Christmas”
6. “River” (12)
by Joni Mitchell
from “Blue”
7. “Dream In Blue” (11)
by The Stray Birds
from “The Stray Birds”
7. “I See The Light Of The World” (11)
by Donna Ulisse
from “All The Way To Bethlehem”
7. “Northwest Passage” (11)
by Stan Rogers
from “Northwest Passage”
7. “Solstice Set” (11)
by Jay Ungar And Molly Mason
from “A Fiddler’s Holiday”
7. “Winter Song” (11)
by Annie Lou
from “Grandma’s Rules For Drinking”
12. “Christmas In China” (10)
by Gina Forsyth
from “Promised Land”
12. “If We Make It Through December” (10)
by Laurie Lewis And Tom Rozum
from “Winter’s Grace”
12. “Light The Lamp” (10)
by Emily Kurn
from “I’m Just Like You”
also “Hudson Harding Sampler, Vol. 2: Happy Holidays”
12. “Merry Christmas From The Family” (10)
by Robert Earl Keen
from “Gringo Honeymoon”
12. “New York Winter” (10)
by Susan Kane
from “A Word Child”
12. “Song For A Winter’s Night” (10)
by Catie Curtis
from “A Catie Curtis Christmas”
12. “Up On The Housetop” (10)
by Joel Mabus
from “A Parlor Guitar Christmas”
19. “Bethlehem” (9)
by Terence Martin
from “Hudson Harding Sampler, Vol. 7: Happy Holidays”
also “Sleeper”
19. “Christians And The Pagans” (9)
by Dar Williams
from “Mortal City”
19. “Christmas In Paradise” (9)
by Mary Gauthier
from “Filth And Fire”
19. “Green” (9)
by Peter Mayer
from “Midwinter”
19. “Lights Of St. John’s” (9)
by Craig Werth
from “Hudson Harding Sampler, Vol. 7: Happy Holidays”
19. “Loretta” (9)
by Cahalen Morrison And Eli West
from “Our Lady Of The Tall Trees”
19. “Star In The East” (9)
by Debra Cowan
from “Among Friends”
19. “Stille Nacht” (9)
by Joel Mabus
from “A Parlor Guitar Christmas”