Dr. John born 1940…and still walks the Earth!
I like Dr. John’s stuff, I came on board with the “Right Place Wrong Time” 45. What a tale this guy has! I remember reading his entire autobiography when I had Jury Duty one time. Totally at odds with my then-reality, I read about “Big Chief Tuddy” etc.
“The Dr. John Anthology – Mos’ Scocious” (Rhino Records 2CD, 1993) is really decent, 39 tracks of Dr. John’s particular thang, with cuts by Ronnie & The Delinquents, Morgus & the 3 Ghouls, Roland Stone etc. – and a heapin’ helpin’ of Dr. John’s solo work.
My Dr. John collection is not huge, but you bes’ believe I enjoy what I have:
CDx2 ANTHOLOGY – MOS’ SCOCIOUS RHINO US R2 71450
1993 39 TRK Collection
CD BABYLON ATCO JPN AMCY-230
1968 7 TRKS 2nd album (’91 issue)
CD GRIS-GRIS ATCO JPN AMCY-229
1968 7 TRKS 1st album (’91 issue)
LP GUMBO ATCO US SD 7006
1972 12 TRKS 4th album, promo
CD GUMBO / IN THE RIGHT PLACE (MFSL Gold disc) MOBILE FIDELITY UDCD 619
1972/3 23 TRKS 2 on 1, MFSL Gold Disc
LP IN THE RIGHT PLACE ATCO US SD 7018
1973 11 TRKS 5th album
7″ LET’S MAKE A BETTER WORLD (mono) / (stereo) promo ATCO US 45-6971
1974 2 TRKS no pic sleeve, promo
When I worked at the LP importer in the 1980’s, I remember some audiophile store somewhere ordering something like 25 copies of “Gumbo” by Dr. John on LP, so we called the guy (as the records were very expensive, for the time). “The Japanese pressings are quiet, but you have to demo expensive equipment with something that sounds good!”, was what they told us.
For me, the album “In The Right Place” sounds pretty good. Great songs, decent recording. The Dr. is in fine voice etc. It’s his commercial breakthrough album.
And as the Dr. is still boppin’ at age 71. Has he really been sober for over 20 years? Guess they all figure it out, after a while. Do what you gotta do to stay alive. When the Dr. finally departs, I hope someone lobbies to get his face onto U.S. postage stamps. I wanna pay my phone bill with a Dr. John stamp on it!
Good bio! I read that one too. Not a big fan, but perhaps I should be. One of these days I should pick up some Dr. John. I remember hearing some fairly recent stuff that sounded primo. I always liked the funk. His SCTV appearance is a classic of its kind. Some of those guest shots worked better than others.
The MFSL 2-on-1 gold disc is an excellent place to begin your Dr. John experience, Jim-san. No idea if it’s easy to find, in 2012. Got the Rhino 2CD a while back and really enjoyed it. Recommended!