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Dr. John

The legendary Dr. John is a six-time Grammy Award-winning musician and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Known throughout the world as the embodiment of New Orleans’ musical legacy, Dr. John is a true icon in American culture. His colorful musical career began in the 1950s when he wrote and played guitar on some of the greatest records to come out of the Crescent City, including recordings by Professor Longhair, Art Neville, Joe Tex, Frankie Ford and Allen Toussaint.

Dr. John headed west in the 1960s, where he continued to be in demand as a session musician, playing keyboards on records by Sonny and Cher, Van Morrison, Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones' “Exile On Main St.” During that time he launched his solo career, developing the charismatic persona of Dr. John The Nite Tripper. A legend was born with his breakthrough 1968 album “Gris-Gris,” which introduced to the world his unique blend of voodoo mysticism, funk, rhythm & blues, psychedelic rock and Creole roots. Several of his many career highlights include the masterful album “Sun, Moon and Herbs” in 1971 which included cameos from Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger and 1973’s “In The Right Place,” which contained the chart hits “Right Place Wrong Time” and “Such A Night.”

In addition to his six Grammy wins (1989, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2008 and 2013), he has received six other Grammy nominations over the years. In 2007 he was nominated for “Sippiana Hericane,” his Hurricane Katrina benefit disc. After Hurricane Katrina Dr. John immediately stepped up to the plate with generous relief fund-raising concerts and recordings. In 2007 he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and Blues Hall of Fame. In 2008 he released “City That Care Forgot,” winning him a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album. His album "Locked Down", released in 2012 with Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album. In 2013 Dr. John was awarded an honorary doctorate from Tulane University alongside His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

In 2014, Dr. John released critically acclaimed tribute to Louis Armstrong "Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch,” with co-producer and arranger Sarah Morrow, his longtime music director. In 2015, Dr. John was awarded the Louie Award from the Louis Armstrong House Museum, and he will receive the Jazz Foundation of America's Hank Jones Award in October, 2016 at “A Great Night in Harlem” which has pledged $1 Million to help musicians recovering from the 2016 Louisiana flood.

Dr. John: The Montreux Years

Read "The Montreux Years" reviewed by Dave Linn

by Dave Linn
June 8, 2023

New Orleans is considered the birthplace of jazz. In the late 1800s, the city was a melting pot of different cultures, including African, European, and Caribbean. This cultural diversity had a profound impact on the music of the city. The new sounds of Dixieland and ragtime became the foundation in the evolution of jazz. Artists such as Buddy Bolden, King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet and Jelly Roll Morton became the leaders of this new music. It was ...

Album Review

Dr John: Things Happen That Way

Read "Things Happen That Way" reviewed by Chris May

by Chris May
October 4, 2022

Interviewing the late Dr John aka The Night Tripper aka Dr John Creaux aka Mac Rebennack was a pleasure. Witty, erudite and b.s. free, he was reliably good copy. On one occasion he was an hour late and obviously, totally and spectacularly off his face. “If I nod out," he said, “kick me on the shin." The doctor was in... and out. Things Happen That Way has turned out to be Dr John's last recorded studio album, ...

Album Review

Various Artists: New Orleans Mambo: Cuba to NOLA

Read "New Orleans Mambo: Cuba to NOLA" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki

by Chris M. Slawecki
January 20, 2021

The distance between New Orleans (Louisiana, USA) and Havana (Cuba) is almost exactly 670 miles, about a two-hour flight. But it takes only one listen to Putumayo Records' anthology New Orleans Mambo: Cuba to NOLA to bridge the distance between the two. With such a wide and colorful net to cast, assembling this collection must have been a lot of fun. This includes the companion booklet, which contextualizes the cross- cultural dance between New Orleans and Cuba by ...

