Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr. lived an extraordinary life, from which we all benefitted. His combination of New Orleans R&B, blues, jazz, funk, and rock permeated the musical landscape of the late ’60s and beyond. While quite young, he was influenced by piano players, including Professor Longhair. As a teenage musical prodigy, Mac was a songwriter, arranger, A&R guy, and a producer for Ace Records, running sessions with legendary artists. During the 1960s, as a “first call” Los Angeles studio musician, he honed his chops doing session work for artists including Sonny & Cher, Canned Heat, and Frank Zappa.
Years later, he developed his persona of Dr. John The Night Tripper and his 1968 debut album, Gris Gris, was a phenomenon, attracting fans across the musical spectrum. Its “I Walk On Guilded Splinters” has been covered by The Allman Brothers, Cher, Paul Weller, The Neville Brothers, and was a centerpiece of Humble Pie’s classic Performance Rockin’ The Fillmore.
More singles and albums followed including “Iko Iko” (from Dr. John’s Gumbo) and “Right Place Wrong Time” (which hit #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973). Both Gris Gris and Gumbo were listedon Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Albums of All Time, and Dr. John performed In The Right Place’s “Such A Night” at The Band’s 1976 farewell concert—immortalized in The Last Waltz. He would go on to win six Grammy awards and in 2011 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by John Legend.
Now, his singles from those early and influential Atco/Atlantic years have been collected on Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya: Singles 1968–1974. 26 sides of pure musical medicine from Dr. John. Available as a 2-LP on double Opaque Purple Vinyl for Record Store Day (CD to follow), the packaging contains liner notes from Gene Sculatti.
Featuring the hits “Right Place Wrong Time,” “Iko Iko,” “Such A Night,” and rare single edits of other classics, Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya: Singles 1968–1974 is not only the right place to start your Dr. John journey, but the perfect place to relive the classic Atco/Atlantic albums.
Dr. John has proven to be one of music’s foremost generalists, a primary-care cat whose practice extends back some 60 years. The awards (six Grammys and counting) and accolades validated the quality of his output, but it’s the range of what he’s done that truly impresses.
Excerpt from liner notes by Gene Sculatti
These Atco and Atlantic sides were clearly the right-place right-time recordings. They put Dr. John on the map and into the ears and minds of music enthusiasts the world over.
CD / 2-LP TRACKLIST:
DISC 1:
- GRIS-GRIS GUMBO YA YA Dr. John The Night Tripper
- I WALK ON GUILDED SPLINTERS (Part I)* Dr. – John The Night Tripper
- I WALK ON GUILDED SPLINTERS (Part II)* – Dr. John The Night Tripper
- MAMA ROUX – Dr. John The Night Tripper
- JUMP STURDY – Dr. John The Night Tripper
- THE PATRIOTIC FLAG WAVER (Mono Short Version)* – Dr. John The Night Tripper
- WASH MAMA WASH – Dr. John The Night Tripper
- LOOP GAROO – Dr. John The Night Tripper
- IKO IKO*
- HUEY SMITH MEDLEY: “HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE” “DON’T YOU JUST KNOW IT” “WELL I’LL BE JOHN BROWN”*
- WANG DANG DOODLE
- BIG CHIEF
- A MAN OF MANY WORDS – Buddy Guy with Dr. John & Eric Clapton
- LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL (Edit)
- STACK-A-LEE
- RIGHT PLACE WRONG TIME
- I’VE BEEN HOODOOD
- SUCH A NIGHT
- COLD COLD COLD
- TRAVELING MOOD
- SAME OLD SAME OLD
- LIFE
- (EVERYBODY WANNA GET RICH) RITE AWAY
- MOS’ SCOCIOUS
- LET’S MAKE A BETTER WORLD
- ME – YOU = LONELINESS
All tracks Stereo except * Mono.
