It’s that time of the year again. When friends and family gather together to celebrate the winter holiday that is Christmas. I love the holiday season, everyone is so cheerful, there’s decorations everywhere, there is just something in the air that makes the month of December so merry. And lets not forget about the wonderful Christmas music that we hear everywhere we go. I will be listing my favorite Christmas songs that I have playing on repeat during this time, and hopefully you will give them a listen and enjoy them as much as I do.
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey
Starting off with one of the most played Christmas songs in existence, Mariah Carey seems to re-emerge from the musical grave once a year when everyone in the world plays this song. I’ll be the first to admit that no song quite gets me in the Christmas spirit as much as this beautiful rendition of “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Carey’s voice is so powerful and does such an amazing job in putting you in a cheerful and loving mood.
“Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” by Bruce Springsteen
The BOSS’s version of “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” lights every Christmas emotion within me and releases it in a rock and roll Christmas jam! It is impossible to listen to this and not sing along with Bruce singing at the top of your lungs. I love this song so much, it makes me feel like a kid again and get excited for Santa Claus to come.
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson slows things down in this song, making you ponder on the good things in your life and appreciate your family and friends that you have in your life as you listen. Clarkson’s version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is such a heartwarming and comforting song that makes you realize the real meaning of Christmas and the holiday season.
“Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms
“Jingle Bell Rock” might be the most perfect song for any Christmas party, it’s an upbeat groovy song that will get you dancing. Pour yourself some eggnog, invite some friends over and have a ball. This is the time to take a break from the hustle and bustle of real life and take a moment to enjoy those around you.
“Christmas All Over Again” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
This song is absolutely wonderful, and joyful. Such a cheerful tune, great chorus to sing along to, beautiful melody and great lyrics to get you excited for the Christmas season.
“White Christmas” by Eric Clapton
Leave it to Clapton to take a classic Christmas song and add some awesome blues guitar riffs to it. Clapton’s entire Christmas album is fantastic and every song is stunning especially if you are a big rock or blues fan such as myself. Clapton takes these traditional holiday songs and makes them rock and roll which is really everything I want out of a Christmas song. I highly encourage you to listen to any Clapton Christmas song, but this one in particular is my favorite.
“Last Christmas” by Wham!
There is no better example that best represents the 80’s contribution to Christmas songs than “Last Christmas” by Wham!, the vocals are truly exceptional and the music is perfect. You can’t help but sing along.
“Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid
Before Live Aid, this song was the original plan for musicians to help raise money for the starving children in Africa. Band Aid was made up of some of the most talented and popular musicians of the time. They all joined together to create a musical masterpiece that would become something so much bigger than a Christmas song. The song itself is fantastic, the melodies and musical arrangements are lovely, the singing is so great and you get a little taste of all your favorite 80’s singers in one song. This might be one of the most famous and monumental collaborations between musicians in a song in history.
“Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney
This is my personal favorite Christmas song. As soon as December rolls around this song will be played in my house non stop. It’s such an unusual sounding song but its the uniqueness that makes you enjoy it. Plus how could you go wrong with a Paul McCartney song lets be honest everything he creates is amazing.
“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams
Andy Williams perfectly describes why Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. As soon as this song starts playing you can’t help but think of all the great things that come with this time of year.
These are some of my favorite Christmas songs to listen to each and every year. They all do such a good job in getting me in the Christmas spirit and remembering the true meaning of Christmas which is to appreciate what you have and all of the wonderful people in your life, this is the season to spend time with those people and take a step back from real life for a moment and enjoy the little things.
Spotify Playlist with all my favorite christmas songs:
If there’s one thing we all can agree on, it’s that music creators need to be paid for their work. It turns out that earning and collecting your music royalties is simpler than you might think. While most creators are familiar with the royalties they automatically receive from their digital distributor (like Distrokid, Amuse, United Masters, Repost, CD Baby, Tunecore, etc.) for being a performing artist, many are unfamiliar with the additional royalties they are entitled to receive as the creator or writer of their songs. By quickly registering your original songs with a performing rights organization (PRO), you are unlocking a new music royalty stream called a “performance royalty” that is over and above your standard distribution royalties.
