Multi-GRAMMY® nominated duo, Dailey & Vincent, are celebrating the holiday's early this year with their first-ever Christmas record, Dailey & Vincent: The Sounds of Christmas! The project debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard Holiday Albums and #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums chart. To get into the holiday spirit, we chatted with Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent about some of their holiday traditions and the new album available HERE.
Thank you so much for chatting with us! Let’s talk a couple of minutes about your own impressions of Christmas, do you have a family tradition you love to do each holiday season?
D: My favorite tradition is to gather around the tree on Christmas morning and have all of my kids and all our family here in Tennessee together. We spend about four, five, six hours just eating, opening presents and just enjoying each other’s company. That’s my Christmas morning, and what we do every year.
J: That’s what we all do. Absolutely!
What was a popular gift that most children wanted when you were growing up?
J: The Tonka Toys when I was growing up were a big deal. Now I’m telling my age.
D: For me it was the cowboy outfit. I wanted the guns...that cap gun.
J: He wears it when he goes to bed!
D: I would look for hours in magazines thinking: ‘I want to look like that cowboy!’
Do you have a favorite holiday movie?
J: ‘Christmas Vacation’ for both of us!
What about a favorite Christmas food? Do you cook a big Christmas dinner?
J: I love the traditional turkey and dressing, but I love casseroles! It doesn’t matter if it’s green bean, chicken casserole, mushroom casserole, whatever.
D: I always go to the Honey Baked Hams and get a smoked turkey, and I love their honey baked ham. Those are my two favorites!
Do you have a favorite holiday album?
J: Yes, I have several. I like Bing Crosby’s and I love the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s Christmas CD. It’s just outstanding! We had an opportunity to go see them. We were invited because you can’t ever get in because it sells out years in advance. The director invited us to come see it live. We had to be on the road touring and couldn’t go, so we missed out on that.
D: My favorite one is the red Alabama ‘Christmas’ record, and the Harry Connick Jr. Christmas record is my favorite as well.
You just released your first ever Christmas record, "Dailey & Vincent: The Sounds of Christmas.” How long have you wanted to do a Christmas album?
J: My whole life. Seriously, my whole life, since I started singing at 9-years-old on stage all of the time, I’ve wanted to do a Christmas record and never got a chance to do one.
D: I’ve done a few in my life, but this is the most special for me.
Tell us about the song selection process. Was it difficult to narrow down songs.
J: We got together and said, ‘What are our all-time favorite Christmas songs?,’ which there are about 30 of them. Then we had to do elimination of process, which basically means medium tempo, fast tempo, slow, lyric content, melody, so that they’re different from one another. We also said, ‘We want songs that are going to be good for adults that they’re going to get a blessing from like “Mary Did You Know” and “Road To Bethlehem” that was written by Jimmy Fortune and Jeff Bates, which is a new song, and “Little Town of Bethlehem” - those spiritual songs.’ Then we said, ‘We want some party type songs like “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” so people can dance and have fun with it.’ Then we want songs for kids too, which is why we did “Let It Snow,” “Frosty The Snowman” and “Mr. Grinch,” so they could have some fun with the CD too.
Are there any songs that did not make the album you wish would have?
D: That’s a good question.
J: There are several. I really wanted to do “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” but we just couldn’t get to it. I’m hoping to do a Volume Two.
Fans can purchase the record at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. Do you have a favorite meal at Cracker Barrel?
D: I like the Sunday dinner for myself: the breaded baked chicken, refried beans with cheese in them, and their sourdough bread with a big ‘ole glass of sweet tea.
J: Grilled chicken tenderloins, green beans, and fried okra.
Finally, what is your favorite part of Christmas?
J: There’s a lot for me. I love decorating my house outside and inside. I put four Christmas trees up in the house I have here. I love putting Christmas lights neatly on the bushes and the trees outside. I really enjoy that, and of course smelling mom’s cooking on Christmas morning. There’s nothing better!
D: I think my favorite part about Christmas is being with my family and being a part of the community. We travel pretty much all year round. Being able to be home, be at church, be in the community, it’s really a sweet time.
Website: http://daileyandvincent.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaileyVincent
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DaileyVincent
Order Here: http://smarturl.it/DaileyVincentXmas
ABOUT DAILEY & VINCENT:
Grand Ole Opry Members, Five-time GRAMMY® award winners individually, three-time GRAMMY® award nominees collectively, four-time DOVE Award winners, and winners of 35 IBMA Awards altogether (including 3-time IBMA Entertainer of the Year Award winners and 3-Time Vocal Group of the Year Award winners), Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent, backed by one of the best bands on tour today, are some of the most reputable and elite entertainers in American music; bluegrass, traditional country and gospel music. Now on Season 3 of their nationally broadcast television series, “The Dailey & Vincent Show on RFD-TV,” Dailey & Vincent bring their music to a national audience on a weekly basis. After a decade spent performing together and with over 1,000 airings of their PBS special “Dailey & Vincent ALIVE – In Concert,” their concoction of fantastically instinctive vocal blends of Dailey’s tenor and Vincent’s reedy harmonies has gained them well-deserved praise for their own distinctive style and worldwide recognition as American Music gold. Their most recent live CD, “Dailey & Vincent ALIVE,” debuted at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass charts and remained at the top position for over 15 weeks.