Americana Roots -- #8 Southerners in Hollywood. New Orleans Voodoo

New Orleans voodoo and music came together in the stage persona of Dr. John, born as Malcolm John Rebennack.

He came from a musical family, and his father owned an appliance and record store in New Orleans. His father also rented and set up PA systems to musical acts (sound systems), and because it was a family business young Mac (aka Dr. John) was exposed to the music scene at an early age.

He started out as a guitarist, but was shot in the finger when someone pulled a gun after a nightclub gig. After that he switched to bass guitar, but eventually opted to concentrate on piano. The rest is history, 6 Grammy awards and an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He too was a Southern boy who ended up in Hollywood early in his career. He was a member of the Wrecking Crew, the famous informal group of the top session musicians in Hollywood (see my post on Leon Russell.)

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Chuck Leavell was a member of the Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton's Unplugged band, and has been the pianist/keyboardist/musical director of the Rolling Stones since the 80s. He toured with Dr. John very early in his career, so when I interviewed him I naturally I asked about that:

Interview -- Chuck Leavell on Dr. John

Alan Bryson: I know that you enjoy music trivia. You worked with someone who worked on Sonny & Cher's early recording sessions. Do you know who that was?

Chuck Leavell: [Long pause] Alright, I give up. Who?

Alan Bryson: Mac Rebennack (a.k.a. Dr. John). We could do the entire interview just about Mac—what a fascinating character! I remember seeing him in a feather headdress throwing glitter. It was like a voodoo high priest at Mardi Gras.

Chuck Leavell: [Laughs] I might have been in the band! Although he had recorded “Right Place at the Wrong Time,” that was more of a mainstream record than his Gris-Gris stuff. We were doing the Gris-Gris stuff. He insisted we dress up and put the vaseline on our faces and the glitter. Here's another little tidbit for you—my wife Rose Lane, and I met because she was working at Capricorn and I had gotten the job with Dr. John. Mac said [imitating Dr. John], "You know you guys gots ta dress up wid me now." Rose said she could help us with that, so she and her friend sewed a lot of the clothes that we wore.

Alan Bryson: I think I hear some of his influence in your playing.

Chuck Leavell: Oh man, are you kidding? Of course I played mostly Hammond organ and he played piano, but occasionally he would jump on the guitar and I'd get to play the piano. Really what it gave me was an opportunity to observe and listen to his technique. Mac is so amazing because he's got that New Orleans thing, but he's also got another more sophisticated element to him. He's got the Gris-Gris, which is his own invention, I would say, but he's also got more of a jazz side to him—a sophisticated knowledge of chords and chordal structures—and I tried to pick up on that as much as I could. When I first heard some of the chord spreads and voicings that he did, I was, like, "What is that?" [Laughs] Not being used to that, it took me a long time, and I would have to beg him, "Mac, don't move your hands. Leave 'em right there and let me see what it is you're doing so I can figure that chord out." As much as I would try by ear—and I've got a pretty good ear—there were some spreads and voicings I couldn't quite sort out.

Dr. John from Clint Eastwood's “Piano Blues” film documentary.

Dr. John & Eric Clapton - Right Place, Wrong Time 1996

Keeping it short for busy Steemers

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Photo credit: the excellent original press portrait photo (above) by Bruce Weber, extra special photo effects by @roused