Jazzmatazz

Remembering Dr. John

by Matt Hooke
June 14, 2019

Dr. John, Ph'd in jny: New Orleans piano with a minor in voodoo, died at the age 77 on June 6. Dr. John honored his roots, learned from masters like Professor Longhair, and added his own special herbs to create a gumbo that can never be recreated, even if someone manages to find a recipe. Dr. John was born Mac Rebennack, a name that makes one wonder why he thought he would need an alias in the first place. Rebennack's ...

Album Review

Dr. John: The Atco/Atlantic Singles 1968-1974

Read "The Atco/Atlantic Singles 1968-1974" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki

by Chris M. Slawecki
February 19, 2016

If you have a musician friend who plays in a rhythm section, or just a friend who simply loves rhythm, drop Dr. John: The Atco/Atlantic Singles 1968--1974 on them. Throughout these 22 tracks, every A-side and B-side of every Dr. John Atco/Atlantic Records single issued in the US and the UK, produced by such industry giants as Jerry Wexler and Ahmet Ertegun and New Orleans legends Harold Battiste and Allen Toussaint, this good doctor's rhythms are swirling, offbeat, and deceptively ...

Album Review

Dr. John: Ske-Dat-De-Dat The Spirit of Satch

Read "Ske-Dat-De-Dat The Spirit of Satch" reviewed by Ernest Barteldes

by Ernest Barteldes
September 7, 2014

New Orleans piano man Dr. John needs little introduction--his work as a groundbreaking genre-bending musician crosses multiple musical borders. Multiple collaborations with various artists throughout a long career have given him a well-deserved reputation that earned him a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame--even though he is a New Orleans boogie man at heart. His amazing tribute to the music of fellow Louisiana son Louis Armstrong features musicians from various backgrounds. The disc begins with ...

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Album Review

Dr. John and the Lower 911: Tribal

Read "Tribal" reviewed by Mike Perciaccante

by Mike Perciaccante
August 1, 2010

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Dr. John made his bones (at least with the national audience) with a spooky, swampy blues / psychedelia / R&B / funk / pop / rock / jazz-influenced musical gumbo that included the originals “Right Place, Wrong Time," “Mardi Gras Day," “I Walk on Guilded Splinters," “Such A Night" as well as covers of “Iko Iko," “Big Chief" and “Tipitina." Though Dr. John has never changed his approach or his sound, Tribal (to ...

Festival

Twin Cities Jazz Festival Announces 2015 Headliners!

Source: Connie Shaver LLC
April 21, 2015

St. Paul, MN — Six-time Grammy winner Dr. John and the Nite Trippers, the Araya Orta Latin Jazz Quartet Featuring Othello Molineaux, Festival Artistic Director Francisco Mela's new Jazz Machine with special guest Nicholas Payton, 2014 Monk Trumpet Competition winner Marquis Hill and an all-star quartet featuring Chris Potter, Dave Holland, Lionel Loueke and Eric Harland will headline the 17th annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival, director Steve Heckler announced today. The festival, to be held June 25 - 27 in ...
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Interview

Interview: Dr. John

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
August 14, 2014

A few weeks ago, I was in a car heading across the longest continuous bridge over water in the world. It takes about 25 minutes driving at 60 mph to cross Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain on the Causeway. There's a point on that bridge where you can't see New Orleans behind you, bayou country in front of you or land on either side. That's one massive lake, leaving you feeling as though you were driving to Europe. I was on my way ...
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Festival

Bourbon St. Comes To Bellevue Ave: Newport Jazz Fest Salutes New Orleans, 8/3

Source: Carolyn McClair Public Relations
April 11, 2012

Bourbon Street Comes to Bellevue Avenue: Newport Salutes New Orleans with Dr. John & The Lower 911 and Preservation Hall Jazz Band Opening Night Concert of Newport Jazz Festival Presented by Natixis Global Asset Management at International Tennis Hall of Fame on Friday, August 3, 8:00 pm Tickets Go On Sale Wednesday, April 11, 10:00 am Newport Jazz Festival Opening Night Cocktail Party 6:30-7:45 pm, International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino NEWPORT, RI: Two of the most ...
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Music Industry

