Friday, June 7, 2019

Dr. John - Remembered CD1+CD2 R.I.P.


MALCOLM JOHN REBENNACK

Dr. John - Remembered CD1+CD2       R.I.P.


Dr. John passed away yesterday. R.I.P.   In memory...


 Dr John, the flamboyant New Orleans singer-pianist whose hoodoo-drenched music made him the summarising figure of the grand Crescent City R&B/rock 'n' roll tradition has died of a heart attack at age 77.

Malcolm John Rebennack (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music combines blues, pop, jazz, boogie woogie and rock and roll. Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he gained a following in the late 1960s after the release of his album Gris-Gris and his appearance at the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music. He performed a lively, theatrical stage show inspired by medicine shows, Mardi Gras costumes and voodoo ceremonies. Rebennack recorded more than 20 albums and in 1973 produced a top-10 hit, "Right Place, Wrong Time". The winner of six Grammy Awards, Rebennack was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by singer John Legend in March 2011.In May 2013, Rebennack received an honorary doctorate of fine arts from Tulane University.

Rebennack was born in New Orleans in 1941 of French heritage. Growing up in the Third Ward, he found early musical inspiration in the minstrel tunes sung by his grandfather and a number of aunts, uncles, sister and cousins who played piano. He did not take music lessons before his teens and endured only a short stint in choir before getting kicked out.  His father, the owner of an appliance store and record shop, exposed him as a young boy to jazz musicians King Oliver and Louis Armstrong, who later inspired his 2014 release, Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch. Throughout his adolescence his father's connections enabled him access to the recording rooms of rock artists, including Little Richard and Guitar Slim. He began to perform in New Orleans clubs, mainly on guitar, and played on stage with various local artists.

When he was about 13 years old, Rebennack met Professor Longhair. Impressed by the professor's flamboyant attire and striking musical style, Rebennack soon began performing with him, and began his life as a professional musician. At age 16 Rebennack was hired by Johnny Vincent as a producer at Ace Records. There, he gained experience working with many artists, including James Booker and Earl King. While a struggling student at Jesuit High School, he was already playing in night clubs, something the Jesuit fathers disapproved of. They told him to either stop playing in clubs or leave the school; he chose the latter, and from then on focused entirely on music.

In late 1950s New Orleans, Rebennack gigged with local bands including Mac Rebennack and the Skyliners, (Paul Staele/Dennis "Bootsie" Cuquet, drums; Earl Stanley, bass; Charlie Miller, trumpet; Charlie Maduell, sax; Roland "Stone" LeBlanc, vocals), Frankie Ford and the Thunderbirds, and Jerry Byrne and the Loafers. He had a regional hit with a Bo Diddley-influenced instrumental called "Storm Warning" on Rex Records in 1959. At A&R he and Charlie Miller recorded monophonic singles on 45s for Johnny Vincent and Joe Corona for local labels Ace, Ron, and Ric. He oversaw the rhythm section while Miller wrote the horn arrangements and headed up the horns. This continued until Miller moved to New York and to study music formally. Rebennack's career as a guitarist was stunted circa 1960, when his left ring finger was injured by a gunshot during an incident at a Jackson, Mississippi gig. After the injury, Rebennack concentrated on bass guitar before making piano his main instrument, developing a style influenced by Professor Longhair.  Rebennack became involved in illegal activities in New Orleans, using and selling narcotics and running a brothel. He was arrested on drug charges and sentenced to two years in a federal prison at Fort Worth, Texas. His sentence ended in 1965 and he left for Los Angeles. He moved to Los Angeles in 1965 where he became a "first call" session musician in the Los Angeles studio scene in the 1960s and 1970s and was part of the so-called "Wrecking Crew" stable of studio musicians. He provided backing for Sonny & Cher (and some of the incidental music for Cher's first film, Chastity), for Canned Heat on their albums Living the Blues (1968) and Future Blues (1970), and for Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention on Freak Out! (1966). (Wikipedia)


