The classic tale of a classic song
By Windy Barnes Farrell and Maurice Kitchen
Once upon a Christmas song… imagine dreaming you had one chance to write a song that all the world would sing and your dream came true. Hundreds of famous people would record your song and it was loved and purchased by countless millions.
Imagine experiencing a life challenging illness and your share of the sales of that song barely supports your daily living and, due to mounting medical expenses, you’re facing the potential of financial ruin… or worse. Such is the case of Nadine Scott McKinnor.
Not so long ago, in a land called Chicago; a young lady was on a break from her proverbial “job at the post office.” There she happened upon a fantastic singer, recording artist and producer of songs. As fate would have it, she had in her possession wonderful lyrics that she had penned, fastened inside of her ever-present notebook. The young lady shared her whimsical words with the popular singer and eagerly sang the musical melody that had been dancing around in her heart and head. The artist was overwhelmed and rushed to the studio to arrange and record this fantastic gift of a song that had been bestowed upon him.
The year was 1970. The songwriter, Nadine Scott McKinnor; the recording artist, Donny Hathaway; and the song This Christmas. Unfortunately, because of industry practices and music licensing at the time, Ms. McKinnor failed to benefit financially to the extent that we could imagine today.
Since that historic occasion, the mega-hit song This Christmas has become a perennial holiday favorite, covered and performed by over 300 recording artists among them some of the biggest names in music. A movie of the same name, starring Chris Brown, remains a traditional family favorite.
History is littered with countless untold stories about the accomplishments of hidden Black female figures. For over 50 years, we have celebrated and continue to be inspired by Nadine Scott McKinnor’s Christmas classic, This Christmas.
Due to a recent debilitating illness, Nadine is now in need of financial help to assist with mounting medical bills not covered by insurance. A Go Fund Me web page has been created to assist her (gofund.me/4240d1ca). Please show your love to this inspirational writer for her beloved classic, This Christmas by contributing as your heart leads you and visit Nadine’s Facebook page (Nadine Scott McKinnor) to surprise her with a warm and appreciative message. It’s the little things that can make a world of difference.