'A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS' ALBUM SERIES CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY WITH THE RELEASE OF TWO ALBUMS TODAY

Country Superstar Martina McBride Added to Album

 


Photo Credit: Randee St. Nicholas

Photo Credit: Randee St. Nicholas

 

Nashville, TN – 16 October 2012 - The ‘A Very Special Christmas’  holiday music series, benefitting Special Olympics, will celebrate its 25^th anniversary this holiday season with the release of two new albums of holiday music advancing the Special Olympics movement and bringing joy and peace to athletes and their families around the world.

A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS 25^TH ANNIVERSARY, BRINGING JOY TO THE WORLD:
Featuring Christina Aguilera “Oh Holy Night,” Francesca Battistelli “December 25,” Michael Bublé “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas,”  Cheap Trick “I Want You for Christmas,” Vince Gill “Breath Of Heaven (Mary’s Song),” Amy Grant “Tennessee Christmas,” Jewel*“Angels We Have Heard On High,” Dave Matthews “The Christmas Song (9.18.10, Chicago, IL),” Martina McBride*“Please Come Home for Christmas,” Jason Mraz “Winter Wonderland,” One Republic “Christmas Without You,” Rascal Flatts “Mary, Did You Know,” Train “Joy to the World,” Lauriana Mae, Jono, and Grayson Sanders “Something In the Air,” Jordin Sparks “Do You Hear What I Hear,” and Wonder Girls “Best Christmas Ever”

A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS, BRINGING PEACE ON EARTH:
Featuring Meredith Andrews “(He Has Come For Us) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” Chris August “Jesus, Savior,” Francesca Battistelli “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” Big Daddy Weave “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” Jason Castro “Gloria (Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / Angels We Have Heard On High),” Natalie Grant “I Believe,” Group 1 Crew “O Holy Night,” for KING & COUNTRY “Baby Boy,” Dara Maclean “Bethlehem Skies,” Point of Grace “Labor Of Love,” Jamie Grace “Christmas Together,” NEEDTOBREATHE “Go Tell It On The Mountain,” BarlowGirl “For The Beauty Of The Earth (Nativity Version),” Building 429 “We Three Kings,” Mark Schultz “When Love Was Born,” and Sidewalk Prophets “Because It's Christmas”

“This album series has been a remarkable gift to our Special Olympics athletes,” said Timothy P. Shriver, Chairman and CEO, Special Olympics. Thanks to the generosity of countless incredible people across the music industry, the legacy from the ‘A Very Special Christmas’ album series continues to support and sustain our work to bring the joy of sport to people with intellectual disabilities which in turn fosters a global community of acceptance and inclusion.”

Special Olympics changes lives through the power of sport, as the world’s largest organization dedicated to year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for people with intellectual disabilities.

Since 1987, the biggest and brightest voices in the recording industry have generously lent their time and talents to Special Olympics to create the holiday album series ‘A Very Special Christmas,’ the single most successful benefit recording series in musical history generating more than $109 million in royalties to benefit Special Olympics.

Grants from the Christmas Record Trust have enabled Special Olympics to implement programs worldwide, from the United States to Timor Leste, China to Uganda, Cambodia to Haiti and more. In the United States, these funds have also supported Special Olympics programs in urban areas such as New York City, Philadelphia and New Orleans.

Each successive album of the series has honored the quality of its predecessors with timeless recordings of holiday music by some of the most influential and talented artists of their time.  U2, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Madonna, Sting, Bon Jovi, Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, Wyclef Jean, Sheryl Crow, Mary J. Blige, No Doubt, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Vanessa Williams and Bryan Adams are among the stars who contributed tracks to previous albums and whose songs for ‘A Very Special Christmas’ have become perennial favorites on the radio and at holiday celebrations over the years.

Learn more about ‘A Very Special Christmas’ at www.averyspecialchristmas.org

A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS 25^TH ANNIVERSARY  and A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS: BRINGING PEACE ON EARTH are available for download on iTunes and at retailers nationwide, including Best Buy, Walmart, Target and more.

More about Special Olympics:  www.specialolympics.org