Merry Christmas Baby

"Merry Christmas Baby" is an R&B Christmas standard credited to Lou Baxter and Johnny Moore and originally recorded in 1947 by Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, featuring the singer and pianist Charles Brown. Charles Brown tells the story this way: “Leon Rene had Exclusive Records. They needed a song, Bing Crosby had “White Xmas”. Lou Baxter, who was a song writer and used to hang around Johnny Moore and the Blazers, said “Charles, I want you to do one of my songs because I need money.” He had to have an operation on his throat, he had throat cancer. If we did one of his numbers they would give him a $500 advance. So I looked in the satchel, I took the satchel (of songs) home that night and I looked in there, I looked at all them things, and it didn’t impress me. I saw Merry Xmas Blues, but the idea struck me. I said this would be a good idea, but it wasn’t like what he had written. I wrote the title Merry Xmas Baby, and I wrote the words, how I was going to sing it, and I mapped it out. Played the piano, and I presented it to Johnny Moore. We didn’t know it was going to be a great big hit, but I thought it was unique. Leon Rene said put the celeste on it. I had never played one. He said “its just like the piano. Put it on the side of the piano. “Cause they didn’t have all these synthesizers. He said” just play it (on the intro) like you play the piano then get back to the piano. “ Exclusive never paid copyrights. Hollywood records took over, lawyers for creditors said artists would get there money, but it never happened. Don Pierce (Hollywood Records) never paid a nickel. Charles lost his letter. When Exclusive recs was sold, the artists/creditors got nothing. Leon Rene promised the artists the money would come. Never happened. “ And Johnny Moore did the deal with Lou Baxter and put his own name on it as well, apparently. It has been covered by many artists, including Chuck Berry, Otis Redding, B.B. King, Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Christina Aguilera, Melissa Etheridge, and Hanson. A version of the song recorded by Bonnie Raitt and Brown is included on the Christmas album A Very Special Christmas 2, released in 1992.

Johnny Moore's Three Blazers was one of the hottest blues attractions on the West Coast when their recording of "Merry Christmas Baby" reached number 3 on Billboard's R&B Juke Box chart during the Christmas season of 1947. Moore, a guitarist, was accompanied Brown and by the bassist Eddie Williams and the guitarist Oscar Moore (Johnny's brother, then a member of the King Cole Trio).