Fans of Country, Blues and vintage roadhouse rock ‘n’ roll won’t want to miss An Americana Christmas, taking place on November 20 at Schulman Auditorium in Carlsbad, CA. The night is both a fun musical holiday party as well as an album release event for headliner Johnny Vernazza and his brand-new collection of X-mas tunes, “Be Home By Christmas.” Vernazza has been fighting cancer for several years, with this new album being part of his journey to recovery. Proceeds from the live show and streamed concert special to follow will go to The American Cancer Society and to support Vernazza’s long, personal battle with cancer.

Kicking off the show will be rising star, Leeann Atherton. An artist with deep roots in gospel, country and blues, Atherton is known far and wide for her powerful vocals, imbuing every performance with a stirring passion. Her voice is a force of nature, as electrifying and volatile as the weather in her hometown of Austin, Texas. It has been said that she combines Bonnie Raitt’s grit, and Billie Holiday’s understated soulfulness, with her own exuberant spirit into a sound all her own that is equal parts honey and gunpowder. Atherton’s set will feature many of the songs from her upcoming album, “Good God Gospel,” set to be released by Brainstem Music in 2026. Americana Christmas then turns to award-winning singer, Sara Petite, an outlaw country headliner whose music reaches far beyond the genre’s borders. Indeed, Petite’s songs owe as much to the rock and roll roadhouse as they do the honky-tonk. She will be playing selections from her seventh album “The Empress,” produced by Grammy nominee Eric Corne. Corne has noted that “it’s easy to understand why great musicians play with her, like pianist Bobby Fuego and bassist Jorge Calderon. They are the real deal and so is she.”

Closing out the night, Blues great Johnny Vernazza debuts songs from his new holiday album “Home By Christmas.” The new release is the culmination of Vernazza’s long, storied career in music, which finds him once again working with superstars, in this case Tommy Castro, and continuing to mentor future legends, such as Anthony Cullins. Making Vernazza’s appearance at An Americana Christmas extra special, he will be joined onstage by several of the musical guests featured on his album, including Cullins. Also on hand will be singer Randy McDonald, who will join in on versions of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and “Christmas In Jail,” as well as acclaimed jazz singer extraordinaire, Mercedes Moore, who will reprise her vocals on the classic songs, “Winter Wonderland” and “Blue Christmas.” A wonderful way to kick off the holiday season, An Americana Christmas offers up something for just about every listener—an opportunity to take in an evening of great music, while at the same time doing a good deed in raising both awareness and funds for the fight against cancer. An Americana Christmas show will be videotaped and edited into a concert television special streamed worldwide over the Thanksgiving Day weekend.