Anyone heard him. I was In Camden Market in London and found him out.
Have not heard too much but his greatest hits seemed worth to buy.

Anyone with any background info on him.

"she saw me coming"
"she moved in for the kill"

abiggerbang

Mac Rebennack. One of the alltime NO piano greats. I have many if not most of his recordings going way way back.... Only seen him once - great show. He's a rare breed indeed.

Look for his "Gumbo" disc. Some of the finest RnB rock n roll you'll ever hear.

Dr. J (real name Mac Renneback) is a New Orleans native, deeply schooled in Professor Longhair, Lee Dorsey, Louis Armstrong, and all that great 50's N'awlins music. Played session work for a lot of NO recordings, and finally made his way to Los Angeles in the 60s. Continued doing sessions for a long time until finally releasing his own stuff. His "Gris-Gris" album is some of the most psychedelic swamp music you'll find, with a lot of ju-ju voodoo vibe. After the very fine Gumbo, he hit the Top 40 with a couple of hits - Right Place, Wrong Time and Such a Night. Somewhere around the late 70s early 80s he got into the drugs a little too heavily and sort of disappeared. He came back strong in the 90s with a string of really good discs. Another fave of mine is Goin Back to N'Orleans. I saw him live once. He is an excellent barrelhouse piano player!

He played on Exile, I believe, and the Stones are big fans of his.

Karl

Chuck Leavell played with him for a couple of years in the early 70's. Chuck's book "Between Rock and A Home Place" details this as well as a lot of Stones info.


Dr. John is a true musician and gentleman from all accounts. Had a smack problem at one time, hopefully recovered.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2005-10-05 20:18 by Elmo Lewis.

His best work is out of print - save for his debut "DR JOHN THE NIGHT TRIPPER - GRIS GRIS", his 2nd,3rd,4th (BABYLON, REMEDIES, SUN MOON & HERBS) all kick ass. But they only occasionally pop up as Japanese imports mastered from vinyl.

SUN MOON & HERBS sessions mostly took place in UK circa 71 and features Jagger, Eric Clapton, and other assorted degenerates of the period.

Buy GRIS GRIS, IN THE RIGHT PLACE, and scour e-bay for the others. After the mid-70's smack had reduced him to a Professor Longhair wannabe, where he's been stalled ever since. But he kicks ass regardless and his early stuff is great.

(For further research, he did write a cool autobiography in the early 90's thats definately worth reading.)

He was arounnd as producer/writer/pianist/artist for Ace & AFO back to the '50s, but after moving to LA in '65 he eventually completed his Atlantic debut, the still potent N.O./psych/hoodoo classic "Gris-Gris" (1968, the CD is on Collector's Choice label), which really is essential - some may recall Humble Pie's 25 minute version of "Walk On Gilded Splinters". His fourth album, "The Sun the Moon & the Herbs" (1971) is in print (on Wounded Bird, most recently), & features Mick Jagger, Clapton & the other Dominos, Bobby Keys & Jim Price, many great NO singers/musicians, & is also highly recommended. By '72-'73 ("Right Place..." & "Gumbo") he was moving back towards shorter songs & his N.O./r & b roots. He recorded w/The Meters during this period, & they appear w/ Allen Toussaint on the 1974 "Desitively Bonnaroo" (reissued by Label M in 2001). The best place to hear his fine early work for the Ace label- (he was hired by Johnny Vincent in 1957, left around '62) - w/ legendary greats like Huey Piano Smith, Lee Allen, Red Tyler, Frankie 'Sea Cruise' Ford, & Sugar Boy Crawford - would be the 1999 comp on Music Club, "Medical School" including the druggy 'Junko Partner' & lots of other cool stuff. There was a superb 3 volumes of A.F.O. label material (early '60s), the Black-owned N.O. company ("All For One") (w/ considerable Dr J involvement), issued on U.K. Ace in the mid-90s, & these too are well worth seeking out.

He opened for the Stones at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago during the Licks Tour.
I believe him came out as a special guest at that show as well.

dont forget his finest moment...
the theme song to the TV show Blossom!!!!

He was good on the Last Waltz as well.

Kurt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> He opened for the Stones at the Aragon Ballroom in
> Chicago during the Licks Tour.
> I believe him came out as a special guest at that
> show as well.
>
>

Yep - played on Just Want to Make Love to You - but unfortunately the Stones cut the song short before Mac got to do a solo....

I saw him play recently in NYC at Le Au Bar.

Sorry Underassistant, didn't read your post as closely as I should have. But many of those early classics (not, I dont think, 'Babylon' or 'Remedies', which I got on Jap imports 5 - 8 years ago) ARE, or have recently been, back in print. Heck at least half (or more) the guests on Exile show up on "Sun, Moon, Herbs"

He is playing on let it loose and seems the music was inspired by him

He did few tunes on exile on main street.
piano player and arranged few songs.

the story was he left the studio because his contribution was not
well recognised.

it was during early seventies

Dr. John's output is large. I have not heard the 2-disc Rhino set of his music but I think this is the best for Dr. John if I had to buy only one because you get a lot from his early records à la "Gris Gris" and his following two records plus the hits "Right Place Wrong Time" and "What a night".

I personally love all of the early lp's. I have not heard "Gumbo" yet and that is a tragedy, I know. I do have his latest album on cd from 2004 that I will burn from the library.

If you are in doubt, just watch "The Last Waltz". If you are an LSD popping freak, run and don't walk to buy "Gris Gris".

Sincerely,

Charles Baudelaire
1821-1867

Saw him twice in the late eighties in Amsterdam. Still one of my fondest concert memories. The guy was just sitting there behind his piano. Nothing else. Sitting there in a suit with a big colored necklace. He just played the piano. And everybody went wildly enthusiastic. I should buy some more of his CDs. If you have a chance to see him, it's great.

I've always thought he sounded what Wolfman Jack would sound like if he could have sang.

Dr. John is a New Orleans treasure....who lives in NYC.

#......Go ahead....Bite the Big Apple....Don't mind the Maggots.....Uh Huh...#

swannie river boogie,check that song out.an inspiration to elton and many other great keyboard players.

john scialfa

john r...thanks for all the info. i enjoyed his standards cd...with 'my buddy' 'makin' whoopee', 'accentuate the positive' ;....he's like the stones..even when it's not as good as you know it can be...it's still good enough!

Wanted to hear him at the Aragon, but I just missed him.

I guess I was in the right place at the wrong time.