Charles Brown (read more), whose ambling, relaxed, sophisticated blues are now but a footnote to musical history, is the unofficial but undisputed king of Christmas rhythm and blues. He earned his crown on the basis of two songs: "Merry Christmas Baby," first recorded with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers in 1947, and "Please Come Home For Christmas," a 1960 hit on King Records covered with great success the Eagles in 1978. Brown recorded both of these songs many times, including roughly a dozen versions of "Merry Christmas Baby" for a myriad of labels. The tinkling original version (recorded for Exclusive Records) hit #3 on the R&B charts, and a 1964 release on Imperial hit #4 on the Christmas charts. But, it's the 1956 version for Aladdin Records that has proved the most enduring - and arguably best - rendition of "Merry Christmas Baby."

"Please Come For Christmas" reached #26 R&B in 1960 (and would make the Christmas charts consistently for another decade), and King Records capitalized on that success by releasing Charles Brown's first holiday LP, Charles Brown Sings Christmas Songs (pictured above), in 1961. The next year, the label reissued the album, adding another fine reworking of "Merry Christmas Baby" to replace (for obvious reasons) "My Most Miserable Christmas".

Charles Brown Sings Christmas Songs is filled with the same seductive, charming groove that makes his two big holiday hits so great. For reasons I can't entirely explain, Charles Brown simply had an affinity for Christmas music; whether praising his lover or lamenting his loneliness, every yule tune he crooned found him, in the words of his signature song, "all lit up like a Christmas tree."

In 1972, King reissued this material as Please Come Home For Christmas (pictured right), replacing the odd little snowman cover with a similarly odd portrait of an ornament; Brown's picture appears nowhere on either issue - a not uncommon practice in the early days of rock 'n roll. Inexplicably, King appends four rather nondescript instrumentals by organist Bill Doggett from his 1958 LP, Songs Of Christmas, considered by some to be the first-ever rhythm & blues Christmas album. Anyway, this is the version most likely to be found in your local record store (though King has reissued both editions - albeit in typically shoddy fashion - on CD).

Over the years, Brown waxed many more holiday sides. Highlights include a stellar session for Ace in 1960 that yielded "Christmas Finds Me Oh So Sad" (included on Brown's Blue Over You: The Ace Recordings or Ace Records' Rock and Roll Christmas) and a 1970 revision of "Merry Christmas Baby" for Jewel Records featuring strident wah-wah guitar licks (available with other Jewel & Paula holiday sides on Paula's own Merry Christmas Baby).

Though Brown never achieved widespread recognition, he was a big star on the post-war blues scene and a major influence on a generation of singers, Ray Charles foremost among them. In his latter days, Charles Brown experienced something of a comeback, recording with Bonnie Raitt, Boz Scaggs, and John Lee Hooker, and earning long overdue recognition for his accomplishments. During this period, Brown released another seasonal album, Cool Christmas Blues (Bullseye, 1994), also highly recommended. [top of page]