Liz McComb Reveals Her Love & Sadness for Christmas
Singer-pianist, Liz McComb, will be spending Christmas in Paris - the city that made her a star throughout Europe's Roots music scene over 30 years ago, doing a series of concerts. However, her favorite place to be during the holidays has always her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, surrounded by her mother and six siblings. However, there are less faces around the table these days. "My mother was the glue," she says of Fannie McComb, a warm-hearted, Pentecostal-preacher who passed away in 2012. "She loved to have the family stand around the piano and sing Christmas songs. The meal was cooking, people laughing. It was a joyous time."
A few weeks before last Christmas, one of McComb's sisters died of cancer and her brother passed away a while back. "I can't think of Christmas without also thinking of them and their absence," she reflects. "It makes me sad that they aren't still here." However, McComb's current album, Merry Christmas (GVE/CE Music: http://smarturl.it/LizMcCombChristmas), brings back happy memories. "Almost all of the songs on it are songs we either sang in church or at home when I was growing up."
These renditions range from a gut-bucket update of "Children, Go Where I Send Thee" and a bluesy "Walk in the Light" to a guitar-strummed take on "The Christmas Song." The album has peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Gospel Album Sales chart. A New York Times review of it, declares, "In every setting, her voice is soulful and forthright."
McComb has sung in churches since the age of three and made her splash in 1979 by touring Europe with the Jean Austin Singers and then in The Roots of Rock 'N' Roll Revue where she opened for singer, Bessie Griffin. Since the 1980s, McComb has been stationed in Paris where she's thought of as modern-day Mahalia Jackson for her earthy performances that have led her to headline France's biggest cathedrals and concert venues such as Palais des Sports. She's recorded more than a dozen albums and she's also performed on bills with Ray Charles, James Brown, and B.B. King, among others.
Lulu Garcia-Navarro recently interviewed McComb about her life and music for a news segment that will air this Sunday, December 23 on NPR's "Weekend Edition Sunday."
Tags : liz mccomb liz mccomb news liz mccomb christmas album
Hot Trends
-
Here Are Lyrics to Darlene Zschech's "Yes Again"
-
Dr. David Jeremiah Had a Fall & Cancels All Speaking Engagements for "Singing in the Sun"
-
Steven Curtis Chapman Remembers Daughter Maria 15 Years After Her Tragic Death
-
Producer Angela White Hopes New Movie "A Question of Faith" Will Eradicate Racism
-
Here Are Lyrics to Bryan & Katie Torwalt's "Clean Heart"
-
Here Are the Christian and Gospel Music Nominees For The 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards
-
Former Rock Star Tour Manager Kelly K Shares About His Near-Death Accident, Coming to Christ, His New Book & More
-
Time Life Releases 1960s TV Concert Series "Jubilee Showcase" as a Streaming-Only Album
-
For The First Time Ever in English and Spanish the Powerful Epic THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST Arrives on Digital HD, Blu-ray and DVD
-
The 3 Heath Brothers Introduce Us to the Next Generation of Gospel Music
-
YWAM Kona Music Releases Debut Record, "The Commission (Live)" EP
-
'A Week Away' Star Kevin Quinn Joins Winter Jam Lineup
-
Forrest Frank Announces Deluxe Version of Hit Album "Child of God"
-
Audrey Assad Addresses the Question of Our Self-Worth with New Song "The Middle"
-
Internet Influencer and Christian Artist Joseph Solomon Admits He is No Longer a Christian
Most Popular
-
Here Are Lyrics to Darlene Zschech's "Yes Again"
-
Dr. David Jeremiah Had a Fall & Cancels All Speaking Engagements for "Singing in the Sun"
-
Steven Curtis Chapman Remembers Daughter Maria 15 Years After Her Tragic Death
-
Producer Angela White Hopes New Movie "A Question of Faith" Will Eradicate Racism
-
Here Are Lyrics to Bryan & Katie Torwalt's "Clean Heart"
-
Here Are the Christian and Gospel Music Nominees For The 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards
-
Former Rock Star Tour Manager Kelly K Shares About His Near-Death Accident, Coming to Christ, His New Book & More
-
Time Life Releases 1960s TV Concert Series "Jubilee Showcase" as a Streaming-Only Album
-
For The First Time Ever in English and Spanish the Powerful Epic THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST Arrives on Digital HD, Blu-ray and DVD
-
The 3 Heath Brothers Introduce Us to the Next Generation of Gospel Music
-
YWAM Kona Music Releases Debut Record, "The Commission (Live)" EP
-
'A Week Away' Star Kevin Quinn Joins Winter Jam Lineup
-
Forrest Frank Announces Deluxe Version of Hit Album "Child of God"
-
Audrey Assad Addresses the Question of Our Self-Worth with New Song "The Middle"
-
Internet Influencer and Christian Artist Joseph Solomon Admits He is No Longer a Christian