BILL LESLIE: Christmas in Carolina

Bill Leslie

Christmas in Carolina

© 2005 Greycliff Music (634479164071)

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Beautiful, lush and soothing Carolina Celtic Christmas album from artist whose previous release was number one on the world music charts.

notes

Voted Best Holiday Album worldwide in 2005 by broadcast music hosts. “Christmas in Carolina” is a gorgeous blend of 6 traditional songs and eight original tunes including three vocals. The music will transport you to a snow-covered field of Frazier Firs and Flexible Flyers in the foothills of Carolina. This is Bill Leslie’s follow-up album to his number one world music hit “Peaceful Journey” which was named one of the Top 10 New Age albums of 2004 by music critic R.J. Lannan. Your heart will be warmed by the marvelous ensemble recording featuring Bill on guitar, Celtic whistles and vocals along with violin, viola, cello, piano and hammered dulcimer. What is Christmas in Carolina? Bill describes it this way: “A crackling fire and a fragrant kitchen. The lingering laughter of family and friends. Snow in the distance up on Table Rock. “Christmas in Carolina” is that and much more to me”

Here is how Bill describes his musical journey: “My songwriting began in the stairwell of my Morganton home in the 7th grade with a cheap Sears guitar laden with brutal steel strings which made my fingertips ache. I can still hear the semi-sweet sounds of reverberation as I plunked the same three chords over and over until a melody emerged. My interest in music actually began a few years earlier with a tap on the shoulder at church. "Young man, you have such a nice voice. Why don't you sing in the choir?" No one could shut me up after that. I was on my way in music.

Choir. Singing in school plays. School band. Cornet. Baritone. Tuba. Guitar was the hardest. I felt so clumsy trying to change chords but eventually I got the hang of it. A used Gibson guitar became my best friend in high school. I?d break up with a girlfriend and write a song. Great therapy. There always seemed to be a new melody or lyrical idea in my head.

I joined a garage band called the Beggars and sang lead. We recorded a couple of my tunes at a studio in Charlotte. That was so exciting! Later in high school I joined the Cyntriks featuring a group of incredibly talented young musicians. Bill Covington who plays piano on "Peaceful Journey" was the keyboardist for the Cyntriks. It has been great to reconnect with Bill. While with the Cyntriks I penned a song about a girlfriend "Missy" which became a regional hit. "Rhythm of the Rain" composer John Gummoe of the Cascades became my pen pal and mentor. We are still great friends today.

In college I bought a Martin 12 string and teamed up with Tom Barrows for a coffeehouse folk duo called Augustus and Irvin. We were probably noted more for our humor than our music. Just after college John Tesh and I roomed together in Raleigh and worked at the same radio station. John encouraged me to take my tunes to Nashville. I had several songs published with April-Blackwood Music including "Laughing Girl Lately Sad." After marriage I dabbled in country music but struggled with the hook line lyrics. I wrote a lot of religious songs for my church, Cary Presbyterian and enjoyed singing there in the choir.

A trip to Scotland and a concert by the contemporary Celtic group Nightnoise paved the way for my music genre today. I heard someone play the Celtic whistle on the side of the road near Inverness and fell in love with the haunting sound. No one in Raleigh could teach me how to play the whistle so I taught myself using books, cassettes and videotaped instructions. I bought a multi-track recorder and began laying guitar tracks. I blended guitar with whistle and piano tracks. Soon I built a full-fledged studio at my home. I co-founded a Celtic fusion band Bragh Adair featuring guitar, whistle, violin, piano, bass and percussion. We played for nearly four years and produced two wonderful albums "Grace in Stone" and "The Hunt" which can be purchased on this website. We had some outstanding concerts at Meymandi Hall, Grandfather Mountain, Johnston County, Cary Academy and Red Springs. It was very sad when the group featuring Mary Page Johnson and Kerry Johnson folded in 2002. They are terrific musicians. I currently work with a Celtic group called Lorica featuring Sherry Buchheit on violin, Linda Metz on flute and whistle and Marty Suttle on piano, guitar and vocals.

