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30 October 2014

Little Drummer Boy

Album: The Spirit Of Christmas, Columbia 39415, January 1986.

The tracks of this album were recorded at RPM International in Los Angeles - almost all of them with members of the Ray Charles Orchestra - in the fall of 1984.

The one exception was this tune, which was recorded "off season" (i.e. in a hiatus between tours, maybe in early 1985 before Ray hit the road again) with a few LA session musicians, amongst whom James Gadson.

Arranged by Ray Charles and Larry Muhoberac.

Ray had toyed with the idea of a Christmas album for many years. Proof of that can be found in a documentary item produced by the ABC news magazine 20/20, aired on 12 November 1981  - with a few seconds where you can see Ray working in his studio, experimenting with a recording of Little Drummer Boy (in a radically different arrangement).



Gospel concert 2002:


Live:
'88c TV Christmas - With orchestra tape
'02 LC Gospel - Released

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