Of course, I'd been a fan of this force of nature known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans" since the mid-60s, when the Rolling Stones' cover of "Time Is On My Side" pointed me in the direction of the woman who recorded the original version. Irma Thomas, the "Soul Queen of New Orleans" (above in 1967), released such gems as "I Done Got Over It," "It's Raining," "Ruler of My Heart," Wish Someone Care" and many others. But the best was Thomas' take on "O Holy Night." There was a lot to enjoy, including tracks by Allen Toussaint, Aaron Neville and Luther Kent.
In 1986, Warren "Bubby" Valentino released a compilation of tunes by various artists entitled A Creole Christmas. I prefer to think that I'm merely devoted to the very best of it. My wife contends that I've long since become obsessed with the subject.
In search of a merrier (and more secular) Christmas, I started in 1984 to curate a seasonal soundtrack, Xmas Jollies, for my friends and family, and I've done it every year since. I liked everything about the way they observed the holiday except for the very traditional music. That changed, though, when I married a gentile and began to celebrate Christmas with my wife’s family. At our house when I was growing up, it was all about dreidels and a menorah, and while there was no escaping Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" and Gene Autry's "Rudolf, the Red Nosed Reindeer" on the radio, I was hardly a devotée of yuletide music. It's entirely possible that when I first listened to Irma Thomas belt out her rendition of "O Holy Night" in 1990, it was also the first time I’d ever heard the Christmas classic.
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