Charles Brown: Brown Christmas

 

THERE ARE a lot of ways to tell when it's time for Santa's sleigh to make its annual orbit. In black nightclubs across the country, one sure sign that Christmastime is here is Charles Brown's wistful voice warming jukeboxes with his timeless lover's prayer, 'Merry Christmas, Baby'. This sweet kiss of Yuletide bliss became the R&B equivalent of 'Jingle Bells'; it's as perennial as Santa Claus himself in certain circles.