AllTrack is the best performing rights organization (PRO) for indie artists (including DIY artists and artists with indie labels) for several reasons that we dive into below.
What Are Performance Royalties?
The right for artists to be paid royalties for the use of their work is baked right into the US Constitution. As a music creator (songwriter, composer, producer), you are able to license your music to businesses, including streaming services, broadcast and cable TV stations, radio stations, and millions of potential physical businesses like hotels, retail stores, restaurants, and nightclubs. Each and every time your music is played in or by one of these businesses, you are owed a performance royalty.
Public performances occur in many traditional ways that you might expect (such as streaming and live performances), as well as some which you may not have considered such as music played over a digital device in a bar, venue or store, music used on websites or apps, by live DJs, on jukeboxes, at events and conferences, in lobbies or elevators of buildings, during sports or newscasts, for karaoke, even the music used while on-hold on a company’s phone line. And now, in the current era of Covid-19, you can also earn performance royalties for your livestreams (on top of what the livestream service is paying you).
Tracking and collecting royalties from all of these businesses could very well be a full-time job by itself. This is where a PRO like AllTrack Performing Rights can step in to collect royalties on your behalf. AllTrack is the best performing rights organization (PRO) for indie artists for several reasons:
It’s free to join (without any recurring monthly or annual fees).
You don’t need to have a publisher to receive 100% of your royalties.
They track and collect your performance royalties (including livestream royalties) on a worldwide basis for all types of uses
They’ve broken down the entire process into a very simple and user-friendly interface that enables independent music creators to register songs in a matter of seconds.
3 Simple Steps To Start Receiving Your Performance Royalties
Whether you’re a full-time creator or if making music is a side hustle, collecting all of the music royalties that you’re due is essential. Signing up to receive music royalties for the public performance of your songs only takes 3 simple steps:
Register your songs. Add each of your original songs to your account and AllTrack will track and collect your worldwide royalties automatically as your songs are played. As you write or create original songs in the future, simply login to your account to register these new songs.
Report your live performances (optional). Add the setlists from your live shows and livestreams to your account and AllTrack will pay you royalties for these performances of your original songs. If you create music but don’t perform live, no problem. You will still receive all of the royalties from step 2 based on the other uses of your music (streaming, broadcast, etc.).
From one musician to another, don’t leave money on the table, especially when receiving your music royalties is this easy!
The topic of greatest guitarists of all time has been a commonly debated topic for almost as long as the guitar has been around! Ultimately, it’s down to personal preference who each of us think is the best or who was responsible for your favorite music. Jimi Hendrix or Jimmy Page are very popular answers simply because they are both extremely well known for their bodies of work. Everyone knows the song “Stairway to Heaven,” however that doesn’t make it the greatest of all time. Some will argue that Hendrix is the greatest because of how he revolutionized the way the instrument was played, however other guitarists have taken his songs, made them their own and, arguably, played them better than Hendrix. I am going to list my personal top 5 greatest guitarists of all time, including honorable mentions because, let’s be honest, there are quite a few that could make this list.
5. Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits
To round out my top 5, I have Mark Knopfler of the popular British rock band Dire Straits. Knopfler was the lead guitar player and singer for the band and the main songwriter. Knopfler’s guitar playing style is a very unique style, he doesn’t play with a pick like most guitarists do instead he uses his fingers to pluck each string. This creates a different sound than most other guitar players and makes all of Knopfler’s work extremely original to him. Through this style of play he is able to put emphasis on multiple strings at a time and gives a very unique sound and tone to all of his riffs, which also makes it very difficult to replicate. Knopfler plays chords the same way, he will use his fingers to pluck each individual string of each chord he is playing which in turn creates a different sound than usual. He has a way of embellishing his guitar solos and riffs while allowing them to have a rock and roll edge. The finger picking style gives more power to each note and makes Knopfler’s sound so amazing. He has such a wide range of music he can play as well, from rock to blues to folk and all of the guitar work is absolutely incredible and the solos are so awesome! He is a true master of his craft and his music is unlike anything else. I strongly urge you to give him a listen whether it be his work with Dire Straits or his solo stuff. Here is a list of some of his greatest guitar work.
