The 500 - #404 - Dr. John's Gumbo - Dr. John

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 404

Album Title: Dr. John's Gumbo 
Artist: Dr. John
Genre: Rhythm & Blues, New Orleans Blues
Recorded: Sound City Studios, Los Angeles
Released: April, 1972
My age at release: 6
How familiar was I with it before this week: Somewhat
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Junko Partner

Album Cover for Dr. John's Gumbo

This week, I started the 2020 school year, teaching Grade seven at a new school. It is my first time in a classroom since mid-March when the Coronavirus pandemic shuttered all Ontario classrooms. On September first, my newly placed portable was empty. Over the past two weeks, items have been arriving and everything is new -- desks, shelves, cupboard and chairs delivered, wrapped in plastic.

It was a lot of work to get ready for my students but it is nice to start with a blank slate. Consequently, my headphones have had a work-out and the soundtrack for my grunt-work was Dr. John's Gumbo, a collection of New Orleans rhythm and blues standards from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and multi-Grammy-award winning pianist and singer Dr. John. There is a lot to learn about the fascinating life of this iconic performer and his career made me think about the students I would soon be meeting. 

Malcom (Mac) Rebennack - aka Dr. John (2014)

Malcom (Mac) John Rebennack, better known by his stage name "Dr. John", was born and raised in a working class neighbourhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. He was, as one might expect from someone growing up in The Big Easy, influenced by the music that surrounded him. His extended family were hobby musicians who played minstrel tunes on the family piano. This story-telling tradition would inform his development as a musician and, perhaps more importantly, an entertainer.

Mac didn't begin music lessons until he was a teen when he began learning guitar. At age 13, he met eccentric piano virtuoso Professor Longhair (Roy Bird) whose distinctively infused rumbo, calypso and mambo into New Orleans style jazz. Not only was Mac inspired by his quirky playing style, he was also fascinated by his flamboyant stage persona.

Professor Longhair

At 16, although struggling at a Jesuit high school, his passion for music took over and he started his first band The Dominoes. The Jesuit fathers disapproved, eventually telling him to quit music or leave school. He chose the latter and became a full-time session player in 1957, backing up popular recording artists.

At 19, before a gig in Jacksonville, Florida, Mac interceded when a motel manager was pistol-whipping his friend, lead vocalist, Ronnie Barron. During the altercation, the gun discharged and nearly took Mac's ring finger off. It healed at an odd angle and his guitar-playing career was ended. After six years invested into becoming a solid guitar player, Mac remarkably switched to piano -- the instrument that would make him famous. This is the part that amazes me about natural musicians. He quickly mastered the piano with nine fingers.

Mac had a fascination with voodoo and was enamoured by a Senegalese prince, conjurer, herbalist and spiritual healer named Jean Montaine. "Dr. Jean" had travelled, by way of Haiti, to The Big Easy where he set-up his mysterious, religious practice in a rural bayou just outside the city. Jean made much of his income by selling gris-gris, a West African voodoo amulet, believed to protect the wearer from evil and bring good luck.

Thus, was born the persona of "Dr. John: The Night Tripper". Suddenly all of Mac's passions were fused together to create a larger-than-life entertainer who was part-musician and part-voodoo shaman. His performances included elaborate costumes and props, including a headdress and live snakes, against the backdrop of a wild, psychedelic stage show. His debut album was called Gris-Gris and we'll get to it at #143 on The 500 list.

Dr. John - The Night Tripper performing in a headdress

So, as I greet my students this week, the fascinating life of Dr. John is still in my head and I will approach my role as mentor and educator with the following things in mind:

• Everything is an influence for good or bad. I'll remind my young charges to be mindful of the world around them and tap into its inspiration.
• The teen-years are a fertile time for passionate pursuits...pursue your passions.
• I will continue to foster the academic and artistic pursuits of my students. Unlike Mac's Jesuit teachers, I'll never give them an ultimatum.
• Persevere and Adapt. Challenges are opportunities for greatness in disguise.
• Quirky, flamboyant, wild and weird are positive descriptions. Be what you are meant to be ... Let your freak flags fly!