"Holiday Party" CD and a TWC-exclusive Aaron Neville Single Benefit The Salvation Army
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) November 5, 2009 -- The Weather Channel® (TWC), in partnership with singing legend Aaron Neville and The Salvation Army, announces the release of "Holiday Party," a holiday music compilation album. The CD features the single "Please Don't Forget" by Aaron Neville, and a portion of the proceeds from the single and the CD, both available by download from theweatherchannelmusic.com, will be donated to The Salvation Army's Annual Red Kettle Christmas Campaign.
"We are very excited to expand The Weather Channel music collection with the release of our new holiday album, 'Holiday Party,'" said Robyn Coward, director of licensing and merchandising for The Weather Channel. "The timing of this campaign aligns perfectly with the holiday season and the recent launch of theweatherchannelmusic.com."
"Holiday Party" features a mix of upbeat and festive music. Along with classic holiday songs, the CD offers the all-new single "Please Don't Forget" by Grammy Award-winner Aaron Neville. A song about true joy and peace received from helping others, "Please Don't Forget" follows in the tradition of the "original" Salvation Army Christmas song "Silver Bells," which also is performed by a Salvation Army brass band on the CD. "Silver Bells," inspired by the iconic Salvation Army bell ringer, was originally recorded by Bing Crosby in 1950.
Neville also l his voice to the holiday classics "White Christmas" and "Go Tell It On The Mountain" from his album "Christmas Prayer." "Holiday Party" features other well known artists such as Ray Charles, The Beach Boys, Amy Grant, The Salvation Army Ensemble, One Approved, Matt Belsante and Blessing. Classic holiday songs include "All I Want For Christmas," "Little Drummer Boy," the Charlie Brown Christmas Theme and others.
"One of the sounds I love about the holiday season is the 'ring ring' of Salvation Army bells at Red Kettles. It brings hope, happiness and awareness to so many around the U.S. It's such an honor to partner with The Salvation Army and The Weather Channel on this holiday collection and new song. 'Please Don't Forget' is just a reminder to reach out a hand to our brothers and sisters who may need a little extra help this holiday season and every season for generations to come," said Aaron Neville.
Aaron Neville will appear for the special premiere performance of "Please Don't Forget" Friday, Nov. 20 on Wake Up with Al, The Weather Channel morning show hosted by Al Roker and Stephanie Abrams. The Weather Channel, Aaron Neville and The Salvation Army also have joined forces to promote the single and the CD. TWC will support the effort from weather.com as well as on air. The single "Please Don't Forget" - available exclusively on the "Holiday Party" CD - and the full CD will both be available for purchase and download from theweatherchannelmusic.com. "Holiday Party" will be distributed to the retail market via EMICMG Distribution, a subsidiary of EMI Music. The CD will be available at major retailers such as Wal-Mart.
"The Salvation Army has a strong musical tradition so this partnership is a natural fit," said Major George Hood, national community relations and development secretary for The Salvation Army. "This is an excellent way for people to help their neighbors in need by supporting the Red Kettle Campaign while enjoying some great music in the process."
The release of "Holiday Party" follows past CD release successes from The Weather Channel. In December 2007, TWC's debut album "The Weather Channel Presents…Smooth Jazz" hit number one on Billboard's current contemporary jazz charts and became a top-20 seller on Amazon.com. In spring 2008, a second "Smooth Jazz II" compilation was on Amazon.com's Top-40 list for several weeks. Both CDs are available at www.weather.com/store, Best Buy and Amazon.com.
About The Weather Channel Companies:
The Weather Channel Companies (TWCC) is made up of The Weather Channel Network (TWCN), The Weather Channel Interactive (TWCi), and Weather Services International (WSI). The Weather Channel® is based in Atlanta and is seen in more than 99 million U.S. households. TWCN also operates Weatherscan, a 24-hour all-local weather network; The Weather Channel Radio Network; and The Weather Channel HD. TWCi, which includes the weather.com® site, The Weather Channel Desktop and The Weather Channel Mobile, reaches more than 40 million unique users online each month and is the most popular source of online weather, news and information according to Nielsen//NetRatings. WSI, headquartered in Andover, MA, primarily provides business-to-business weather services, particularly for the media, aviation, marine and energy sectors. TWCC is owned by a consortium made up of NBC Universal and the private equity firms The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. For more information, visit www.weather.com/press.
About The Salvation Army:
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for 129 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar spent is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.
About Aaron Neville:
Aaron was the first Neville to burn his way up the national charts when "Tell It Like It Is" hit number one in 1966. The Neville Brothers, with Aaron as one of the lead vocalists, went on to record a series of memorable albums, including Yellow Moon (for which Aaron wrote the title track). Aaron's solo career hit another high in the Nineties when Linda Rondstadt and George Massenburg produced Warm Your Heart. He won two Grammies for his duets with Linda Ronstadt on "Don't Know Much" and "All My Life," both Top Ten hits. In 1994, he won Best Country and Western Vocal Collaboration with Trisha Yearwood for "I Fall to Pieces." In this same period, he also won Best Male Singer two years running in the Rolling Stone critics' poll. After five decades of consistent hit-making, Aaron Neville has, in the words of one Rolling Stone writer, "reached a highpoint in a career marked by artistic superlatives. Bring It On Home - The Soul Classics is an album for the ages and Neville's most remarkable work to date." Aaron continues to record new music and tour internationally with both The Neville Brothers and with his Quintet featuring Charles Neville. For more information, go to www.aaronneville.com.
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