“Money For Nothing”
“Brothers in Arms”
“Sultans of Swing”
“Romeo and Juliet”
“Speedway at Nazareth”
4. Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton is one of the most iconic and most recognizable names in music. He first came onto the music scene in the 1960’s and was an instant hit, he was recognized around the world as the best guitarist ever in the 60’s and 70’s. People would use the phrase, “Clapton is God,” which gives you a sense of just how popular he was. His guitar playing and songwriting abilities are generational talent. He is an extraordinary gifted individual who wields the guitar with the best of them. From fast paced rock and roll to slow emotional love songs Clapton can play it all. Clapton is responsible for some of the greatest guitar riffs of all time. Known for his electrifying work on a Fender Stratacaster, Clapton is also an incredibly talented acoustic player in fact I actually prefer some of his songs acoustically. When he plays acoustic guitar he adds another layer to the song, it becomes more personal and emotionally beautiful. He adds little improv solos that sound so good and serve as perfect examples of Clapton’s talent as a player to be able to take a song that is usually played in a fast paced electrifying rock and roll tempo to a slower acoustic blues style. Clapton’s versatility between rock and roll and the blues and electric guitar and acoustic is one of the reasons he is one of the greatest guitar players of all time. And when he plays acoustic guitar he uses a finger picking style to add a little flair and spice to the song which makes it sound so good. Clapton’s live improv solos are works of musical geniusness and make you watch and listen in awe. Here are some of the best Clapton songs to give you an idea of why Clapton is revered as one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
“Wonderful Tonight” from Clapton’s 24 Nights album
“Layla” from Clapton’s “Live at MTV Unplugged” concert
“Tears In Heaven”
“Cocaine”
“Sunshine of Your Love” from Clapton’s 24 Nights album
3. Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen is one of the most influential guitar players and musicians of his time. One of the founding members of the great rock band Van Halen, Eddie became a global icon creating the sounds that helped define a generation of rock music. The way that he reinvented the guitar and developed new techniques to play is unparalleled. Eddie Van Halen was famous for his finger tapping style and use of harmonics in his electrifying solos. His playing was so graceful and seamless as his fingers glided across the fretboard of his guitar. No one had ever played the way he did, his solos were incredible and left the audience in awe every time. He was one of the greatest songwriters and guitar players of all time. His music helped to define 1980’s rock and roll. His playing was true rock and roll, fast paced style of play and bitchin’ raw rock guitar riffs helped inspire many guitar players. EVH was such a gifted guitar player, he was able to utilize techniques no one had even thought to use before, he really changed the way the instrument was played. The stretch on the fretboard that EVH was able to get with his fingers was absolutely mad, it was almost inhuman what he was able to do. He made playing look so easy, when in actuality what he was playing was extremely complicated and difficult to replicate. He was truly a guitar god and one of the best there ever was. Some of his most famous works of music are:
“Eruption”
“Hot For Teacher”
“Panama”
“Jump”
“Runnin’ with the Devil”
2. Stevie Ray Vaughan
Number two on my list is the late great Stevie Ray Vaughan out of Dallas, Texas, SRV for short. SRV is the greatest blues guitarist to ever grace the stage. Stevie plays a fast paced style of Texas blues rock, inspired by blues legends such as B.B King, Albert King, Muddy Waters and Jimi Hendrix. Stevie helped to revive blues guitar playing in the 1980’s but made it his own style of blues. Stevie played a music faster tempo than traditional blues guitar playing, however most blues guitarists had a rhythm guitar player that would keep a common chord progression going throughout the song and then the lead guitarist would solo over the chord progression as the song went on. Stevie however played lead and rhythm guitar on his own, he was playing two guitar parts at once which was why he played so fast paced, it also gives you an idea of just how talented he was to be able to play two guitar parts at once. This fast style of playing the blues bridged the gap between blues and rock and roll like no other blues guitarist was able to do. SRV quickly made a name for himself as one of the great guitar players of his generation. His playing was unlike anything anyone had ever seen. The blues is usually a slow tempo so that you can accent each note and really make it speak to the audience and you can feel each note touch your soul which was not something a fast paced style could usually accomplish. Stevie however had a way to make sure that his guitar and his soul were one in the same. All of his guitar playing was soul touching, he made his guitar weep with sounds of joy and sorrow at the same time. He was truly incredible to listen to and a sight to watch. When you watch videos of him play you just think to yourself, this man had a gift from God. I don’t know how he was able to play the way he did, it was truly amazing what he could do with the guitar. Each note is so clean and never gets disrupted with how fast he is playing, there is no sloppiness to his work. Stevie would play Hendrix tributes that were better than Hendrix’s original performances, it’s absolutely incredible how amazing he was. Here are a few songs to look up by the great Stevie Ray Vaughan.
