Dr. John - Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya: Singles 1968-1974 Dr. John

Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr. lived an extraordinary life, from which we all benefitted. His combination of New Orleans R&B, blues, jazz, funk, and rock permeated the musical landscape of the late ’60s and beyond. While quite young, he was influenced by piano players, including Professor Longhair. As a teenage musical prodigy, Mac was a songwriter, arranger, A&R guy, and a producer for Ace Records, running sessions with legendary artists. During the 1960s, as a “first call” Los Angeles studio musician, he honed his chops doing session work for artists including Sonny & Cher, Canned Heat, and Frank Zappa.

Years later, he developed his persona of Dr. John The Night Tripper and his 1968 debut album, Gris Gris, was a phenomenon, attracting fans across the musical spectrum. Its “I Walk On Guilded Splinters” has been covered by The Allman Brothers, Cher, Paul Weller, The Neville Brothers, and was a centerpiece of Humble Pie’s classic Performance Rockin’ The Fillmore.

More singles and albums followed including “Iko Iko” (from Dr. John’s Gumbo) and “Right Place Wrong Time” (which hit #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973.) Both Gris Gris and Gumbo were listed on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Albums of All Time, and Dr. John performed In The Right Place’s “Such A Night” at The Band’s 1976 farewell concert—immortalized in The Last Waltz. He would go on to win six Grammy awards and in 2011 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by John Legend.