Today I continue to write music and am working toward a new album next year with a river theme. As many of you know I am the morning and noon co-anchor of WRAL News in Raleigh and I also continue some environmental reporting. I deeply appreciate Capitol Broadcasting Company's support of my music. I also enjoy the strong support of my family. My wife Cindy is a tremendous speech pathologist in the public school system. My daughter Lauren is a student at Appalachian State University. My son William is a student at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh.”

reviews

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  • Christmas in Carolina
    author: Jeff Schramm

    Awesome!! Never heard an album like this that puts you right in the middle of the perfect, solemn holiday setting.

  • My All Time Favorite Christmas Album
    author: Nancy Bradley

    I purchased your Christmas CD last year. I love it! I've about worn it out listening to it. However, the main thing I want to tell you is "Thank you". The song "Road to Bethlehem" has become my favorite Christmas song of all time. There is so much meaning, hope, and encouragement in that song. It embodies the true meaning of Christmas for all mankind. Looking for the light within and the holy child in the manger of the soul. . .God within us and us in the hope of a child. Healing wounds and forgiving sins. . .what greater gift do any of us need. Thank you for giving me a song that makes Christmas real, special, and meaningful for me like no other song has ever done. ~Nancy Bradley

  • You will value this CD in your collection!
    author: Jan

    This a wonderful CD. I bought it mainly for the song "Sweet Little Jesus Boy," but I also love the Celtic music and the soulful sound of the Irish whistle. You will be glad to own this CD as part of your Christmas collection of music. Just beautiful.

  • Music for the Soul
    author: Michael Paris

    This music is beautiful, uplifting, and so satisfying. WIll play it year round!

  • Gorgeous Music
    author: Terese Knapp

    I have never heard more beautiful music than this; I especially love the way he plays the Celtic whistle. SOOO beautiful!

  • Great Christmas and Anniverary Gift(25th &26th)
    author: Robert J. Burns

    My wife wanted this very much. All the stores were out and was told to go on-line. I did and it was a Great Anniverary(34)! Thank you CD BABY!

  • Loved the music...perfect holiday music
    author: Pamela

    CD was perfect holiday music..enjoyed very much

  • Great CD
    author: Bobbi

    This is agreat CD--I enjoyed it very much

  • Beautiful, calming, heart touching, soul reaching, outstanding !!!
    author: Connie L. Shank

    This is an absolutely awesome CD !! It reaches your soul, your heart, and gives a sprit of love. This is a CD that can be played at anytime, and should be. Thank you !

  • Great! Love the CD!
    author: Debbie

    Wonderful Cd and it arrived just in time for Christmas! Thank you!

  • Beautiful and relaxing
    author: Lynn

    Enjoyed the relaxing quality of the music and really put me in the Christmas spirit

  • bill the cd is great reminds me of my childhood
    author: john timms

    bill you should be proud of your upbringing the musicis great.i am 75 years old and have waited a long time to hear music so soothing it reminds me so much of my home and the love we shared at this time of the year .thanks so very much. john &lottie timms 1036 brooks mangum road cameron north carolina 28326

  • superb and very peaceful
    author: Rhonda McNeill

    This CD helps me relax after a hectic day teaching school. I put my earphones on and it lulls me to sleep. Bill Leslie is SO talented and I am proud to be from North Carolina. WOW!!!!

  • beautiful, wonderful
    author: Terry

    CD is beautiful and haunting. Really like In the Bleak Midwinter--I think he has completely captured its spirit. CD Baby was also great: easy to order, shipped on time, arrived on time. Thank you!

  • Absolutely beautiful!
    author: Janet Cunningham

    I loved this beautiful collection. I have all of Bill Leslie's works and this is a favorite- I will be playing this one all year. Thank you.

  • Beautiful relaxing music!
    author: Linda DeVenny

    When I heard Bill Leslie play on WRAL's Coats for the Children marathon, I knew I wanted to own his most recent CD and I was certainly not disappointed when it arrived! I have fallen so in love with the soft, peaceful music that it now lives in my car with me daily! It is amazing how it "destresses" one in traffic!! I understand it is a Christmas CD, but I will listen to it year round. The calm and peacefulness that it evokes is astounding! Thank you, Bill!

