Ain't Gonna Let You See My Santa Claus - Christmas Blues:
The first commercial Christmas blues record was cut by Bessie Smith. Her classic 'At The Christmas Ball' inaugurated the Christmas blues tradition when it was recorded in Nov 1925 for Columbia. A year later, circa December 1926, thegospel Christmas tradition was launched when the Elkins-Payne Jubilee Singers recorded 'Silent Night, Holy Night' for Paramount Records. After these recordings it was off to the races with numerous Christmas blues numbers recorded by singers of all stripes, a pace that continued as blues evolved into R and B and then rock and roll. It’s almost certainly the case that many of these songs were recorded at the prompting of the record companies. Like any business they were always looking for a new angle or gimmick to sell records and advertised these Christmas records boldly, often with full-page ads, in black newspapers like the Chicago Defender and magazines like Billboard. Today we spin Christmas blues platters from the 20's through the 60's.
http://www.sundayblues.org for playlists, show notes, reviews and more.
