I did an interview with Ronnie Spector which should be running in next week’s New Haven Advocate. She’s been doing annual Christmas Day concerts at Mohegan Sun casino for years now, and has just released a 5-song EP, Ronnie Spector’s Best Christmas Ever—her first significant Christmas recordings since The Ronettes appeared on Ronnie’s then-husband’s classic album A Christmas Gift for You.
In her honor, then, here are 20 other R&B/Soul Christmas tunes which have been high on the Arnott household holiday playlist this season:
1. “I Wish You a Merry Christmas,” Big Dee Irwin and Little Eva:
“Big Dee, did anyone ever tell you you were big, strong, handsome kind hearted… and fat?!”
“Huh?!”
2. “Santa Claus is a Black Man,” AKIM and the Teddy Vann Production Company:
“He looked a lot like you. He was handsome…”
“I can dig it.”
“He was black.”
“Right on.”
“He had an Afro, he was really out of sight. Now I’m going to tell everybody that I saw Santa.”
3. “Fat Daddy,” Fat Daddy:
“I’m Fat Daddy. I’m Santa Claus.”
4. “Hurray for Santa Claus,” The Fleshtones:
“We spell it S-A-N-T-A C-L-A-U-S!”
5. “Lil’ Bass Boi,” B-Fast and G-Slow (of the 69 Boyz):
“One time for the boyz in the hole, parumpumpumpum…”
6. “Peaceful Christmas,” Danny Boy
“Bells don’t jingle no more. White snow don’t fall in the ghetto.”
7. “Jingle Bells,” Booker T & the MGs.
8. “Purple Snowflakes,” Marvin Gaye:
“They seem to say that our love is here to stay. We’ll be cosy and warm until the flowers bloom.”
9. “Christmas Celebration,” B.B. King:
“Let Christmas bring you happiness. Well, I want you to have a good time like we did on all the rest.”
10. “Feliz Navidad,” El Vez.
11. “Run Rudolph Run,” The Archies.
12. “Oh Holy Night,” The Temptations.
13. “Winter Wonderland,” The Funk Brothers.
14. “Xmas Twist,” Twistin’ Kings.
15. “The Christmas Song,” Etta James.
16. “Santa Baby,” Faith Evans.
17. “Christmas Time is Here,” Dianne Reeves.
18. “(Christmas Ain’t Christmas Without the One You Love,” The Ebonys.
19. “Soul Santa,” Brook Benton:
“Wouldn’t it be so revealing if Santa had black kinky hair?”
20. “Hang Up Your Stocking,” The Chipmunks.
CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE: Have to acknowledge some extraordinary Christmas compilation compilers here. Wish I could be cool enough to have discovered on old 45s or urban radio…
Numbers 1, 2 & 3 are all from A John Waters Christmas, which is right up there with his Hairspray and Cry Baby soundtracks in the themed comp hall of fame. (It also features Tiny Tim, The Coctails and the anti-consumerist warcry “Here Comes Fatty Claus” by Rudolph and Gang.)
#4: From The Fleshtones’ Stocking Stuffer, probably the most recent disk on this list.
#5: From Quad City All-Star Christmas.
#6: From Christmas on Death Row.
#7: From the Rhino promo gift Music to Stuff Any Stocking—Christmas Sampler 1996.
#8 and #9: From Blue Christmas, free CD with MOJO Magazine’s January 2005 issue. (MOJO has another Christmas CD in its current issue.)
#10: From Elton John’s Christmas Party, a comp prepared for Starbucks’ Hear Music label.
#11: From The Archies’ Christmas Album featuring Betty & Veronica.
#12: Bonus “previously unreleased” track on The Best of The Temptations Christmas CD.
#13 & #14: From A Motown Christmas Volume 2.
#15: From Etta James, 12 Songs of Christmas.
#16 & 17: From Slow Jams for Christmas (Capitol Records, 2007).
#18 and #19: From Slow Jams Christmas Volume 2 (unrelated to the above; this one’s on The Right Stuff, label, from 1997).
#20: From Christmas With The Chipmunks—Alvin, Simon & Theodore with David Seville. Always thought it was nice of this album to spell out all the participants’ names in the title. The Supremes never experienced that sort of democracy.