  • Even more than we expectedc
    author: Rick Weatherly

    Thanks again Bill for a wonderful musical experience! I bought it for my wife as her annual Christmas CD and she was overjoyed with it. I don't know how many times it's been played over the last week or so, but I'm thankful it's not vinyl, because it might be worn out by now. Once again Bill Leslie has graced us with his incredible music talent, and can't wait until next year for (hopefully) the next one.

  • The CD is great just like Bill's previous ones.
    author: Betty Ann Gatrell

    The CD is so soothing and restful to listen to. Even though it is a Christmas CD I will listen to it all year long. Since the day I received it I have played it each night when I go to bed. It is so peaceful to fall asleep with.

  • author: Rea Donahue

    Just to let you know I have listened to this CD over and over. I know it is a Christmas CD but the music is just so beautiful and peaceful, I will listen all year long and not just Christmas time. This CD is perfect to quietly listen and before you know it you are smiling. This music has such a different style you can't help but to feel the emotion. Fantastic CD Bill Leslie. We are ready for your next piece of beautiful work. Thank you!

  • Another great cd!
    author: Kathy Gautier

    Bill has worked his magic again. This cd will take you away to old world christmas and bring you home again with timeless classics redone as only he can do it. The vocals are great and the music wonderful.

  • One of the best Christmas albums I have heard!
    author: Bill Binkelman

    Assisted by an excellent crew of accompanists on assorted acoustic instruments, Bill Leslie (who plays guitar, Celtic whistle, bass and keyboards plus sings on several tracks) has crafted a welcome addition to the growing ranks of new age-stylized Christmas albums. With more than a few touches of Celtic/Irish textures sprinkled like snow flurries here and there, Christmas in Carolina is a perfect musical backdrop for holiday meals with loved ones, sitting around the fire late in the evening waiting for Santa to arrive or simply relaxing after your bountiful Christmas dinner with friends and family. Of course, it’s such a good album that you’re going to want to listen to it before the holiday and, as such, the mostly subdued yet still warm and rich carols and songs (featuring a few vocal tracks but primarily instrumental pieces) will place you in that special frame of mind reserved for this time of year. The album mixes originals (such as my two favorites, the sweetly gentle “Moravian Gift” which showcases Leslie’s adept use of synth strings to lend the song a sense of quiet drama and “Swannanoa Snow” where the artist’s delicate acoustic guitar playing and superb Celtic whistle talent are in evidence) with tried and true standards, such as “Away in a Manger,” “The First Noel,” and “Silent Night.” There are also some season-appropriate selections that haven’t been recorded to death, those being “In the Bleak Midwinter” and “Lo, How a Rose E’er Bloming.” The several vocal tracks show that Leslie possesses a fine singing voice, especially on the low-key self-composed folk tune “Road to Bethlehem,” and the sprightly “Ring of Evergreen.” There are also some more energetic moments here, such as the last third of the opening title track, which kicks up its musical feet with the jaunty sensation of an Irish reel, or “Appalachian Winter,” which while less energetic, still sways nicely with the added flavor of traditional music from that part of the country. “Waiting for William” also has some moments which spice things up with some old-fashioned fiery mountain music, courtesy of violin and guitar. Throughout the CD, Leslie and his crew perform the originals with grace and charm, infusing even “Away in a Manger” with a breath of fresh air (in that carol’s case, Dan Gilvary’s hammered dulcimer lends the track a sincerely quaint backwoods feel). For lovers of acoustic holiday music, Christmas has come early as Bill Leslie has given us a wonderful present to help make the season even more beautiful than usual. Highly recommended.

