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300 NEW ORLEANS TRICENTENNIAL 171 8 ~ 201 8 THE HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION THE HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION WIKIPEDIA THE NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATE Born in the 3rd Ward, Rebbenack immersed himself in music, leaving Jesuit High School be- fore graduation and becoming a producer for Ace Records. Rebbenack started as a guitarist, but after his finger was injured by a gunshot in a bar fight in 1961, he turned to bass guitar and eventually to piano, where he played in a style heavily influenced by Professor Longhair. Rebbenack moved to California where he became a popular studio musician. Through the years, he backed everyone from Cher and the Rolling Stones to Levon Helm and James Taylor. In the late 1960s, he developed the concept of “Dr. John,” drawing from voodoo and Mardi Gras Indians. Under his Dr. John stage name, he released the mystical and psychedelic album “Gris Gris” with songs including “I Walk on Gilded Splinters,” and “Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya.” The “Night Tripper” underscored his image with wild onstage perfor- mances and a wardrobe that included bright robes and feathered headdresses. Rebbenack gained a cult-like following and fame. Rebbenack eventually tempered the psychedelic aspects of his music and became more mainstream, with a heavy reliance on funk and R&B. He scored a hit in 1973 with the single “Right Place Wrong Time.” He has released more than 20 albums and has won six Grammy Awards, and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. Rebbenack moved back to New Orleans in 2009. Dr. John in New York, N.Y. in 1978 Dr. John moved back to New Orleans in 2009. Mac Rebbenack as a studio musician in 1959 Dr. John’s single ‘Right Place Wrong Time’ peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1973. Dr. John’s 1968 album ‘Gris Gris.’ In 1983, Dr. John released ‘The Brightest Smile In Town.’ Dr. John in 1993, when he released ‘Mos’ Scocious: The Dr. John Anthology.’ In 2011 Dr. John performed ‘Desi- tively Bonnaroo’ with Allen Toussaint and The Meters at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival Tennessee. For more than 50 years, Malcolm “Dr. John” Rebbenack has been an ambassador of New Orleans’ funk, rhythm and blues, traditions and its eclectic nature. On Jan. 22, 1968, Dr. John’s first album ‘Gris Gris’ was released. From Bienville to Bourbon Street to bounce. 300 moments that make New Orleans unique. WHAT HAPPENED
