Bob Dylan releases charity album

Rock icon Bob Dylan will sing the old yuletide standards "Winter Wonderland" and "Little Drummer Boy" on his first ever Christmas album, with royalties going to charity, his record label said.

Dylan's "Christmas in the Heart" album is due out on October 13, nearly six months after the release of his last studio album, "Together Through Life," which topped the charts.

Speculation about the Christmas album began surfacing a few months ago, but were initially met with disbelief by some Dylan aficionados, as the singer was not known to record Christmas songs, and his latest albums have featured original material.

Dylan will donate all his U.S. royalties from album sales to the charity group Feeding America, and in a statement he said he hopes it brings "food security to people in need."

Feeding America said it expects to provide meals to 1.4 million people this holiday season with the album proceeds.

Columbia said Dylan plans to donate his international royalties to two charity organizations that give meals to needy people in Britain and the developing world. But details on that partnership are still being worked out.

"Christmas in the Heart" is Dylan's 47th album, and it will include songs like "Here Comes Santa Claus," "Winter Wonderland," "Little Drummer Boy" and "Must Be Santa," said his long-time label, Columbia Records.

Dylan, 68, recently finished a concert tour of minor league ballparks. The singer behind the songs "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," received a Pulitzer Prize last year for his influence on music and culture.

- Reuters