  • Uniquely spiritual arrangements and beautiful vocals--Bill's best yet!
    author: Bob Inskeep

    Bill acceded to my wishes by including more vocals on this CD, including a definitive Sweet Little Jesus Boy that communicates with understated voice and guitar the deep and poignant message of this song. The other vocals are drawn from songs Bill wrote for his home church for the lighting of the Advent candles. They too have a profundity that requires listening to the words attentively — and musically they’re graced by the angelic harmonies of Marty Suttle. Road to Bethlehem will lift you to new heights. Bill’s lifelong friend, pianist Bill Covington’s uniquely fresh arrangements of Silent Night, Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming, and The First Noel will delight anyone who is looking for “Christmassy” music. The rest of the varied collection might better be labeled as a spiritual offering from the heart of Bill. As always, the songs evoke images of his beloved home state of North Carolina, with echoes of his Celtic ancestry.. delicately intertwining guitar, Celtic whistle, violin — occasionally hammered dulcimer and synthesizer. Bill has a remarkable gift for melody and how to reweave it. His music is soothing to the soul. But turn it up now and then to hear marvelous touches you missed the first several times you listened. This CD will have a long shelf life. I’m thinking I’ll be pulling it out at Easter, Pentecost, All Saints Day, and surely next year at Advent. If you seek to draw closer to God at Christmas, Bill is near to God’s heart and you can hear it, inspiringly! Rev. Bob Inskeep is associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Raleigh NC.

  • Bill brings the joy of Christmas in Carolina to Christmas anywhere
    author: Frank Bell

    Christmas in Carolina is a unique Christmas masterpeice because you not only experience the peace, hope, and joy of Bill's native North Carolina mountains and other parts of this beautiful state, but becasuse his music, composition, and lyrics give you the same happy feeling, no matter where in the world you hear Christmas in Carolina

  • Christmas in Carolina is a richly rewarding work of art
    author: Carol Swanson

    An award-winning anchor for WRAL News in Raleigh, Bill Leslie knows quite a bit about Christmas in Carolina from personal experience, and he translates these emotions beautifully in his holiday release. This is a gentle Celtic/folk music experience, with Leslie personally crafting eight of the 14 seasonal songs. The album is largely instrumental, but Leslie lends vibrant, yet understated, vocals on three tracks ("Road to Bethlehem," "Ring of Evergreen," and "Sweet Little Jesus Boy"). Christmas in Carolina is a richly rewarding work of art. The fine liner notes reveal personal bits about each track, letting the listener know what special meaning each piece holds for Leslie. The tone is intensely lovely, so just sit back and enjoy the Carolina experience. The pure air carries a hint of evergreens fragrance, and the magnificent Appalachians hold court in the distance, dusted with snow. The music is sweet, uplifting, and calming. This offering is finely-crafted and well-executed throughout. The introspective, tender tone has a simple--almost universal--appeal. Celtic whistles provide a blissfully bright voice that lightly travels over many numbers, while rich cello strings lay a deep foundation. Really, everything works well on this release. I especially enjoyed "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming"; Bill Covington's delicate arrangement makes this gorgeous piano piece a true standout. The album features a most moving and excellent close, as Leslie sings the spiritual "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" with the barest guitar accompaniment. Breaking news! Bill Leslie's Christmas in Carolina will take you south for the holidays, and you may never want to come back. So lovely! --Carol Swanson

  • Bill Leslie's "Christmas in Carolina" Warms the Heart
    author: David P. McKnight

