December 22, 1990

I can't believe that it's only three more days until Christmas.  Where does the time flow?

Well, in today's case, we'll be taking another trip through time in the Tuesday Timeline entry, which coincidentally also falls on Day #22 of A POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR!

You know, I have to say this though.  You would think that because today is December 22, I would have no problem finding a Christmas themed entry for today, but this was really the hardest day yet.  It is of good fortune that I opened up my heart and mind to a genre of music that I am typically not a fan of, or else I'd have nothing to talk about!

That is your one and only clue as we go ahead with today's historical events and celebrity birthdays!

1807 - At the urging of President Thomas Jefferson, the Embargo Act is passed by U.S. Congress

1808 - Ludwig von Beethoven premieres his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto, and "Choral Fantasy" at Theater an der Wien, in Vienna

1864 - Savannah, Georgia falls to General William Tecumseh Sherman

1891 - Asteroid 323 Brucia is discovered - the first one using photography

1912 - Former First Lady of the United States, Lady Bird Johnson (d. 2007) is born

1915 - Actress Barbara Billingsley (d. 2010) is born in Los Angeles, California

1917 - Game show host Gene Rayburn (d. 1999) is born in Christopher, Illinois

1937 - The Lincoln Tunnel - stretching between New York and New Jersey - opens to traffic

1942 - Hitler signs the order to develop a new weapon - the V-2 rocket

1944 - German troops demand the surrender of American troops at Bastogne, Belgium during the "Battle of the Bulge"

1948 - Actress Lynne Thigpen (d. 2003) is born in Joliet, Illinois

1949 - Bee Gees twins Robin (d. 2012) and Maurice (d. 2003) are born in England

1956 - At the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Colo the gorilla is born - the first gorilla to be bred in captivity

1984 - Bernard Goetz shoots four people on a train in Manhattan, New York after they tried to mug him

1988 - Environmental activist and unionist Chico Mendes is assassinated in Xapuri, Brazil

1992 - The "Archives of Terror" are unearthed

1995 - Actress Butterfly McQueen dies at the age of 84

2001 - The "Shoe Bomber" incident - a man attempts to blow up a passenger plane by igniting hidden explosives in his shoes - but the plan fails and he is arrested

2002 - Musician Joe Strummer passes away at the age of 50

2010 - The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is repealed and signed into law by President Obama

2014 - Singer Joe Cocker and voice actress Christine Cavanaugh both die on this date at the ages of 70 and 51 respectively

And for celebrity birthdays, we have the following people turning one year older; Elizabeth Hubbard, David Pearson, Hector Elizondo, Ken Whitmore, Lucien Bouchard, Barry Jenkins, Diane Sawyer, Noel Edmonds, Rick Nielsen, Martin Yan, Dan Martin, Bern Nadette Stanis, Susan Powter, Luther Campbell, Ralph Fiennes, Lauralee Bell, Dina Meyer, Pat Mastroianni, Vanessa Paradis, Heather Donahue, Joanne Kelly, Brooke Nevin, Ali Lohan, Meghan Trainor, and G. Hannelius.

So, lots happened on this date, but nothing really very Christmas like.

That is until I discovered a very interesting fact about December 22, 1990...a fact that is very much country music flavoured.

And, I suppose you could say that Dolly Parton's name is written all over this one.

You know, anyone who has ever heard of Dolly Parton knows that she is a complete enigma in the world of country music.  Whereas most entertainers seem to fade away after five albums or so, Dolly has been recording music since 1967 - that's almost five decades of music!  And did you know that her most recent album - 2014's "Blue Smoke" is her - get this - 42nd studio album?  That's not even counting all of the collaborations that she's done with other artists over the years.

And nearing the age of 70, Parton shows no sign of slowing down.  In fact, she's been all the talk of the television world with her very successful made-for-television movie.  The movie, "Coat of Many Colors" was based off of the successful single of the same name (which peaked at #4 in late 1971/early 1972) first aired on NBC on December 10, 2015, and it was such a runaway hit for the network that a second showing of the film has been added this Christmas Day at 9pm EST. 

And, since I brought up the topic of Christmas, did you know that it was twenty-five years ago today that Dolly Parton released her very first solo Christmas album?

It may seem a bit odd that an artist would release a Christmas album just three days before Christmas.  When it comes down to holiday albums, usually they are released a lot earlier.  I've seen holiday albums released as early as September!  

But there was a reason for the late release of "Home for Christmas", and it has to do with a very special television presentation of the album.

ABC aired a television special featuring all ten songs from the album either on or very close to the date when the album came out.  And, in a way, it was a brilliant marketing strategy.  After all, I know many people who have watched television specials on PBS or cable television who have wanted to purchase the soundtrack the day after they air.

And you know, for what it's worth, the television special is quite nice.  And you can watch it HERE in its entirety!  Yes, someone actually made a copy of this special and posted it on YouTube for all to see.  But you better watch it now while there's still time!  You never know how long things will stay up on YouTube!

Now, for the album itself...well, it's essentially a whole lot of classics all tied together in one shiny silver bow.  Although this wasn't Dolly's first Christmas album (she teamed up with Kenny Rogers in 1984 for "Once Upon A Christmas"), this would be the first one in which she performed all the songs herself.

Songs such as "We Three Kings".

Or, "Go Tell It On The Mountain".

Or, even "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer"!

The album didn't do so well on the country album charts though.  It only peaked at #74.  But, I suppose that isn't too bad, given that her biggest competition came from non-holiday albums.

That being said, it did sell enough copies for it to be certified gold, so it was a success.

And 25 years after that album was released...it's still being sold at retailers and is still enjoyed by people today who want to add a little bit of Southern hospitality and comfort to their holiday celebrations.