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This year Los Angeles bluesman Ray Bailey provides Blues In The South with its traditional
Christmas blues interview:

Was Christmas an important time for the blues scene in your local area?

The blues scene, in 1970's Los Angeles, had a lot of venues, and had Christmas celebrations at all of
them. Most venues had a house band
which was my kind of employment at the
time. Usually there was a featured

performer and a couple of guests,
sometimes a comedian or a dance act.
What were the most popular Christmas
blues songs in the clubs?

Hands down, ‘Merry Christmas Baby’
was a favourite then and now. In the
seventies I remember Charles Brown
working in Los Angeles a lot, and there
were impersonators working also. You
could get a Christmas gig if somebody in
the band could sing ‘Merry Christmas
Baby’. Also popular was B.B. King’s ‘Back

Door Santa’.

Have you ever written a Christmas blues
yourself?

I am working on a Christmas song right
now!

How have you coped with the pandemic?

The pandemic has been spent doing all

the things I like, recording, writing, and
painting. I have a few health issues, so I
have been sheltering in place. I'll be
playing my first gig since the start of the
pandemic on November 5th. I’m looking
forward to playing with other people,
I’ve been mostly recording by myself.

And how will you spend Christmas Day?

Christmas Day I usually spend with

family. I used to be a gigoholic, I’m just trying to smell the flowers now. I hope all the people out
there that enjoy the blues make some beautiful memories this holiday season and remember to
support live music, hope to see you in the blues! Merry Christmas to you all!

Norman Darwen