If there was ever a reggae artiste to poke fun at Christmas norms, it was Jacob Miller.

Never one to shy from hitting the system, the singer was in his element in 1978 when he and the Inner Circle band recorded their Natty Christmas album.

Forty-one years later, it remains a popular reggae Yuletide production. Natty Christmas contains 11 songs, including his take on classic Christmas carols such Wish You A Merry Christmas and Silver Bells; as well as Natty No Santa Claus, All I Want For Ismas, and On The Twelve Day of Ismas.

The set, which was recorded at Channel One studio in Kingston, also featured deejay Ray I.

Bernard “Touter” Harvey, Inner Circle’s keyboardist, said he and his bandmates were just looking to have some fun.

“The idea at the time was to make an album that would appeal to and represent our Jamaican culture. We all grew up listening to the classics, which never represented our reality, so we thought, ‘why not create something that represents us while still using the familiar’,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Harvey said when it was time to record, the charismatic Miller turned the project on its head.

“The sessions had a great vibe; Jacob was his usual self, making or should I say changing the lyrics as we go along,” he recalled. “At the time it was another first for us, as it was the only Christmas album with a reggae beat.”

Natty Christmas featured Inner Circle’s core members — Harvey, and brothers Roger and Ian Lewis playing rhythm guitar and bass, respectively. Mikey Chung of Now Generation fame played guitar and Robbie Shakespeare shared bass duties.

Harvey, who is still a member of Inner Circle along with the Lewis siblings, believes Natty Christmas set a trend for reggae Christmas songs.

“One must remember, we never took ourselves too serious while making the album. After the success of the initial release, the following year every production house had one,” he said.

Miller, centrepiece of Natty Christmas, died in a motor accident in March 1980 at age 27.