When I obtained two box sets of the Memphis-based soul label STAX several years back, I noticed that there were a few holiday-related singles in the collections. Here are just three.
Booker T. and the MG’s
The STAX house band, included Booker T. Jones (organ, piano), Steve Cropper (guitar), Lewie Steinberg, replaced in 1965 by Donald “Duck” Dunn (bass), and Al Jackson, Jr. (drums). They also had some hit singles.
The group released a holiday album, In The Christmas Spirit in 1966. It put out one seasonal single that year, Jingle Bells, b/w Winter Wonderland. “Jingle Bells peaked at #20 on Billboard’s list of Christmas-related singles in 1966. It did not make the standard pop charts.”
The next December, STAX released another single, Silver Bells b/w the non-album track, Winter Snow.
Booker is still playing music, often with Steve Cropper.
LISTEN to Silver Bells with the painfully lovely Winter Snow at 2:30
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William Bell
The singer/songwriter/pianist had a number of soul hits. Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday was a minor success in 1967, getting to #33 on the r&b charts.
Bell was still performing at the beginning of 2015.
LISTEN to Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday
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Isaac Hayes
The keyboard player/songwriter for STAX, the singer, who died in 2008), released a couple of albums in 1970, but also a holiday, non-album single, one that invokes Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Jingle Bells, and We Three Kings, among other songs.
LISTEN to The Mistletoe and Me
Gosh that post took me back. Booker T & the MGs were among my record collection. Also seeing Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn and Steve Cropper demonstrated to me me that white folks can do R&B too 🙂
I had one of Cropper’s singles, but for the life of me couldn’t remember what it was so I had to look it up. It was Funky Broadway with Crop Dustin’ on the B-side.
The band will always be a part of the British summer because Soul Limbo is the theme tune for Test Match Special on the radio. (That’s cricket btw)
Still have the “Jingle Bells”/”Winter Wonderland” 45 (Stax 203).