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Biography
Dr. John found inspiration in the minstrel songs sung by his grandfather and other family members who also played piano. He didn’t have a lesson before his adolescence and was in a choir for a short period before getting kicked out. It was his father who exposed him to jazz musicians such as King Oliver and Louis Armstrong.
At age 16 he was recruited by Johnny Vincent as a producer at Ace Records. It was there that he worked with artists such as James Booker and Earl King. In the late 1950s, he concentrated on the guitar and gigged with local bands including Mac Rebennack and the Skyliners. Frankie Ford and the Thunderbirds and Jerry Byrne and the Loafers. Unfortunately, his career as a guitarist came to an end when his left ring finger was injured by a gunshot whilst defending his band mate and long time friend, Ronnie Barron. After the injury, he concentrated on bass guitar before making piano his first instrument.
In was in the late 1960s that he started to gain recognition as a solo artist after adopting the persona of “Dr. John, The Night Tripper”. He blended rhythm and blues with psychedelic rock and huge stage shows that were border lining on religious ceremonies. “Gris-Gris”, his debut album combining voodoo rhythms and chants with New Orleans music tradition was ranked 143rd on Rolling Stone’s “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. It was on his album “The Sun, Moon, and Herbs”, when he had earned himself a cult following that he had Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger both in for sessions for the album.
In the mid 1970s, Rebennack began focusing on a blend of Tin Pan Alley standards and New Orleans R&B, out of this came the album “Hollywood Be Thy Name” released on October 6th 1975.
He gained some film credits such as his version of the Donovan song “Season of the Witch” which was featured in Blues Brothers 2000 and “Cruella de Vil” during the end credits of 101 Dalmations.
Dr. John has many accolades to his name, and has continued to be hard working throughout his career. In 2014, he released his Louis Armstrong tribute album “Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch” on Concord Records on August 19th.
Live reviews
Although Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack may not be a qualified doctor, he is very much an expert of music. He has been on the live circuit for over half a century so clearly this man is going to be very well practised in ability. A multi-instrumentalist, John demonstrates his proficiency between the guitar, piano and as a vocalist throughout the show and tailors each of his styles to the genres of blues, pop and jazz.
At the grand age of 74, he has a long and spanning discography so he hand selects his favourite work from his vast career. The audience sits in stunned amazement all night as they are treated to a smorgasbord of musical styles and genres which you struggle to believe could all come from one artist's discography. It could be said that playing live appears to have kept Dr. John young as he attacks the stage with the vigour and enthusiasm of an artist many years his junior. The vocal does not appear to be wavering either with age and by the final bows, the audience stand as one to ovate this variable and interesting musician.
sean-ward
I was lucky enough to catch Dr. John at the Grass Valley Center for the Arts in Grass Valley, California last year. The venue was a little intimate one that seats a little over 300, so I was basically sitting front and center for a show from one of the all-time legends in blues and jazz.
The crowd was clearly geeking out just as hard as I was, and the room had a wonderful atmosphere. We were kind of visually voicing our pleasure while Dr. John was playing so that we didn’t miss a single note of what he was playing, but we let him heart it between tracks for sure.
There’s not much to say about Dr. John for the uninitiated; you’ve just been living under a rock for years and you need to get yourself out of it and work Dr. John into your life. Those lucky enough to live in New Orleans get to experience Dr. John every week, but for those of us that don’t live in the mecca of jazz music, you need to get out and catch his show when it comes to your city.
My first time seeing him in concert and it was fantastic! The setting at the Taft Theatre was perfect and made it all feel intimate. He played a variety of songs for almost 2 hours and I wish he would have played more as I didn't want the concert to end.
KJ0nes
Dr. John is showing his age -- his voice was weak in spots and he seemed to be coming in late now and then. Henry Butler, the other pianist, was amazing and propped up the show nicely. Overall, a good show.
tldugan
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