Ike and Tina Turner – Merry Christmas Baby

By , December 15, 2013 12:57 pm

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Ike and Tina

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Listen/Download Ike and Tina Turner – Merry Christmas Baby

Greetings all

The first of our new, soulful Christmas tunes this year is my favorite recording of what is perhaps the greatest R&B-rooted holiday tune ever written.

‘Merry Christmas Baby’, composed by Johnny Moore and Lou Baxter, and first recorded in 1947 by Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers with Charles Brown on vocals, has become a standard, re-recorded many times, in many styles in the decades since it was created.

If you haven’t heard Moore’s group, make sure you do a little digging. Much of their recorded work – with and without Brown – is available in reissue, and is worth your time. They were one of the truly great small groups working in the transitional years between jazz and R&B (in the style of the King Cole Trio, which featured Johnny Moore’s brother, Oscar on guitar).

The version of the song I bring you today is not only my fave ‘Merry Christmas Baby’, but may very well be my favorite holiday soul record.

Ike and Tina Turner released their version of the song in 1964 on the b-side of a cover of Jesse Hill’s New Orleans R&B classic ‘Ooh Poop A Doo’ (using the Turner’s spelling…).

The tune opens with a fanfare, and the Ikette’s wailing ‘Jingle all the way!’, before Tina, Ike and a drummer who sounds like he was playing with sledgehammers drop in like a ton of bricks.

The recording has a remarkable “live’ sound, with the horns and Ikettes dueling for first place all the way through and Miss Tina delivering 110%.

I recently saw a video of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue from the Big TNT Show, and it is a testament to the fact that they were as hot an act as was around in the mid-60s. Every single time the drummer hits that snare drum the whole band explodes, and they carry that vibe onto this 45.

Neither side of this record charted, but don’t let that fool you. This right here…this is the shit.

Ho Ho Ho

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

 

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PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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