The holiday season is coming a bit early for Bob Dylan fans, as the legendary singer-songwriter is set to release his first Christmas album entitled “Christmas in the Heart” on October 13. Dylan has teamed up with Feeding America (feedingamerica.org) for this release and will donate all present and future U.S. royalties from the sales of “Christmas in the Heart” to this organization. Feeding America provides meal assistance, serving more than four million meals during the holiday season.
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As previously reported, Christmas staples “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “Here Comes Santa Claus,” and “Must Be Santa” will be on the album. While a final track list is still unconfirmed, “Winter Wonderland” and “Little Drummer Boy” will also be included. “Christmas in the Heart” is Dylan’s second album this year, following the critically acclaimed, “Together Through Life,” which reached #1 on the Billboard 200.
“When we reached out to Bob Dylan about becoming involved with our organization, we could never have anticipated that he would so generously donate all royalties from his forthcoming album to our cause,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America in a statement. “This major initiative from such a world renowned artist and cultural icon will directly benefit so many people and have a major impact on spreading awareness of the epidemic of hunger in this country and around the world.”
Dylan also commented in the statement, saying “It’s a tragedy that more than 35 million people in this country alone — 12 million of those children — often go to bed hungry and wake up each morning unsure of where their next meal is coming from. I join the good people of Feeding America in the hope that our efforts can bring some food security to people in need during this holiday season.”
Plans are also being finalized in partnering with two international organizations, where he would perpetually donate his international royalties to an organization that provides meals during the holidays in the United Kingdom and another that focuses on developing countries.
Dylan will resume touring this fall with a two week jaunt along the west coast, starting Oct. 5 at Seattle’s WaMu Theatre.