Dr. John (Born 21/11/1940)

In 1972, after a couple of Gris Gris type follow-ups, Dr. John went back to his New Orleans roots with the superb "Gumbo", a collection of New Orleans R&B standards. Both the album and the 'Iko Iko' single became hits. "In The Right Place" was the acclaimed follow up (1973) and included 'Right Place, Wrong Time' and 'Such A Night', both successful singles.
"Desitvely Bonnaroo" continued in much the same vein and he continued to record, somewhat sporadically throughout the 70s and 80s, putting together occasionally superb sets such as the solo piano "Dr. John plays Mac Rebennack", an album of New Orleans standards and a superb return to form.
The early 90s saw the release of another wonderful album, the Grammy award winning "Going Back To New Orleans", a title which sums up the music on the silver disc perfectly - he's still recording and still producing fine music.

Dr. John was and is the consummate New Orleans musician, a fine musicologist and a great player. He incorporates funk, rock and roll, jazz and, of course, R&B into his overall sound and it comes out sounding unique. His distinctive growl is unmistakable, if an acquired taste, and his piano playing is exemplary. His status has probably always been higher among critics and fellow artists than the record buying public. If you want to here what all the fuss is about, then get the 2CD Dr. John Anthology "Mos' Scocious" released on the Rhino label - it's a fine overview to date of a career far from over, with an excellent booklet and liner notes. He's covered a lot of ground over the years and played in a variety of styles, so you may not like it all, but it's still a wonderful introduction to Dr. John's very personal music and vision.