Vincent Anthony Guaraldi was an American jazz pianist best known for composing music for animated television adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip. His compositions for this series included their signature melody "Linus and Lucy" and the holiday standard "Christmas Time Is Here". Guaraldi is also known for his performances on piano as a member of Cal Tjader's 1950s ensembles and for his own solo career. Guaraldi's 1962 composition "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" became a radio hit and won a Grammy Award in 1963 for Best Original Jazz Composition. He died of a heart attack on February 6, 1976, at age 47, moments after concluding a nightclub performance in Menlo Park, California.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is a 1965 animated television special. It is the first TV special based on the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz, and features the voices of Peter Robbins, Christopher Shea, Kathy Steinberg, Tracy Stratford, and Bill Melendez. Produced by Lee Mendelson and directed by Melendez, the program made its debut on the CBS television network on December 9, 1965. In the special, Charlie Brown (Robbins) finds himself depressed despite the onset of the cheerful holiday season. After Lucy van Pelt (Stratford) suggests he direct a neighborhood Christmas play, his best efforts are ignored and mocked by his peers when he chooses a puny Christmas tree as a centerpiece.
"Linus and Lucy" is a popular instrumental jazz standard written by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi. It serves as the main theme tune for the many Peanuts animated specials and is named for the two fictional siblings, Linus and Lucy Van Pelt. The jazz standard was originally released on Guaraldi's album Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown in 1964, but it gained its greatest exposure as part of A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack the following year. It is one of the most recognizable pieces by Guaraldi and has gained status as the signature melody of the Peanuts franchise. It has also become a popular song on radio stations playing Christmas music during the holidays.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is the eighth studio album by the American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi. It was released in December 1965 by Fantasy Records to coincide with the television debut of the television special A Charlie Brown Christmas featuring the Peanuts comic characters.
It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown is the sixth prime-time animated television special based on the comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz. It was directed by Bill Melendez and originally aired on CBS on September 27, 1969.
You're in Love, Charlie Brown is the fourth prime-time animated television special based upon the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It originally aired on CBS on June 12, 1967. This was the second non-holiday-oriented Peanuts special, following Charlie Brown's All Stars! in 1966.
You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown is the 14th prime-time animated television special based on the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. It originally aired on the CBS network on October 28, 1975. In this special, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Peppermint Patty participate in a motocross race.
Leland Maurice Mendelson was an American animation producer and executive producer of many Peanuts animated specials.
A Boy Named Charlie Brown is an unaired television documentary film about Charles M. Schulz and his creation Peanuts, produced by Lee Mendelson with some animated scenes by Bill Melendez and music by Vince Guaraldi.
Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown is the sixth studio album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, released in the U.S. by Fantasy Records in December 1964. It is the soundtrack to the unreleased television documentary film entitled A Boy Named Charlie Brown.
Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Television Specials is a compilation soundtrack album by Vince Guaraldi released by D & D Records in 2007. The album consists of select music cues featured on several Peanuts television specials produced between 1972 and 1975.
Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Television Specials, Volume 2 is a compilation soundtrack album by Vince Guaraldi released by D & D Records in 2008. The album is a follow-up to the 2007 release, Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Television Specials, which consisted of previously unreleased music cues featured on several Peanuts television specials produced in the 1970s.
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: Original Soundtrack Recording is a soundtrack album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi released on October 12, 2018 in the U.S. by Craft Recordings. A reissue containing original recordings and alternate takes sourced from the master reels was released on August 26, 2022.
Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits is a compilation soundtrack album by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi released by Fantasy Records in 1998. The album was the first of several posthumous releases containing a mix of previously released material in addition to nine previously unavailable songs featured in prime-time animated television specials based on the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz.
The 1969 animated film A Boy Named Charlie Brown, based on Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts, had two different soundtrack albums. These albums were released individually in 1970 and 2017.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving: Original Soundtrack Recording is a soundtrack album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi released on October 20, 2023, in the U.S. by Lee Mendelson Film Productions. It is the soundtrack album to the Thanksgiving-themed Peanuts television special of the same name first broadcast on the CBS network on November 20, 1973.
It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown: Original Soundtrack Recording is a soundtrack album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi released on July 5, 2024, in the U.S. by Lee Mendelson Film Productions. It is the soundtrack album to the summer camp-themed Peanuts television special of the same name first broadcast on the CBS network on September 27, 1969.
You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown: Original Soundtrack Recording is a soundtrack album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, released on September 6, 2024, in the United States by Lee Mendelson Film Productions. The album is the soundtrack album to the politically-themed Peanuts television special of the same name originally broadcast on CBS on October 29, 1972, nine days before the 1972 United States presidential election between incumbent Richard Nixon and Senator George McGovern.
Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown: Original Soundtrack Recording is a soundtrack album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi released on January 17, 2025, in the U.S. by Lee Mendelson Film Productions. It is the soundtrack to the St. Valentine-themed television special of the same name first broadcast on CBS on January 28, 1975.
It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown: Original Soundtrack Recording is an upcoming soundtrack album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi that will be released on March 21, 2025, in the U.S. by Lee Mendelson Film Productions. It is the soundtrack to the Easter-themed television special of the same name first broadcast on CBS on April 9, 1974.
