September 18, 2023

1973 - June: Dr. John “In the Right Place”

34 minutes

Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr.,better known by his stage name, Dr. John, was a singer-songwriter who blended funk, R&B and New Orleans blues into a distinctive sound. Dr. John was well known for his stage shows which were inspired by an eclectic mix of medicine shows, voodoo ceremonies, and Mardi Gras costumes. Dr. John got his start as a session musician in the 1950s, and continued doing session work throughout his career playing keyboards for Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones, and Van Morrison as a member of "The Wrecking Crew." He recorded thirty studio albums and nine live albums before his death in 2019, including the one we profile today.

In the Right Place is Dr. John's sixth album and his best selling one, peaking at number 24 on the Billboard 200 chart. He is backed up on this album by The Meters, a New Orleans funk band that formed in 1965. The Meters were the house band for Alan Toussaint, who produced, arranged, and played on a number of tracks on the album.

Mac Rebennack's father ran an appliance shop in the East End of New Orleans where, in addition to fixing radios and televisions, he sold records to people from a wide variety of races and cultures. Rebennack was expelled from his Catholic high school when the priests told him he had to either stop playing in the clubs or leave.

The stage name Dr. John was taken from a 19th-century Louisiana voodoo priest. In turn, Dr. John would inspire two other characters - Johnny Fever (from "WKRP in Cincinnati") and Dr. Teeth (from "The Muppet Show").

The future Dr. John started playing guitar and switched to piano after nearly losing a finger during an on-tour gunfight.

It's time for some New Orleans funk as Wayne brings us this album for the podcast. Friend of the show Sean Mooney joins us for this one.

Traveling Mood

You can expect any rock group to eventually put out a song about losing a woman, but it takes Dr. John to make this tragedy whimsical and fun. "Said that she'd never leave me, now she's gone away to grieve me. I was fast asleep, when she begun her midnight creep."

Qualified

This is a social hierarchy song about a guy telling people who think they are better than others that they are not. "Your social life ain't no better than my hot dog stand. Your edu-ma-cation ain't no hipper than what you understand."

Right Place, Wrong Time

This is the funky hit that peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also Dr. John's only top 40 hit, making him technically a one-hit wonder. "I took the right road but I must have took a wrong turn." "I took a right move, but I made it at the wrong time."

Cold, Cold, Cold

In this song, the man wishes a woman he loves was not also running around with the other guys. There's a pit of a Rolling Stones sound about this one, and maybe a little bit of Randy Newman humor.

ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:

Live and Let Die by Wings (from the motion picture “Live and Let Die”)

This song was the theme which first introduced Roger Moore as James Bond. It also reunited Paul McCartney with former Beatles producer George Martin.

STAFF PICKS:

Drift Away by Dobie Gray

Rob drifts into the staff picks with this song originally written by Mentor Williams in 1970, and first performed by swamp rock singer John Henry Kurtz. Soul singer Dobie Gray would produce the rendition we would know best. Gray would land at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, making this song his biggest hit. The lyrical tribute to the power of music would make it a frequent cover by lots of artists.

Daniel by Elton John

Lynch features a song with a story. Daniel is an American soldier injured in Vietnam who, though accepted by his family, receives criticism from the public due to the polarizing nature of that war. Disillusioned by the response, Daniel decides to go away to Spain. Almost all of this storyline was contained in the last verse of the song, which was cut before it was produced.

China Grove by the Doobie Brothers

Friend of the show Sean brings us a song which introduces itself with a great guitar riff and keyboards. It is sung and written by Tom Johnson for the Doobie Brothers third studio album, "The Captain and Me." It went to number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. While Johnson was writing about a fictional town, there are several towns called China Grove in America.

The Free Electric Band by Albert Hammond

Wayne closes out the staff picks with a prog rock hit. Songwriter Hammond has written a number of hits over the years, though this particular one only went to number 48. The lyrics are about a privileged child who decides to move to California to play music despite his parents higher expectations for him.

COMEDY TRACK:

Back When My Hair Was Short by Gunhill Road

This lone hit by Gunhill Road went to number 40, and was produced by Kenny Rogers.

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**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

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By Rob Marbury, Wayne Rowan, Bruce Fricks, John Lynch

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