A local record producer has brought his friends together for a new Christmas compilation which hits shelves this week and is for a good cause.
"An East Texas Christmas," the new album presented by the Mixing Room, one of the top names in music production in Nacogdoches and Lufkin, is a compilation of classic and new Christmas tunes by regional artists.
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'An East Texas Christmas' is a new Christmas compilation featuring local artists that was put together by The Mixing Room, a studio in Nacogdoches. All proceeds from the record benefit the Special Olympics of Nacogdoches' 'Challenge Day.'
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The album is for sale online, at concerts and in local stores and all proceeds go to benefit the "Challenge Day," sponsored by the Nacogdoches Special Olympics.
Taylor, whose own son is physically challenged, said he got the idea when his 8-year-old Michael participated in the "Challenge Day" last year.
"My son was in it last year for the first time and it was definitely more than I thought it would be," Taylor said. "The reaction and pride he got when he received a medal that day really fired me up and I knew I wanted to get involved and help."
Soon, Taylor was calling on his musician friends, many of whom are scattered across the state, to lend a song to the compilation.
"Everybody I asked just jumped immediately on it," Taylor said. "It all came together so quickly."
All of the musicians lent their time to the project — recorded over the summer at the Mixing Room — free of charge.
"Some of these guys had to drive in from out of town and I would offer them gas money for their troubles and they wouldn't accept it," Taylor said. "They just really wanted to help with the project in any way they could."
The recording of the album proved to be a family affair for Taylor, who played bass guitar on several of the songs, and two of Taylor's sons, Jim Taylor Jr., 17, and Will Taylor, 12, both of whom are drummers, lent their percussion expertise to several tracks as well.
The CD features Christmas classics such as "Jingle Bells," "Please Come Home for Christmas" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," as well as new original tunes like "What's Everybody Gonna Say."
Artists featured on the album include Al White, Mike Hammock, Four on the Floor, Christie Cook, C.V. Yarbrough, Connie Welch and Shades of Blue.
The album will be available at the various artists' upcoming concerts, local stores including Java Jacks, in Nacogdoches, and on the Mixing Room's Web site, themixingroom.com.
If the album takes off, Taylor says he wants to keep it going for years to come.
"Hopefully we can make this a yearly event and get even more people on board," Taylor said. "It's a great holiday gift for a loved one that helps make the life of a physically challenged child a little better."
