RIP Dr John

[MrYeahBut]

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Dr. John, the Grammy winner whose eclectic music captured the various cultural influences of his home town, New Orleans, died Thursday from a heart attack. He was 77. Born Malcolm John Rebennack Jr., he grew up playing the piano, before switching to the guitar; in 1960, he was shot in the finger and went back to the piano. After a stint in federal prison on drug charges, he moved to Los Angeles and became a studio musician, adopting the Dr. John persona with his solo work in the late 1960s. His albums Gris-Gris and Dr. John's Gumboboth appear on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 best albums, and he was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

 

[puckhead]

I always like his voice. RIP

 

[MrYeahBut]

I always like his voice. RIP

Had just the perfect amount of gravel in it.

 

[Raindog]

It is really ironic that both he and Leon Redbone should die within about week of one another. Both were quirky artists with anachronistic musical styles, who both achieved their height of popularity in the mid-1970s, and then settled into careers as chiefly cult acts.

And after the peak of their respective popularity in the 1970s, the most prominent pop culture impact of each of them was recording a theme song for a generic 1980s sit-com:
"Mr. Belvedere" (Leon Redbone) and "Blossom" (Dr. John).

I really enjoyed the work of both of them, and am sorry to see them both pass away. RIP.