As the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, several players have already delivered a big win by raising $1.5 million and counting for charity.
Eagles center Jason Kelce, offensive tackles Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata, and former linebacker Connor Barwin teamed up with Charlie Hall, the drummer of Grammy-winning band The War on Drugs, and various Philadelphia musicians to create a Christmas album.
Proceeds of the album – dubbed "A Philly Special Christmas" – went to charities in the Philadelphia area, including the Children’s Crisis Treatment Center. "Philly Special" was the nickname for a trick play the team used during the 2018 Super Bowl to help beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
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The album, released in its entirety on all digital services on Dec. 23, climbed to the top of the Apple Music Charts around the holiday season, rivaling other Christmas-themed albums.
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A limited-edition vinyl copy of the album was also available online by Record Stop right before the holiday. The family-owned business told FOX Business that it partnered with "the entire Philly Special Christmas team to help bring the physical media part of this remarkable project to life."
Due to "overwhelming demand," there were three separate pressings of the vinyl, with the first batch going on sale in late November. The second pressing, which went on sale on Dec. 9, sold out in three minutes, according to Record Stop. The third pressing went even faster, selling out in 120 seconds.
This week, the New York Post said Mailata had "the voice of an angel" in a profile.
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The album features seven familiar carols, including "White Christmas," "Blue Christmas," "Silent Night" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." Eagles radio announcer Merrill Reese also narrates "The Night Before Christmas."
The cover art is familiar to Charlie Brown fans. It's reminiscent of the Peanuts characters on the "A Charlie Brown Christmas" album.
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The Eagles said the players previously discussed the idea of making a holiday album. After Barwin found out about the idea, the former Eagles linebacker and team's current director of player development used his musical connections to make it a reality.
The War on Drugs have headlined Barwin's charity show.
Hall produced the album and assembled some of Philadelphian musicians to assist the players in the studio.
Barwin served as an executive producer for the seven-song LP from Vera Y Records, which also features musicians from The Hooters, Dr. Dog and 98-year-old saxophone player Marshall Allen of Sun Ra Arkestra. The recording team also brought in a vocal coach to assist the Eagles players.
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"What began as just a seed of an idea has grown to include all sorts of Philly luminaries both young and old," Hall said.
The album was recorded over several days at various Philadelphia-area studios this past summer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
