Out of England, this lushly orchestrated holiday offering was issued in the United States on RCA Victor’s budget,’Camden’ label. LP’s on the label were always priced at under $2.00 which is quite astounding considering the cost of studio time, the large orchestra and choir involved with this production.
The’Living Strings’ were the creation of RCA Victor producer, Ethel Gabriel in 1959 with the’Living Voices’ along with the’Living Jazz’, the’Living Brass’ and the’Living Guitars’ which followed later.
There was no single orchestra known as the’Living Strings’ but merely ensembles of studio musicians utilized for each release. The recordings usually took place in England and in this case, the Living Strings’White Christmas’ sessions were held at the Decca studios in London with wonderful arrangements by Johnny Douglas.
The medley of songs on this track features that of the Italian flavored’Buon Natale’, the Bert Kaempfert penned’Jingo Jango’, the Christmas mainstay’Jingle Bells’ and a marvelous unknown jewel written by Harriet Pobliner entitled,’Bossa Nova Noel’. The latter tune really shines in the holiday medley and is so good and different from other Christmas songs, that had it been released and promoted as a single when originally recorded, it very well could have become a perennial holiday favorite rather than it’s unfortunate fate of languishing in obscurity

The Soulful Strings was a project of the Chicago soul arranger Richard Evans, working with several musicians from the Cadet Records house band between 1966 and 1971 including Charles Stepney, Bobby Christian, Billy Wooten, Phil Upchurch, Lennie Druss, and Cleveland Eaton.

 

 

Among the holiday season releases of 1965 was an endearing little recording from New Jersey by a 6-year-old lass by the name of Debra Ferrara entitled,’Christmas Time （Is Near）’. Issued in November 1965 as Deblyn Records 718, Debra’s father, Jerry was not only the owner of the record company but also the producer and composer of the song. Miss Ferrara made the rounds promoting the record on various television programs as well as appearing in parades and other local events. The disc made some noise and sold some records and Debra continued on in school and family life. By 1968, Deblyn Records and the subsidiary label, Lynde Records as closed up shop butJerry Ferrara had ideas for reviving’Christmas Time’ again with Debra only the new recording would trade out the girl’s high school choir featured on the original recording, in exchange for a more polished and lush production with strings and horns. So, at a recording session in October 1968 at VanTone Sound Studios in West Orange, New Jersey, Debra once again sang the tune backed by an arrangement by local accordionist/conductor/composer, Eugene Ettore led by Lou Toby and engineered by Eddie Ventura and Nick Massi.
In a March 2025 correspondence, Debra Ferrara recalled the session: “…..that period was really special and was the beginning of it all. I think when you have a deep appreciation and love for music （even back then）, memories stay with you. Don’t ask me what I had for dinner yesterday, though!
That later version of’Christmas Time’ came about just because my dad wanted an updated, lush version. Timing was like 1968-ish by the time it came out. My dad worked out the production details and the session was set. We recorded at VanTone, which was up a narrow wooden staircase on the 2nd floor. It opened to a small lobby-waiting room with a leather couch and there were tambourines hanging on the walls. （That is engrained in my memory for some reason!） You had to walk through the control room to get to the studio. Nicky Massi （formerly of the Four Seasons） engineered this version of’Christmas Time’. I remember being very impressed to see an orchestra at work. What child wouldn’t be bored sitting in a studio for hours, but I loved it and still love working in the studio best of all.
Some background on the label -‘DJ Records’ was named after my mom and dad （Dot or Dolly, as family called her, and Jerry） – and yes’Doli Productions’ was also named after my mom.
Deblyn and Lynde Records was created using both mine and my sisters’ names. My sister Lynn had no interest in singing. She did DJ for her college radio station for a bit!
We had moved from the Newark （Irvington） area to the “country” when the later’Christmas Time’ was released. At the time, my parents were approached by’The Edge of Night’ （soap opera） and they were asked if I’d be interested in a recurring role on the show. My parents had decided that they didn’t want me to grow up in that kind of atmosphere on set with tutors, so they turned it down. I didn’t record again until I was 13 in 1972 on One Way Records,’Would You Believe’ b/w’Don’t Go’） followed by my’Go Away’ EP in 1981 on Eastco Records. The last song I wrote was actually about my dad. It’s a sad one, to put it mildly.”