“Little Wing”
“Voodoo Child”
“Texas Flood”
“Life By The Drop”
“The Sky Is Crying”
David Gilmour of Pink Floyd
At number 1 I have David Gilmour the lead guitar player and singer from one of the most legendary bands in the history of music, Pink Floyd. Gilmour first joined the band in 1967. Pink Floyd had already made a name for themselves across London during their psychedelic years. Gilmour was originally brought in to fill in for one of the band’s founding members Syd Barrett who began to struggle from drug abuse and was slowly losing his mind and unable to perform anymore. It didn’t take long for Gilmour to take over as the leader of the band and create the music that would define a generation. Gilmour’s first major success with Pink Floyd was his work on arguably the most famous album of all time, Dark Side of The Moon. Co-written by Gilmour and Roger Waters, Pink Floyd created songs that spoke to the average person in the world, their songs were relatable and talked of common things in life that everyone experiences. The guitar work is absolutely incredible, its sophisticated yet rock and roll with hints of blues. There’s melodic chord progressions paired with soul touching solos. The album is a true musical masterpiece and really goes to show Gilmour’s musical geniusness. After Dark Side of The Moon, Gilmour took the reigns as lead writer for the band. Pink Floyd moved away from the experimental psychedelic rock band that it first started as and developed into one of the greatest songwriting bands to ever create music. When you listen to their work on albums like Wish You Were Here, The Wall and Division Bell the lyrics have real meaning. Listening to the guitar work on all of these albums it really shows how Gilmour sets himself apart from the rest.
His solos are so complicated, sophisticated yet they have such a clean tone to them which is difficult to do with such complex pieces of music. He utilizes bends like no other guitarist. He can play as fast as any player or he can slow it down and really make each note touch your soul from within, bringing chills throughout your body. I am blown away everytime I listen to Gilmour play. I don’t even try to figure out what he’s doing on the guitar, I just sit and enjoy every second. When he plays, each note is so clear and crisp. There is never any note out of place or ringing out where it shouldn’t be, every note is played perfectly and there is no sloppiness anywhere. Gilmour is such a perfectionist with his music that anytime he plays he plays perfectly without any sign of carelessness like some guitarists get once they’ve made a name for themselves.
Live performances are where Gilmour really stands out from the rest, when he performs live he adds to each of his guitar solos to make them better than the studio version. He usually adds several minutes of just guitar solos to each song and he never plays it the same way which really shows his talent as a player. To be able to improvise a better version of the guitar solo than the recorded version is something only the greatest players can do and Gilmour thrives at doing this. There is only so much I can say to try to convince you that David Gilmour is in fact the greatest to ever pick up a guitar. You really need to listen and watch for yourself, so here are a couple songs to listen to and videos to watch to prove to you that David Gilmour is the greatest guitar player of all time.
“Comfortably Numb” from the 1994 Pink Floyd Pulse tour
“Sorrow” from David Gilmour’s “Live At Pompeii Movie”
“Wish You Were Here” from Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here album
“Fat Old Sun” from David Gilmour’s Live in Gdansk album
“Time” from Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon album
These are my top 5 greatest guitarists of all time. All of these players helped to revolutionize the way the instrument is played whether that be by the techniques they use, their style of music or simply their influence on future musicians.
Honorable Mentions: Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, Pete Townshend of The Who and Angus Young of AC/DC.
