B.B. King Sets Holiday Album For Fall Release

09/26/2001 7:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Gary Graff

(9/26/01, 7 a.m. ET) -- B.B. King has chosen a holiday-themed album as the follow-up to Riding With The King, his 2000 Grammy-winning collaboration with Eric Clapton. King will release A Christmas Celebration Of Hope on November 6, with proceeds from the album earmarked for the City Of Hope in Los Angeles, a medical center that treats cancer patients and researches diseases such as cancer, AIDS, and diabetes. City Of Hope has long been a favorite charity for musicians, and during the past 25 years the Music And Entertainment Chapter of City Of Hope has raised more than $30 million.

"It has been my longtime dream to produce an album of Christmas music," King said in a statement announcing the album's release. "It is with pleasure that I dedicate this album to City Of Hope in support of their hard work to bring hope and healing to all people who suffer from life-threatening diseases everywhere."

A Christmas Celebration Of Hope will feature two King originals: the newly composed instrumental "Christmas Love" and a new version of his 1960 track "Christmas Celebration." The tracklisting for A Christmas Celebration Of Hope includes: "Please Come Home For Christmas," "Lonesome Christmas," "Back Door Santa," "Christmas In Heaven," "I'll Be Home For Christmas," "To Someone That I Love," "Christmas Celebration," "Merry Christmas Baby," "Christmas Love," "Blue Decorations," "Christmas Comes But Once A Year," "Bringing In A Brand New Year," and "Auld Lang Syne."

-- Gary Graff, Detroit

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