Peter Kramer/NBCDarius Rucker, Trisha Yearwood and LeAnn Rimes were among the musical performers on the NBC special Christmas in Rockefeller Center Wednesday night.
Rucker, who just released his first holiday music collection, titled Home for the Holidays, performed his version of “White Christmas” at the tree lighting ceremony in New York City.
Rimes plans to release a series of three holiday albums over the next three years, the first titled One Christmas Chapter-1. She sang a tune from that collection called “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.”
Yearwood covered the bluesy Elvis Presley Christmas song, “Santa Claus Is Back in Town.”
The special, which was hosted by Matt Lauer and other members of the Today show, also included performances by Mariah Carey, Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Idina Menzel, Cyndi Lauper, Sara Bareilles and Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane.
All the musical guests helped the Today show cast countdown the lighting of this year’s tree, an 85-foot tall Norway spruce.
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