    With a brilliant ensemble combining strings, winds, piano and guitars, North Carolina singer-songwriter Bill Leslie is adding a good measure of home-cooking to a musical journey from the Bethlehem of ancient times to the neighboring regions of the Bethlehem of Alexander County, N.C.. In his new "Christmas in Carolina" CD [http://www.billleslie.com], Bill Leslie and his sparkling band of accomplished instrumentalists offer us a stirring sequence of songs and instrumentals connecting the threads of personal experiences from the Christmastime season with a sprinkling of distinctive interpretations of traditional seasonal favorites along the way. With the considerable worldwide attention attracted by Leslie's previous CD, "Peaceful Journey: A Celebration of North Carolina" from a year ago--including a No. 1 folk music listing in the weeks thereafter--the Morganton native and WRAL Raleigh morning television news co-anchor has done his fans a favor by keeping his instrumental corps of specialists in the field--could they be like a team of television news correspondents waiting for their call from the anchor desk?--long enough to bring together these remarkable musical portraits in time for a dash through the Carolina hills and plains in the coming holiday season. If you didn't know that Bill Leslie himself is playing the Celtic whistles heard around the bends of this merry Appalachian-to-Piedmont excursion, you might think that these songs were crafted way across the sea in one of those Irish or Scottish coves from which many a journey to America has emanated through the centuries. But when you add to this mystique and glow from musical heritages from those storied lands the unmistakably Blue Ridge character to the fine guitar figures Leslie adds to this blend of voices and other instruments, then you realizes that "Christmas in Carolina" is offering us a rare chance to hear the wonder of the great Christian harkening to the coming of Jesus on the landscape of the Israel of old yet all the while giving relevance to this miracle from afar in terms accessible to a familiar crossing from the next ridge over in our own Carolina meanderings. "Appalachian Winter," for example, is inspired by youthful days of sharing of the tale, "Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree," Leslie's sister Miriam having overseen the readings. Yet it becomes Coplandesque in the tradition of "Appalachian Spring." "Swannanoah Snow" celebrates one marvelous patch of that Appalachian terrace, with the songwriter recalling in his CD notes that it "rekindles childhood memories of winters in Western North Carolina where on three consecutive Wednesdays school was cancelled because of heavy snow" and where Leslie thought back to "the beautiful white waters of the Swannanoah River near Asheville." There are other personal connections to this group of eight Leslie originals and six traditionals in this "Christmas in Carolina" panorama, and the listener will enjoy opening the acoustic ribbons attached to all of these, including "Road to Bethlehem," dedicated to Leslie's grandmother Annie McKesson Leslie as "a 20th century pilgrim of Bethlehem"; the Old Salem-inspired "Moravian Gift"; "Waiting For William" from 1988, celebrating the birth of the songwriter's son just after Christmas of that year; and "Cradle of Hope," reflecting the essence of Christian joy, mystique and wonder. Even the traditional "In the Bleak Mid Winter" cheerfully adds a happy return to the daunting watercolor safaris of Leslie's father, which often meant finding just the right turn on the trail for a detour to a temporary canvas thicket. Leading off the CD is the title song, "Christmas in Carolina," in which a soothing turn along a back pasture gives way to a sprightly gallop through the woods, with guitar leads by Brent Cotten and percussion by Will Leslie urging the horses along their way (if indeed we have properly surmised their implied galloping in the vicinity!). The sparkling hammered dulcimer playing of Dan Gilvary sets apart this CD's rendition of the traditional "Away in a Manger," augmenting choice flute passages by Linda Metz, who also contributes flute voicings to "The First Noel," thus giving the listener an enticing contrast to the various entrances of Celtic whistles, sometimes heart-warming, sometimes glancing spellbound back through time, throughout the other selections. Violinists Sherry Buchheit and Jennifer Curtis and cellist Clark Wang give such a splendid serenade of symphonic strings, you can't help but wonder if Santa Claus will make room for a viola player on his next pass through Wake County. Bill Covington's piano interpretations and arrangements on the traditional selections, including "In the Bleak Midwinter" and "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming," are so distinctive as to make one wonder for a moment: "I have heard these songs somewhere before, haven't I?" Additional vocals by Marty Suttle ("Road to Bethlehem" and "Ring of Evergreen") add to the aura of ebullient echoes which could well carry these tunes all the way down the mountain to the flatland community by that same name of Evergreen in coastal Columbus County near the South Carolina line. For while it is true that North Carolina is the home of so many stirring reflections evident in the writing and recording of these originals by Bill Leslie, the once-upon-a-time Charlotte resident having a go at reviewing this CD won't hesitate to beckon to our neighbors from that Palmetto Carolina down yonder: by all means, consider all of this to be in your neighborhood as well! And if Old Man Winter will just pause from his snow-and-ice sculpting routines to listen to the songs and instrumentals in Bill Leslie's "Christmas in Carolina," then he might be willing to make our passage to the next Carolina spring as pleasing as a carriage-coach ride through the streets of Charleston or an entrancing train rain clear up to Reidsville. One thing's for sure: Carolina folks and Virginians and Georgians too, if they listen to Bill Leslie's lilting passages through the hills and meadows of home, won't have to become too wistful when they hear those strains of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" in the coming weeks, but with an added smile of assurance perhaps can nonetheless help dispatch an abundance of cheer to certain of our foreign fields where indeed other bands of determined Americans will still be far from home.

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