The Philly Specials

As the Philly Specials, members of the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles deliver lighthearted soul covers of holiday classics, with at least a few catered to Eagles fans. With the goal of raising funds for local children's causes, the group was started by a trio of offensive linemen with voices to write home about. Their first album, A Philly Special Christmas, appeared in December 2022; it not only landed on the Billboard 200 but its limited-edition vinyl quickly became a collector's item. Encouraged by the album's reception, they followed it up a year later with the Top 30-charting A Philly Special Christmas Special. Its selections spanned the soul classic "This Christmas," "The Dreidel Song," and their own twist on the Pogues, "Fairytale of Philadelphia." Philadelphia Eagles offensive linemen Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, and Jordan Mailata -- the latter a onetime contestant on TV's The Masked Singer -- established the Philly Specials when they decided to record some Christmas songs for charity together in mid-2022 before the start of training camp. Basing their name on a trick play employed by the Eagles during Super Bowl LII, the Philly Specials entered the studio with producer Charlie Hall, drummer for Grammy-winning Philadelphia indie rockers the War on Drugs, and exited with the seven-song A Philly Special Christmas. Featuring appearances by soul singer Lady Alma, play-by-play announcer Merrill Reese (on "The Night Before Christmas"), and teammates such as Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown, it was issued on Vera Y Records (co-founded by Kelce) on December 23, 2022, with all proceeds going to the city's Children's Crisis Treatment Center. Despite its local focus, the album went on to reach number 80 on the Billboard 200, and they quickly sold through a limited-edition green vinyl release. The core trio headed back to the studio with Hall in 2023 to record a follow-up. This time featuring a more generous 11-song track list that included a Philadelphia-themed reworking of the Pogues' "Fairytale of New York," A Philly Special Christmas Special included appearances by the likes of Patti LaBelle, Amos Lee, and Waxahatchee as well as Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman and former linebacker Connor Barwin. Released on Vera Y and Avenue A Records (including a red vinyl edition) in December 2023, its proceeds benefited Philadelphia-area charities. Issued in conjunction with The Deluxe Album, which contained both LPs, the sequel went all the way to number 25 on the U.S. album chart.
© Marcy Donelson /TiVo