John Lloyd Young Featured on Newly Released A JERSEY BOYS CHRISTMAS Album

More than five years after its debut, the musical Jersey Boys continues to bring audiences around the world to their feet with the rags-to-riches tale of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. A global phenomenon, the record-breaking production has won awards for Best Musical on three continents, including the 2006 Tony® Award, while the platinum-selling Original Cast Recording album won a Grammy® Award for Best Musical Show Album in 2007. To celebrate the holidays, members of the award-winning Jersey Boys casts around the globe have come together to record a selection of Christmas classics in the style of The Four Seasons. This marks the first time that a Broadway show has released a holiday album.

Today, Rhino will release SEASON'S GREETINGS: A JERSEY BOYS CHRISTMAS at all physical and digital retail outlets for suggested list prices of $18.98 (CD) and $9.99 (digital).

The album was produced by Bob Gaudio, a founding member of The Four Seasons and the group's principal songwriter. The musical director and arranger for the project was Ron Melrose, who also arranged music for the Jersey Boys musical. The eclectic album features performances by six stars from the various Jersey Boys casts - Joseph Leo Bwarie (National Tour), Travis Cloer (Las Vegas), Rick Faugno (Las Vegas), Bobby Fox (Australia), Ryan Molloy (London) and Jarrod Spector (Broadway) - plus John Lloyd Young, who won the 2006 Tony Award for his portrayal of Valli in the original Broadway production. The album was engineered by Pete Karam, who won a Grammy for his work on the Original Cast Recording.

Many of the melodies and choral harmonies that catapulted the quartet from the streets of Newark into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are woven into classic holiday songs on SEASON'S GREETINGS: A JERSEY BOYS CHRISTMAS. Listen for hints of "Come On Marianne" and "Oh What A Night" in the album opener "Joy To The World/O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" plus traces of "Bye Bye Baby" in "Winter Wonderland."

For Jersey Boys' first Christmas on Broadway in 2006, the cast recorded "O Holy Night" for a Christmas album to benefit Broadway charities. This album features a new version of the song with a fresh arrangement that includes lines from the spiritual, "Rise Up, Shepherd." Other highlights from A JERSEY BOYS CHRISTMAS include a doo-wop version of "White Christmas" inspired by The Drifters and "Santa Medley," which infuses signature Jersey Boys harmonies into a trio of holiday favorites. Also featured is a unique version of "Angels From The Realms Of Glory" filtered through '80s synth-rock with a touch of Beethoven's "Ninth Symphony" thrown in for good measure.

SEASON'S GREETINGS: A JERSEY BOYS CHRISTMAS
Track Listing

1. "Joy To The World/O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" - Ryan Molloy
2. "Winter Wonderland" - Rick Faugno
3. "Little Drummer Boy" - Joseph Leo Bwarie
4. "Santa Medley: (Santa Claus is Coming to Town/Here Comes Santa Claus/I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus)" - John Lloyd Young
5. "O Holy Night/Rise Up Shepherd" - Jersey Boys Ensemble featuring Mark Ivey, with soloists Michael Ingersoll and Tituss Burgess
6. "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" - Bobby Fox
7. "Jingle Bell Rock" - Joseph Leo Bwarie
8. "A King Is Born" - Jarrod Spector
9. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" - John Lloyd Young
10. "White Christmas" - Ryan Molloy
11. "I'll Be Home For Christmas" - Jarrod Spector
12. "Angels From The Realms Of Glory" - Bobby Fox
13. "Silver Bells/Silent Night" - Travis Cloer
14. "Do You Hear What I Hear?" - Rick Faugno
15. "Breath Of Heaven/We Three Kings" - Travis Cloer
16. "Carol Of The Bells/Angels We Have Heard On High/
17. Auld Lang Syne" - Jersey Boys Ensemble featuring Joseph Leo Bwarie, Travis Cloer, Rick Faugno, Bobby Fox, Ryan Molloy, Jarrod Spector, John Lloyd Young and Erik Bates

Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski