colonel snow wrote:The original version was recorded on 14-11-60 by LaVern Baker & Jimmy Riggs (Atlantic 2090).
The actual surname was Ricks. He was one of the founding members of The Ravens in 1946, and he stayed with the group until 1956, when he started a solo career.
There's another connection between Elvis and Ricks. The Ravens' 1948 recording of "White Christmas" is the direct precedent and inspiration for Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters' 1953 version, which in turn was probably the main inspiration for Elvis' 1957 version.
Note that Jimmy Ricks (bass) and Maithe Marshall (tenor) shared verses in The Ravens' version, and we had Bill Pinkney and Clyde McPhatter doing the same trick in The Drifters' recording. Even the "Silent Night" and slowed down ending is shared by both (and Elvis') versions :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1qY5ZXv-X4