Christmas with the Soul Children of Chicago
With December finally being here, I wanted to throw it back to one of my favorite Christmas memories and traditions. In December of 1992, six-year-old me was watching the Christmas in Washington concert with my dad. There were performances by stars like Julie Andrews and Neil Diamond; but for me, it was the Soul Children of Chicago who stole the show. At the time, it was hands-down the coolest performance I had ever seen, and probably the first time I heard music sung in a gospel style. I wanted to be just like them.
That night, my dad recorded the concert on VHS (sorry to anyone who’s under 21 and has no idea what that is), and we’ve been watching that same VHS tape every Christmas for the past twenty-something years. Unfortunately, the tape has gone missing. But I was lucky enough to find it on YouTube so I could relieve one of the best Christmas moments from my childhood. And I totally had a fan girl episode when I realized the director, Walter Whitman, still leads the Soul Children of Chicago choir today.
I know this clip looks like it was recorded with a potato, but hey – it was the 90s. So cheers to the beginning of my favorite month, and I hope this performance puts you all in the holiday spirit.
Main Image: Soul Children of Chicago
