Every year it seems to come around earlier and earlier. Not Christmas, although it seems Advent now starts early in November. No, I mean recording the new Everyone Deserves A Christmas Charity Record.
Now for anyone who doesn’t know ‘Everyone Deserves a Christmas’ it has been running in the region for a long time. It started, small scale, a number of years with local MP Carolyn Harris packing Christmas hampers on her kitchen table to be given to families struggling to have a traditional family Christmas!!! By the time I had been roped in, with hundreds of others, it had already become a massive logistical operation with sponsors providing funds, food and vans.
One year, as we were packing, Carolyn asked what I was going to do for the charity the following year. It soon became obvious that she wanted more. What about a record? Now to be honest with the best will in the world, and even being the dreamer I am, my next record probably isn’t going to trouble Radio 1 or the Billboard charts, but I suppose we can make some noise to bring the charity to people’s attention locally and then point them to the JustGiving Page.
It got to November when I got a reminder call from Carolyn. I jumped into the studio, recorded a few carols on my own and then filmed myself singing one of them in front of a green screen. Oh how I look back with fondness on those simple days…
What I soon realised was that if this was going to be different every year I would need to get other people involved. Of course the easiest thing to do is turn to a close friend who you have lots of dirt on who can’t say no. Someone like…Steve Balsamo!!
Early summer in 2021 I put together a rough demo of ‘Little Town of Bethlehem’. I sent it to Steve and shared the story of the charity. Steve said yes straight away and popped over to record his vocals. Covid was very much in the air at that time but working remotely we added a brass band.
You can dislike social media as much as you want but it does give an opportunity to share pictures and films fairly easily. All you need to do is put a film together. Now talking about roping friends in to help, luckily for me, Ed Thomas the film set designer who has worked on TV shows like Dr Who and Sherlock as well as films with Spielberg happened to be home early for Christmas. Ed went into top gear and working with Murton Farm managed to create a Christmas grotto, together with snow, ready for our cast of thousands to be filmed.
On the night we had famous faces from the world of sport and entertainment together with some friends from the Salvation Army. All we needed was Steve Balsamo. He sang the second verse on his own, he was essential…he couldn’t make it…he had Covid!!! Everyone else was there so we filmed everything leaving some room for Steve that hopefully we would fill somehow.
The days passed and the deadline loomed. Eventually Steve recovered just enough to film himself at home against a blank wall. Fair play, even thought he was burning up he performed perfectly wearing a big leather jacket. What I later found out was he was so hot he was actually only wearing his underpants.
In the background to all this we were asking some stars to film themselves just saying ‘Everyone Deserves a Christmas’. Amongst others we got Bonnie Tyler, Max Boyce even Catherine Zeta Jones. Carolyn sent a message to Michael Sheen who at the time was filming Good Omens with David Tennant. Somehow things got lost in translation and by the time we got his video we found he had filmed himself actually performing the first verse of the carol in costume. What a great start to our video.
The relief of pulling off such a big production was soon tempered in January by the thought how could we ever top that? Over the next few years we have brought in Bronwen Lewis together with 200 ladies from Valley Rock Voices, the following year Parc Le Breos decorated the hotel and ground 3 weeks earlier than normal so that we could film there with their staff and Father and Mrs Christmas.
We always ask people, that if they like the video or have been moved by the message (and effort in putting the video together) would they consider contributing on the JustGiving Page. Last year I managed to persuade Carolyn to join me singing a duet. One appearance by Carolyn on television led to a donation of £25,000.
So to this year. It was back in March I happened to stumble across a synth sound I hadn’t played before and it sounded like Christmas. By that afternoon I had a song. But that’s just the start. Over the coming weeks, bit by bit, The Jacks started adding their parts drums and bass, brass, strings.
Then comes the question, who can I rope in this year.
I have always been a massive fan of the Swansea Silver Rhythmaires Marching Band. For me they sum up all that is good in Swansea. History, community and dedication to being the best they can be. When it comes to Orchestras I have some very good friends who work with Cerdd NPT, the Music education service of Neath Port Talbot. Every year the teachers come together to perform a tour of schools as a peripatetic orchestra. I explained the project in a quick email and the response was…when do you want to record.
Mumbles A Cappella
I had heard Mumbles A Cappella performing Christmas carols on their Facebook Page, and they sounded terrific. I messaged their MD Phil Orrin and again in days they were onboard. Kids on a Christmas record is an essential.
Lots of Children mostly my grandkids Grange Primary
Luckily I’ve got so many grandchildren attending Grange Primary School it was hard for them to say no.
DVLA Ladies Choir
Finally I sent a message to the DVLA Ladies choir. The choir are really good and so much fun to work with. They said yes and also agreed to perform the song and some other carols at the launch of this year’s Charity appeal at Swansea Market last Friday.
Mal & Bright Light Bright Light
I always try to find some other singers to join me on the record. I’ve been a big fan of Rod Thomas from Neath for many years. He has also recorded with Elton John and is now based in New York going under the name ‘Bright Light Bright Light’. I sent Rod an email and asked to meet him at his homecoming concert at the Gwyn Hall last April. We had a coffee and a chat and a week or so later he sent me his vocal which he had recorded in a studio in New York.
Mal & Shellyann
My next email was to Shellyann, a fabulous vocalist who has won BBC’s All Together Now programme. She was travelling around the world at the time, but it was a yes as soon as she got home.
In many ways the record is the easy part. Putting the video together is a whole other story but hopefully it will all be worth it. Merry Christmas
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/2025-everyone-deserves