Dr. John: Three-Weekend Residency in Brooklyn, Auerbach to Appear

Source: JamBase
January 19, 2012

DR. JOHN TO LEAD THREE-WEEKEND RESIDENCY AT BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC Following Friday's announcement that Dr. John will release his forthcoming, Dan Auerbach-produced album, Locked Down, on Nonesuch Records on April 3, comes news that the New Orleans native, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer will lead a three-weekend residency titled “Dr. John: Insides Out" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, New York, March 29 through April 14. The centerpiece of the residency is a three-night run of ...
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Recording

Dr. John: New Album Produced by Keys' Dan Auerbach

Source: JamBase
January 14, 2012

DR. JOHN TO RELEASE LOCKED DOWN ON NONESUCH RECORDS APRIL 3 Storied musician and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dr. John—Mac Rebennack—will release Locked Down, a startling album that marks a significant departure from his recent efforts, on April 3, 2012. The new album, produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, will be Dr. John's first for Nonesuch Records. It's an entirely new approach for the iconic Dr. John, featuring as it does his collaboration with Auerbach and a ...
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Performance / Tour

Dr. John: Summer Tour, Special Bonnaroo Performance

Source: JamBase
May 20, 2011

DR. JOHN OWNS BONNAROO 2011 WITH SPECIAL ANNIV. PERFORMANCE OF HIS LEGENDARY DESITIVELY BONNAROO FEATURING THE ORIGINAL METERS 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Dr. John will perform his landmark 1974 album Desitively Bonnaroo in its entirety on Saturday, June 11 with the Original Meters and Allen Toussaint at Bonnaroo to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the popular music festival, which took its name from the album. He will also join Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys the ...
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Award / Grant

Dr. John, Tom Waits Among Rock Hall of Fame Inductees

Source: Groove Notes
March 6, 2011

There are a handful of jazz musicians who have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. These musicians include Louis Armstrong, Charlie Christian, Nat “King" Cole, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Jelly Roll Morton, Les Paul, and Dinah Washington. Crossover artists Dr. John and Tom Waits will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next Monday, March 14th. Bios from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website read: New Orleans' own Dr. John has ...
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Recording

Dr. John, with the Meters - Desitively Bonnaroo (1974)

Source: Something Else!
February 20, 2011

By Nick DeRiso Dr. John further defines an ass-shaking new synthesis on Desitively Bonnaroo. Even today, there's really no roadmap for the crazy-eyed co-mingling of R&B, jazz, island beats, blues, boogie funk and hoodoo whackadoo splashed across this LP, recorded alongside fellow New Orleans legends Allen Toussaint and the Meters more than 35 years ago. At the same time, the grooves here are so sleekly ingratiating as to be therapeutic. Bonnaroo doesn't aspire to the brash, edgy soul of contemporaries ...
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Performance / Tour

Dr. John | Santa Monica | Pics

Source: JamBase
September 8, 2010

Words & Images by: L. Paul Mann Dr. John & The Lower 911 :: 09.02.10 :: Santa Monica Pier :: Santa Monica, CA New Orleans musical legend Dr. John played a versatile closing night set for the 2010 Twilight Dance Series 2010. The free concerts took place every Thursday on Santa Monica Pier throughout the summer. A swarm of music fans of all ages crowded the pier and the beach below for the final show of the season. The funky ...
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Performance / Tour

Dr. John: Night Trippin' at the Grammy Museum

Source: Michael Ricci
June 16, 2010

Nearly two months into the worst oil spill in history, a Facebook group has sprung up for people who support British Petroleum and think the company has gotten a bad rap. Don't look for Dr. John's name on that page's friends list.

Let BP foot the bill, he interjected into “Black Gold," a song about the consequences of the “Drill, baby, drill!" mentality from his 2008 post-Hurricane Katrina album, City That Care Forgot, which won the Grammy Award for best ...
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