Merry Christmas

It's hard to believe that this greatest of all R&B Christmas records, "White Christmas" by the Drifters, is 59 years old. It was recorded on February 4, 1954, and released in November of that year. It reached #2 on the R&B charts the following month.

The Drifters are (from left to right) Clyde McPhatter, Jimmy Oliver, Andrew Thrasher, Gerhart Thrasher and Bill Pinkney. I'll always be grateful to deejay Alan Freed, who came to New York in September, 1954, for getting me interested in rhythm and blues, which led me to a lifelong obsession with jazz and blues.

This article is cross-posted from my music blog, The Blues and the Abstract Truth.