You hear that deep voice of Bill Pinkney of the Drifters in the beginning, and then, all of a sudden, that joyful and amazing voice of Clyde McPhatter coming in: “I-yay-yay I’m dreaming…” It tells you both things you need to make a great Christmas record: a good singer and a great arrangement. I think the first Christmas record I liked was “White Christmas” by the Drifters. Oy!īack in the late ’40s, the Christmas music on the radio was all standards, such as Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. Then he told me I would get it if I was a good girl-but instead, once, I got a Kewpie doll. When I finally got my chance, wearing my red dress, I’d jump onto Santa’s lap and start telling him about the doll I wanted for Christmas. My mom was a waitress, and on her feet all day, but she didn’t want to disappoint me. There was a long line of people-I couldn’t even see Santa. I couldn’t wait to go with my dad over to Broadway to pick out our tree, and then I made my mom take me down to Macy’s so I could sit on Santa’s lap. And I have been dreaming ever since.Įvery September, I started getting the Christmas itch. How would I get my toys if we didn’t have a chimney, let alone a fireplace? I jumped up, ran out of the room, calling, “Daddy, Daddy!” My dad answered: “Yes, Butchie?” I asked frantically, “How is Santa going to get here with my toys, Daddy? We don’t have a fireplace.” Daddy looked at me and said, “Don’t worry, Butchie, when Santa is in New York City, he uses the fire escape.” Oh boy, what a relief! I ran into the kitchen, got out the milk and cookies, put them out on the fire escape, and went to bed dreaming of Santa. Wow! I flipped a few more pages, and I saw Santa’s black boots coming down the fireplace. On the page was Santa with his snow-white beard, in his red suit with fluffy white trim, sitting on his sleigh with a giant sack of toys. I was 5 years old.Īround that time, I remember reading a book about Christmas in our apartment. My uncle would put a lightbulb in an old Maxwell House coffee tin that would be my spotlight and I would jump up on the table and sing. There are two passions that have remained with me since I was a little girl growing up in Spanish Harlem: performing, specifically singing rock’n’roll onstage, and Christmas.
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