Mac Rebennack was a colourful and interesting character as was shown throughout his career. Here a few tracks to remember him by... R.I.P.  Dr.John

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Track lists 
CD1
01    Storm Warning    :03:20    1959
02    Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya    :05:37    1968
03    I Walk on Guilded Splinters    :07:35    1968
04    Jump Sturdy    :02:21    1968
05    Mama Roux    :02:58    1968
06    Chippy, Chippy    :03:34    1970
07    What Comes Around (Goes Around)    :03:10    1970
08    Black John the Conqueror    :06:20    1971
09    Familiar Reality-Opening    :05:29    1971
10    Where Ya at Mule    :04:56    1971
11    Iko Iko    :04:03    1972
12    Junko Partner    :04:29    1972
13    Mess Around    :03:13    1972
14    She's Just a Square    :03:08    1972
15    Somebody Changed the Lock    :02:43    1972
16    Cold Cold Cold    :02:37    1973
17    Qualified    :04:48    1973
18    Right Place Wrong Time    :02:55    1973
19    Such a Night    :02:55    1973
20    Desitively Bonnaroo    :02:30    1974
21    Let's Make a Better World    :02:55    1974
22    Me-You=loneliness    :03:05    1974
23    R U 4 Real    :04:15    1974
24    Rain    :04:48    1978
25    Streetside    :06:02    1978

CD2

26    I Thought I Heard New Orleans Say    :04:27    1979
27    Keep That Music Simple    :03:36    1979
28    Louisians Lullaby    :04:03    1979
29    Tango Palace    :04:22    1979
30    Candy    :05:33    1989
31    In a Sentimental Mood    :04:06    1989
32    Just Like a Mirror    :04:38    1989
33    Mean Cheatin' Woman    :04:42    1989
34    Shoo Ra    :04:14    1989
35    Careless Love    :04:10    1992
36    Goin' Home Tomorrow    :03:02    1992
37    Litanie Des Saints    :04:45    1992
38    Lissen    :04:30    1994
39    Same Day Service    :05:02    1994
40    Witchy Red    :04:16    1994
41    Georgianna    :03:47    2001
42    Holdin' Pattern    :04:45    2001
43    Imitation of Love    :04:41    2001
44    Litenin'    :03:29    2001
45    Monkey & Baboon    :07:46    2001
46    Take What I Can Get    :03:50    2001
47    Getwaway    :04:36    2012
48    Locked Down    :04:59    2012
49    My Children, My Angels    :05:07    2012
50    Revolution    :03:26    2012
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10 comments:

  1. Very sad such a good comp is due to bad news.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agree. Ive been listening to MR Dr for the last few days and had forgotten how much I actually enjoy his sound.
      Cheers

      Delete
  2. RIP DR John
    Butterboy do you know anything about a Dr John 3 LP box set called Sun Moon & Herbs which was planned thanks for any info

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry Monty I don't have that one. I only have the single 1971 7 track LP of the same title. I have heard that this was originally from a 3 LP set back in 1971 or earlier . Maybe it will surface in the near future. It should be a good listen. Check this write up here http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2007/11/dr-john-conqueror.html
      Cheers

      Delete
  3. RIP Dr. John. Your songbook is incredible. You will be missed. Thank you, Butterboy, for putting this 2 cd comp together

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi David,
      His catalog is great and varied and this compilation may be a bit to quick in the making. However I stand by every song being a good representation of his sound and emotion. Hope you enjoy it.
      Cheers

      Delete
  4. I most bodacious compilation my friend. For my money, the BEST version of the Stagger Lee tale is the version on "N'awlins, dis, dat, an' t'other".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope you get enjoyment from these tunes. His is a life that will continue due to his musical legacy.
      Cheers

      Delete
  5. Bonjour. Hope you will find the time to re-up. Merci

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Macambo,
      New links established, tested and working.
      Cheers.

      Delete