The passing of sixty years since this obscure single for the 1965 holiday season was issued has not uncovered any information to speak of regarding its creation. That is until a March 2025 correspondence with the former five-year-old vocalist, Debra Ferrar. Now in her mid-sixties, she surprisingly and thankfully retained scrapbooks of memorabilia from the start of her involvement within the music industry up until the present. Her father, the late Jerome Ferrara, had a lifelong love of the music business and by composing, producing, and managing artists, he created several record companies to capitalize on those efforts. The two most familiar record labels that he oversaw were the Deblyn and Lynde imprints. The labels names were created by combining the spellings of his daughters, Lynn and Debra. Based in New Jersey, Jerry was connected to many movers and shakers on the east coast music scene as shown by the interesting mix of recordings that he issued on his labels. For this original Christmas outing, the story is that in the winter of 1964 while Jerry was tinkling on an organ in the family home, Debra began singing along to the words he had composed. After several days of practice, they recorded a simple demo disc which was the beginning of’Christmas Time （Is Near）’.
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Debra Ferrara: “…..Sister Mary Coronata was the Choir Director at Walsh High and aside from rehearsals with the choir before the studio session, she gave me private vocal lessons. After each lesson, she gifted me a small angel statuette holding an instrument. I still have and treasure the angels, though some of their instruments have seen better days. I was attending St. Leo’s School in Irvington at the time, and the sisters would have me go classroom to classroom to sing’Christmas Time （Is Near）’ acapella to all the students which was a good way to get over stage fright! I do recall being in the studio and the tracks were recorded the same day as the vocals though sadly, I have no photos. My dad was standing next to me the entire time and instructed me. An earlier version of the record had’Sing We Now of Christmas’ as the B-side, but for an unknown reason to me, we went back into the studio and recorded’Jingle Bells’, and that pressing is the version that was primarily out there.
I was on’The Clay Cole Christmas Show’ where Simon and Garfunkel also performed on that episode. The TV Guide had my song incorrectly listed as’I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’. I recall that the performers sat in the audience until right before it was time to go on stage. Clay said he would have me back every year at Christmas to sing this song so everyone could watch me grow up. He kept his promise and had me back the next year and the Young Rascals were on that episode. He unfortunately left the show before the next Christmas season, but I was so happy to reunite with him before he passed away in 2010. I also was on’The Joe Franklin Show’ and did a live broadcast with Cousin Brucie all around that same Christmas season in 1965. Deblyn had a float in the Newark Christmas parade that year, which featured a giant 45 of’Christmas Time’ on a sleigh. I was able to choose a couple of my favorite choir girls to ride with me and we lip-synched to’Christmas Time’ in the parade.
Just thought I’d mention, I remember a Deblyn Records Open House at my dad’s new studio in Union, New Jersey which he opened soon after the’Christmas Time’ recording. I remember there were very cool giant silhouettes of singers with microphones painted on the studio walls. The Angels recorded there as well as the Delicates who did a lot of background vocals for my dad’s recordings.
My next recording was supposed to be’On the Good Ship Lollipop’. My dad told me （much later on） that I was supposed to record that song which he had secured the rights. It was to be backed with his composition,’Little Girl’. He was friendly with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons; both business and personal. We visited Frankie’s home and vice versa several times in the early days, and Nicky Massi engineered my later sessions at House of Music in West Orange. Anyway, Bob Gaudio made a deal with my dad whereby he would write a new song for me to sing, if my dad would let the Seasons record’…..Lollipop’ which they ultimately did under the alias The Wonder Who. However, Gaudio never wrote that song, and my dad never forgot it! LOL!
Amazingly, my 1965 version of’Christmas Time （Is Near）’ was licensed for HBO’s’The Righteous Gemstones’ in 2022 or 2023. My dad would’ve loved to see that! I’m still writing and producing; primarily for film/TV. I just finished a new song last week. My dad worked on music up until he was 89, and I expect I have that same music gene. :-）”
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The DEL FI’S: Armand Forcello – electric piano, Joe Riccardi – bass guitar, Richard Pitchman – lead guitar, Andy Griseti – drums

Composer: B. Bacharach-L. Kusik
produced by Herb Alpert & Jerry Moss
1970 single release of the longer track from the 1968 TJB “Christmas Album”

Paul Evans, Bobby Vinton, and Bobby Helms had each previously recorded this Bacharach tune