Yup, when a name goes up like this it can mean but one thing, and it does. Mac Rebbenack has left the building, at 77. I was privileged to see him twice, once in NY (and in my 3 top gigs just the other day’s post), then again at Warwick Arts a couple of years back.
Not so keen on his scary gris-gris entry to fame as his later guardian of N’Awlins traditions, but a fabulous performer and I have some wonderful recordings to remember him by.
Dr John
by 21 Comments
You got there before me.
I saw him at an industry event in New Orleans a few years ago. I got the impression that, as it was a corporate gig, he didn’t quite give it his all, but he was still good.
A recent trip to New Orleans re-energised my listening to the good Doctor. I first saw him around 1985 when his heroin habit made him look around 80 years old. The “habit” had pushed his career into decline and at that point he was a regular on the London pub circuit with U.K. pickup artists. Good on him for kicking the habit and getting his career back on track. He made several excellent recordings in the last 20 years.
As the biggest living Ambassador of New Orleans music, he will be greatly missed. Others now have to pick up the baton and keep the music alive.
The OP may be the best known version but this is the best version. From a Best of Mountain Stage compilation if you’re looking for it on Spotify.
Another favourite of mine…
That tune has been in my head all week.
RIP He was always good value live even when his band were going through the motions.
I have a great number of his albums in my collection – I am away on business at present but shall have a Dr John party when I get home. Terrific talent. Saw him at Warwick Arts Centre in the same gig that @retropath2 mentions – he looked frail then but his playing was excellent.
Sad news. I will give Desitively Bonnaroo a spin shortly.
Rickie Lee Jones posted this touching tribute:
Good bye Mac. I still remember the day we met. I was 23 years old. I saw you coming on La Brea Avenue, sauntering toward me in your full on Mojo protection clothes, with the snake head cane, beret, and patchouli oil, me in my beret, 40’s dress and and red mules. we fell for each other, didnt we? Then you came to my dads for Mardi Gras Gumbo, you Tom Waits and chuck E.
That first day, we went directly round back of A&M records, to a piano in a bungalow, and I sang Since I fell for You. and My Funny Valentine. (same thing i sang with James Booker two years later for WOZ first fund raiser. when i first moved to New Orleans you said..” go listen to James. he is the real shit.” and that was how James and I became friends.) we drove around that summer in your station wagon. over the canyon, back over the canyon.
then, ten years later you asked me to sing on your record,
and we had a big hit together.
You go now. I’ll holla at you later.
Saw him open for Van Morrison once (Van has impeccable taste in support acts). A memorable night.
Sad news, amazing that he made it to 77. I prefer his solo playing to the endless funk and voodoo. Also he’s always been one for disseminating the music and letting us piano players in on “how to play New Orleans music”. Back in the 70s I ordered a set of 5 cassettes and a book of transcriptions from “Homespun Tapes”, which I still have to this day. YouTube of course has made it all much more accessible. I would have killed for something like this back in the day. RIP Mac.
Sorry to hear this. Never saw him live and an occasional listener only. But that instantly recognisable voice and the easy funky groove he seemed to conjure up whatever he was playing are glorious. RIP.
Listening to “Anutha Zone”, one of his later albums as I type this. As mentioned in the best 3 gigs thread (one of my runners up), I saw him at BB Kings Blues Festival In 1997 at Mountain View California, along with BB King and The Neville Brothers.
I have a load of the official albums, but oddly my favourite is a battered bootleg that calls itself Zu Zu Man and has about 5 songs a side, each one under 3 minutes long, with two songs – including the title cut – repeated twice with different versions. Only half an hour, but it virtually pours itself out of the speakers, like muddy Mississippi water. I’ll raise a glass to the Doctor later.
I saw the Big Chief at one of the Finsbury Park Fleadhs in the mid-90s. I saw John Martyn for the first time that day, too.
On my first night in New Orleans I got to see Dr. John support Fats Domino. I had to suffer Huey Lewis in the middle mind you. This would be been 1992 and most of the R&B cats were still playing.
This one always takes people by surprise. From the same source as The Dubliners “Seven Drunken Nights”, it went into the repertoire of the minstrel shows where Longhair picked it up. Mac got it from Fess.
I’ll be doing two hours on the man on Sunday at 6pm on Celtic Music Radio (dot net).
@Jorrox I’ll do my best to catch your show. Do you have a direct link? I’ll be doing the same here next Thursday 12 noon AEST eastsidefm dot org slash onesizefitsall
This is the station and if you hit that link at 1800hs GMT on Sunday it will take you to listen live.
https://celticmusicradio.net/
Here’s the catch up links
http://podcast.canstream.co.uk/celticmusic/index.php?id=29637
http://podcast.canstream.co.uk/celticmusic/index.php?id=29638
The first time I heard Dr John was on the brilliant NME tape Department of Enjoyment. It was just him on his piano playing Dorothy, from the album Dr John plays Mac Rebbenack, and came straight after Paul Quinn singing Little Red Rooster I seem to remember.
I loved the song, I believe it’s for his mother, and a few years later I found the LP in a bargain bin. It was still a few years after that I finally discovered the Doc and Mac were one and the same person.
It’s just him playing alone and it’s still my favourite record of his, I’ve had it more than 30 years and it still gets a spin every month or so. I love the classic gumbo stuff of course, but this record was the one that worked it’s way into my heart.
The first time I saw his play live was around 1987-88 I guess, at the late lamented Mean Fiddler in Harlesden. Now, that was a great venue and I saw a lot of shows there, but a player of his stature really should have been at somewhere more prestigious. This must have been one of the troughs in his career and I believe he was still using at the time.
Anyway, the way I remember it, there was just an old upright piano on the stage with a few of his voodoo odds and sods sitting on the top. He shuffled out in just a plain dark suit and hat, with his walking stick and moving slowly and painfully.
He sat on his stool, back hunched, and looking arthritic and uncomfortable. Then he started playing and those fingers flew up and down the piano. The couple of hundred of us there were captivated, and it was one of those shows you feel privileged to have attended.
I’ve seen him several times over the years, always with a band, but that tiny solo show that was probably a complete pain in the neck for him, is the one I bore my kids with when I play the LP.
I love the Babylon album the best, that psychedelic voodoo stuff.
Whisper To A Scream – solo piano. Lovely.
Mind you the session playing stuff was nice too.
Am i wrong in thinking he stayed a heroin addict throughout his career and never fully gave it up?
He quit around 1989 according to wiki. I seem to recall from interviews it was maybe a tad later, most reporting the purpose of his skull-atopped cane, wherein he kept his stash. I think clean for at least 10 years.
I had to go the extra mile for Mac….
http://www.covermesongs.com/2019/06/in-memoriam-dr-john.html