![]() Those three very different voices together are a delight as they call and respond their way through the song. He is joined by guest vocalists Aaron Neville, New Orleans contemporary and old friend, and a young alt-country star from Nashville, Katie Pruitt. It’s another unpretentious take which rolls gently along with Dr John in fine voice. If you ever wanted to know what that song is about, the accompanying liner notes provide the lyrics.īob Dylan has spoken warmly about Dr John’s cover of The Travelling Wilbury’s End of the Line. Willie Nelson’s son Lukas and his band play on a reworking of Dr John’s 1968 hit I Walk on Guilded Splinters, which seems even darker than the original. Willie Nelson appears again to sing and play guitar on Gimme That Old Time Religion in which Dr John touches on another musical tradition by briefly taking us to church. It is beautifully played in a pared back New Orleans style with an understated 2 nd Line backing made up of fine New Orleans session musicians including two lovely backing vocalists. The opening track is his old friend Willie Nelson’s Funny How Time Slips Away. I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry is sung absolutely straight but so wistfully, with Shane Heriot accompanying on various guitars including lap steel. Dr John’s take is simpler somehow, unheroic and with a touchingly plaintive train whistle at the end. Ramblin’ Man has been performed with a sort of “Look at me, I break hearts and then I’m on my way” swagger. Dr John’s singing, in particular, makes the listener hear the lyrics of those trite songs in a different way, as any master’s take on an old standard should. Second time through, and I began to hear the New Orleans undertow. I settled down with some trepidation to listen to the new record – much as I love Dr John, country is not my favourite genre and I was initially a little underwhelmed. I was happy to see a bright-eyed Dr John, fully recovered from his addictions, stride boldly over to the piano, cane in hand, and play another tremendous gig, this time with his own large band. The second time was years later at the Barbican. Jon Cleary left for New Orleans soon after this, and worked with Dr John many times over the years, including on this new album. It was a superlative night of New Orleans music, which I feel lucky to have witnessed. I remember Cleary getting up from the piano stool and strapping on an electric guitar as a frail and intoxicated Dr John was led in to take his place. This time they also acted as Dr John’s backing band. We used to go and see them play whenever we could, as they were terrific. The support band were a local group led by a 22 year old Jon Cleary called King Kleary and the Savage Mooses who played New Orleans style music. It wasn’t busy and my friends and I sat just a few feet away from the piano. ![]() ![]() I sometimes can hardly believe that it took place, it seems so unlikely – a master of New Orleans piano, for free, in Rotherhithe. The first time was a gig at the Prince of Orange pub in Rotherhithe in 1984. I have had the good fortune to see Dr John perform twice. I first came across him in the 1970s when he was performing as Dr John the Night Tripper, making those fabulous voodoo funk hits. In his long career he seems to have covered all the musical genres available in New Orleans – jazz, funk, boogie-woogie and rock’n’roll and those of Memphis and Nashville too. By the time he was fifteen he was working in recording studios, playing guitar and piano for various artists including Art Neville and Allen Toussaint, at which point he left school. He decided to become a performing musician after meeting pianist Professor Longhair when he was fourteen. Malcolm John (Mac) Rebennack Jr, AKA Dr John grew up in New Orleans in a very musical family, listening to blues, jazz and country. ![]()
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