Christmas in the Thimes’ home was always something special.
“It was my mother’s favorite holiday,” Denise Thimes said. “We would have family gathered around and we would be listening to my father on the radio – he was always on the air for Christmas – it would always be a wonderful time. I get a special feeling just thinking about it.”
The five Thimes siblings would race down to the tree. Their father, the late radio legend Lou “Fatha” Thimes, spared no expense to ensure every one of their Christmas wishes came true.
That feeling is one she promises she will bring to The Sheldon on Wednesday, December 11. Next week with It’s A Holly Jazzy Christmas, Thimes will be honoring her mother’s memory while scratching an item off of her bucket list.
“We want to continue to create that awareness,” Thimes said. “And we want to be a huge supporter of The Siteman Cancer Center.”
“I always wanted to present the type of Christmas concert where there was that old-fashioned holiday excitement,” Thimes said. “You know, the same type of joy when you wake up at five or six o’clock in the morning. And play The Temptations all day.”
The concert will conjure up those throwback feelings of Christmas past – and with proceeds benefiting the Mildred Thimes Foundation for pancreatic cancer research, it will be a party with a purpose. The foundation was established in honor of Thimes mother, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 1997.
“We want to continue to create that awareness,” Thimes said. “And we want to be a huge supporter of The Siteman Cancer Center.”
Thimes’ Christmas excitement rivaled what she felt as a child when she talked about the upcoming concert. The show will feature special guests Kim Fuller, Robert Nelson and stage and screen veteran Antonio Fargas.
“If you had told me that I would have someone of his caliber as a featured artist on one of my shows, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Thimes said of Fargas. “To find out what he will be doing on stage, audiences will have to come to the show and see for themselves.”
Thimes’ appreciation for Fuller dates back to the days when Fuller played gigs at places like Gene Lynn’s famous club. “Kim is a singer’s singer,” Thimes said. “I always wanted to connect with her.”
Thimes studied Fuller – and other St. Louis legends like Jeanne Trevor and Marsha Evans – when she returned home after receiving a degree in musical theater from Spelman and worked to make a name for herself as a singer. She has become a legend in her own right.
She’s performed for Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin and Queen Elizabeth II – at their request. Her most recent performances prior to Wednesday’s show were as a featured soloist for The Count Basie Orchestra. “It feels pretty damn terrific,” Thimes said of knowing that her name is now tethered to the jazz icon who paved the way for so many – including the region’s own Miles Davis and Clark Terry.
It’s A Holly Jazzy Christmas will have some of the best musicians the region has to offer, including a few with their own national and international reputations. Lamar Harris, Damarius Hicks and Eric Slaughter are among them.
“The musicians alone are worth the price of the ticket,” Thimes said.
But they won’t be alone, in addition to Thimes, Fargas, Nelson and Fuller, the concert will include an opening performance from The Girls Inc. Choir.
“I’m so happy that they will be there performing,” Thimes said. “Because when I think of Christmas, I think of my childhood and how I was blessed to have so many wonderful Christmases.”The Mildred Thimes Foundation’s presentation of It’s A Holly Jazzy Christmas starring Denise Thimes with special guests Kim Fuller, Robert Nelson, Antonio Fargas and The Girls Inc. Choir will take place at 7 p.m. (with a special VIP cocktail Christmas party at 5:30 p.m.) on Wednesday, December 11 at The Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd. For tickets, visit www.metrotix.com.
Living It content is produced in partnership with Regional Arts Commission.
Love the family and wishes to all
JAMES CHESTER ( ALARM MAN – SECURITY – BUS DRIVER ) HAPPY HOLIDAYS 😊