Charles Brown

Anyway, as the 1960's wore on, Charles Brown's star faded, but he would wax many more holiday sides over the years. Sadly, his history and discography (especially his seasonal catalog) is inconsistently documented. I've spent many long hours trying to figure it all out, and I still can't pinpoint the precise details of a number of his Christmas records. All the same, here's what I know:

• Brown recorded for Ace Records in Mississippi during 1959 and 1960, and during that period he recorded the wonderful "Christmas Finds Me Oh So Sad" and another version of "Merry Christmas Baby," but with significantly updated lyrics. These tracks weren't released however, until 1963 when Ace put them out on their short-lived Teem imprint. You can find both sides on Westside's Blue Over You: The Ace Recordings or Ace's Rock and Roll Christmas. It's worth noting that "Christmas Finds Me Oh So Sad" is sometimes referred to as "Please Come Home For Christmas No. 2" and the songs do, indeed, sound quite similar.
• He recorded another version of "Merry Christmas Baby" for Kent Records in 1968, who issued it as a single backed with "3 O'Clock Blues." It can be found on Even Santa Gets The Blues (Poinblank, 1995) and The Best Christmas Ever (Virgin, 1996) - read more about both albums.
• Brown recorded yet another version of "Merry Christmas Baby" in 1969 for Bluesway Records, a subsidiary of ABC, under the title "New Merry Christmas Baby." It was first issued as a single backed with "Rainy Rainy Day" in late 1969, then included on his album Legend! in early 1970.
• And then, Brown recorded several tracks for Jewel Records in 1970. They were initially issued as two singles: "Christmas In Heaven" backed with "Just A Blessing," and "Merry Christmas Baby" with "Please Come Home For Christmas" on the flipside. This particular version of "Merry Christmas Baby," replete with wah-wah guitar, is one of his best. In 1974, Jewel compiled these songs on an LP called Merry Christmas Baby, and later they were compiled on CD by Jewel's sister labels Paula (1991) and Ronn (1996). The latter set was soon reissued by budget label Fuel 2000, and that's the easiest version to find (read more). (A lot of people think the Jewel sides were released in 1965. This is wrong. Jewel had a bad habit of including the copyright date of their trademark on their labels, and there are also pressings stamped with the date 1974.)
• Around 1974, Brown recorded an album with renowned producer Johnny Otis for his label Blues Spectrum. It was the second volume of a 13-volume series called Great Rhythm & Blues Oldies, where each volume featured a different R&B legend performing new versions of his classic hits. Of course, Brown's sessions reprised "Merry Christmas Baby," which was also issued as a single backed with "Rockin' Blues." This version, featuring guitar by Otis' son, Shuggie, can be found on The Very Best Of Charles Brown (Stardust Records, 2000), which was essentially a reissue of the "Great Oldies" album. The Blues Spectrum version is also included on Cleopatra's Blues Christmas (2015).
• In 1977, Charles Brown recorded a little-known second holiday LP called Merry Christmas Baby for Big Town Records, a Los Angeles indie label owned by Jules Bihari, one of four brothers who had founded legendary Modern Records in 1945. It's an unusual album, frankly, that can be characterized several ways. First, it features nothing but original Charles Brown songs, all of them new except the famous title track. Second, it's even more downcast than normal, with many of the songs in a minor key at a slow tempo, most lamenting the loss of love, fortune, or friendship. Third, it's filled with odd, squiggly guitar and synthesizer sounds that date it horribly while, conversely, making it sound quite unique. Criminally, the Big Town LP has never been reissued in any digital format. However, one of its tracks, "I'll Be Home For Christmas" (an original song, not the holiday standard), popped up on the aforementioned Very Best Of Charles Brown and can be found on the occasional digital album.
• Rounder Records released 1990 live recordings of "Merry Christmas Baby" and "Please Come Home For Christmas" on A Life In The Blues (2003). The show was recorded at the Lone Star Roadhouse in Dallas.
• Finally, late in his career Charles Brown released a handful of one-off tracks.
  • He recorded Mabel Scott's classic "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus" for The Alligator Records Christmas Collection (1992). Well, sort of. It's basically a different song. Regardless, Brown was Scott's pianist when she recorded the song in 1948, and she married him the following year - though they divorced three years later.
  • He waxed a lovely duet version of "Merry Christmas Baby" with Bonnie Raitt for A Very Special Christmas 2 (1992).
  • He recorded a solo medley of his two biggest holiday hits for Bullseye Blues Christmas (1995), accompanying himself on the organ. It's a touching performance that would prove to be his final Christmas recording.

Charles Brown died in 1999 at age 76 having never achieved widespread fame. That said, he was a major star on the post-war blues scene and an important influence on an entire generation of singers, Ray Charles foremost among them. Happily, in his latter days, Charles Brown experienced something of a renaissance, recording for Bullseye and Verve, singing with Boz Scaggs and John Lee Hooker, and earning some long overdue recognition for his myriad accomplishments. During this period, Brown released a third and final seasonal album, Cool Christmas Blues (Bullseye, 1994), which included a 1993 single, "A Song For Christmas."

I recommended Cool Christmas Blues, though it's admittedly less essential than Brown's early recordings. The album is split about evenly between old favorites - including, of course, new versions of Brown's two preeminent holiday hits - and numerous titles completely new to Brown's repertoire. Most notably, that includes several brand new Charles Brown compositions. One of them, "Stay With Me," simply isn't a Christmas song. The other two are, though: a romantic holiday ballad, "To Someone That I Love," and a rollicking rocker, "Santa's Blues," featuring the saxophone of Bobby Forte. Guess which one I like more?

The other highlights are two songs Brown waxed for Sings Christmas Songs way back in 1961, "Bringing In A Brand New Year" (first recorded as "Ringing In A Brand New Year" by Billy Ward & The Dominoes in 1953) and Amos Milburn's "Christmas (Comes But Once A Year)." Milburn's original version of the song was actually the flipside of Brown's 1960 King single, "Please Come Home For Christmas." His 1961 recordings are fine, but on Cool Christmas Blues Brown and his band - including Johnny Otis on vibes - really stretch out and swing. Altogether, the album puts a fine point on Charles Brown's legacy, both as a musician and as a holiday icon.

Postscript

In 2015, a Japanese label called Oldays reissued Charles Brown Sings Christmas Songs. The mastering was improved, though not dramatically so, and the mini-LP packaging is nice (though almost everything is written in Japanese). The label even figured out a way to shoehorn Brown's picture into the original cover illustration! Oldays also restored the original 1961 track listing - meaning "My Most Miserable Christmas" finally appeared on a CD - and added two bonus tracks, an alternate take of "Christmas Finds Me Oh So Sad" and, weirdly, the Aladdin version of "Merry Christmas Baby," not one of the King masters. Also, it's in mono, which is disappointing, and it's a public domain release (copyright expires in Japan after 50 years). All the same, it's the best reissue of the album ever, though it might be hard to track down outside of Japan. Try eBay, CD Japan, or directly from the label. [top of page]