Dr. John, or Mac Rebennack as he’s known to friends and family, is universally celebrated as the living embodiment of the rich musical heritage exclusive to New Orleans. His very colorful musical career began in the 1950s when he wrote and played guitar on some of the greatest records to come out of the Crescent City, including recordings by Professor Longhair, Art Neville, Joe Tex and Frankie Ford.
Adorned with voodoo charms and regalia, a legend was born with his breakthrough 1968 album Gris-Gris, which established his unique blend of voodoo mysticism, funk, rhythm & blues, psychedelic rock and Creole roots. He continues to dazzle and delight audiences across the globe touring consistently. In fact, Dr. John is at the height of his creative output right now, having recently released grandly-conceived tribute albums to Duke Ellington and Johnny Mercer, and revived his full-blown, magnificently-costumed ‘Dr. John, the Night Tripper’ stage persona.
Dr. John has several Grammy wins to his name, and in 2004 his musical love letter to the city of New Orleans, “N’awlinz Dis Dat or D’udda,” was awarded the prestigious Académie Charles Cros 57ème Palmarès award in France. Dr. John has received 4 Grammy Awards, most recently for his 2008 CD A City That Care Forgot for Best Contemporary Blues Album. His newest album is Zu Zu Soirée (2011).
This year Dr. John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.