“To think that Jamerson could compose this entire bassline spontaneously and still be locked into the groove is astounding. That's his genius”: How Motown hit-maker James Jamerson funked up a Christmas classic on this 1968 holiday gem

Motown bassist James Jamerson. A promotional portrait of American R&B group, The Temptations, circa 1965.

The Temptations' version of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer was originally recorded in October 1968 and released both as a single and as part of the December ’68 album Merry Christmas From Motown. It also made the group's 1970 side, The Temptations Christmas Card, as well as the top-selling 1973 double-album A Motown Christmas.

The track captures the legendary Jamerson at his peak powers, before personal and health problems began to take their toll. So said Allan Slutsky, author of the epic bass tome Standing in the Shadows of Motown, which he later developed into the 2002 film of the same name.