Good night, Jimmy

Mention the name Jimmie Boyd and you'll probably be met with quizzical looks or responses of "who's he." But most of us remember, perhaps not all that fondly, the song "I Saw Mommie Kissing Santa Claus." Jimmie Boyd was the 12-year-old who recorded that song.

Call me a curmudgeon, or call me Jewish, but the fact is that I have never cared that much for Christmas music. It comes from being introduced to rock 'n' roll in the mid-1950s and during the weeks immediately preceding Christmas, the radio stations would suspend playing Fats, Ivory Joe, Lavern and the rest to play schmaltzy holiday music. "I Saw Mommie Kissing Santa Claus" was just one of the worst of the bunch. It was Boyd's only hit song and he parlayed it for all it was worth -- even landing a bit part as a biology student in the film "Inherit the Wind." (He also parlayed it into some controversy: The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston condemned the song for mixing sex with Christmas.)

True, Jimmie Boyd was not major star in the musical constellation, even at the time of his hit single. Still, it seems to me like more attention should have been paid to the fact that Jimmie Boyd died this past weekend. He was living on a sailboat moored in Santa Monica Bay (gotta love that) and apparently died of cancer. He was 70.

So here's to you, Jimmie. At least you came out and told us what happened "under the mistletoe last night," whether we wanted to know or not.