A Charlie Brown Christmas (soundtrack): History and Key Facts

A Charlie Brown Christmas is the eighth studio album by the American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi (later credited to the Vince Guaraldi Trio). Released by Fantasy Records in December 1965, the album coincided with the debut of the television special A Charlie Brown Christmas featuring the Peanuts comic characters.

Guaraldi was contacted by the television producer Lee Mendelson to compose music for a documentary on Peanuts and its creator, Charles M. Schulz. Although the documentary went unaired, selections of the music were released in 1964 as Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown. The Coca-Cola Company commissioned a Peanuts Christmas special in 1965 and Guaraldi returned to score the special.

Guaraldi composed most of the music, though he included versions of traditional carols such as "O Tannenbaum". He recorded at Whitney Studio in Glendale, California, then re-recorded parts at Fantasy Records Studios in San Francisco with a children's choir from St. Paul's Episcopal Church in San Rafael, California. The sessions ran late into the night, with the children rewarded with ice cream afterward. Bassist Fred Marshall and drummer Jerry Granelli were credited as performing on the album.

A Charlie Brown Christmas was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. In November 2014, it was the 10th best-selling Christmas/holiday album in the United States during the SoundScan era.

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