December 18, 2024: Christmas Special

In this special holiday episode of High Cotton Radio, DJ C Murder returns for a second year to spread Christmas cheer with country Christmas classics. Hosted by Zulu Docs and featuring guest appearances from DJ Unit and various call-in listeners, the episode is packed with festive stories, shout-outs, and nostalgic holiday tunes.

DJ C Murder shares personal memories of Christmas traditions, from her father sneaking in holiday carols before Thanksgiving to the timeless charm of Dolly Parton’s music. The hosts dive into the legends of country music, spinning tracks from Loretta Lynn, The Oak Ridge Boys, Alabama, Willie Nelson, and more. Along the way, they discuss the magic of holiday music, family traditions, and the iconic decision that made Dolly Parton one of the wealthiest female artists in history.

Listeners from across the country, including Cleveland, Detroit, and Baton Rouge, call in with song requests and stories, making for a lively and interactive show. The episode wraps up with a tribute to the late Jimmy Buffett and a raucous, fun-loving finale featuring Robert Earl Keen’s Merry Christmas from the Family.

Tune in for a heartfelt, humorous, and music-filled celebration of the season! 

Transcript

[Music: "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" plays]

Zulu Docs: DJ C Murder is back for a country Christmas, and she's here to take over High Cotton Radio on 96.9 FM, your community station in Baton Rouge. DJ C Murder, how you doing? So you're back again for round two. What made you come back on community radio? I thought it might be a one-and-done, but here you are again a year later.

DJ C Murder: Well, first of all, I just want to say Merry Christmas, Zulu Doc, and to our friends here in the studio tonight. I feel like I reached out to you and just said, "I feel like you and Unit should do a show, strictly Christmas carols, country Christmas carols." It would be great. When I was a little girl, my dad used to listen to Christmas carols before Thanksgiving, and my mom got mad and wouldn’t let him. So he’d have to go for a walk and listen to them by himself. I’ve always just loved them—you know, they put you in the holiday spirit, in a good mood. Everybody loves to sit back with a glass of holiday cheer and just let them roll.

Zulu Docs: You're making me sound like a Scrooge! [laughter] Well, I agree. And we appreciate you doing this. We already have the phones ringing off the hook. Let’s start with a little Loretta Lynn. Here’s Country Christmas.

[Song: "Country Christmas" by Loretta Lynn plays]

Zulu Docs: That was the great Country Christmas from the one and only Loretta Lynn. I remember Mrs. Zulu Docs and I were just knee-high to a grasshopper, going out to Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, to visit Miss Loretta’s house. She played right there on her back porch, and we got to see a full-on acoustic Loretta Lynn show with about 75 people. It was one of the coolest things we’ve ever done.

DJ C Murder: That was a wonderful way to start, and I understand we already have fans calling in, requesting shout-outs and everything else. Everybody gets real excited during the holidays. We might have to take a few requests, which we’re not used to, but we can ad-lib it. We can make that work.

Zulu Docs: Oh, DJ Unit just came into the room. DJ Unit, that mic is hot. Anything you want to say to the people?

DJ Unit: People, my fans, I’m really sorry I was late. You know, when it’s just me, I’m here on time, right? I show up five minutes early. But we have to take care of other people… my fault!

Zulu Docs: No worries, glad you made it. We have a lot of great Christmas classics coming up, including I’ll Be Home for Christmas and White Christmas by The Oak Ridge Boys. Here they are.

[Songs: "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "White Christmas" by The Oak Ridge Boys play]

DJ C Murder: That last one goes out to Curry Wiley, who’s listening in Cleveland, Ohio. We love all our Cleveland fans—thank you, Curry!

[Songs: "Joy to the World" and "Silent Night" by Willie Nelson play]

Zulu Docs: What a beautiful rendition of Silent Night. We should probably add a trailer for this episode.

DJ C Murder: Oh, absolutely. That reminds me—my colleague at my former job once told me, "I’m not about to make my kids think that presents come from some fat white man giving out free gifts! They need to know they came from me." And I thought, Wow, that’s really something to think about.

Zulu Docs: Well, moving on, let’s talk about Alabama. We don’t talk about Alabama much in this state for a lot of reasons, but the band Alabama—not so bad. You had a couple of tracks you wanted to play, right?

[Songs: "Christmas in Dixie" and "Tennessee Christmas" by Alabama play]

DJ C Murder: Now that is some classic Christmas music! And speaking of legends, let’s talk about Dolly Parton.

Zulu Docs: Dolly is an icon—why did you want to include her in tonight’s show?

DJ C Murder: Well, she’s just got that voice. She’s got the blonde hair, the theme parks, the cornbread—she’s got everything! My kids always ask for Dolly Parton’s brownies over Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines. And let’s not forget, she made one of the best business decisions ever by holding onto I Will Always Love You when Elvis Presley wanted to buy it. That song went on to make her one of the wealthiest female artists of all time!

[Songs: "Hard Candy Christmas" and "A Christmas to Remember" by Dolly Parton play]

Zulu Docs: That one goes out to Libby Lindsey, who requested Hard Candy Christmas—hope you’re listening, Libby!

DJ C Murder: And speaking of legends, we lost Jimmy Buffett this year, which was heartbreaking. But his version of Mele Kalikimaka is a Christmas favorite.

[Song: "Mele Kalikimaka" by Jimmy Buffett plays]

Zulu Docs: That last one was for Austin McCullough. And we’re getting close to wrapping up, but we can’t end without playing one last Christmas classic. DJ C Murder, you picked a great one to close the show.

DJ C Murder: Yes! Merry Christmas from the Family by Robert Earl Keen. This song is basically my family’s Christmas, and it goes out to my friend Lisette Prieto, who told me, "This song is literally my life."

[Song: "Merry Christmas from the Family" by Robert Earl Keen plays]

Zulu Docs: What a way to end the night! DJ C Murder, you’ve once again brought the Christmas spirit to High Cotton Radio. Thank you for joining us!

DJ C Murder: It’s been a blast—Merry Christmas to everybody!

Zulu Docs: And that’s all for tonight. Until next week, we say goodnight, Irene. We’ll see you in our dreams.

[Outro music plays]