Dr. John - 1972 - Dr. John's Gumbo

1972 - Dr. John's Gumbo  

Dr. John's Gumbo is the fifth album by New Orleans R&B artist Dr. John, a tribute to the music of his native city. The album is a collection of covers of New Orleans classics, played by a major figure in the city's music. In 2003, the album was ranked number 402 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Track Listing:

Side A

1. "Iko Iko", song about street parades in New Orleans (James "Sugar Boy" Crawford)

2. "Blow Wind Blow" (Huey "Piano" Smith, Izzy Cougarden)

3. "Big Chief", Professor Longhair song dedicated to Big Chief Jolly, notable Mardi Gras Indian leader. (Earl Gaines)

4. "Somebody Changed the Lock", romantic travails. (Mac Rebennack)

5. "Mess Around", Ray Charles' first hit, based on "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie" (Ahmet Ertegün)

6. "Let the Good Times Roll", written by Earl King, also covered by Jimi Hendrix as "Come On".

Side B

1. "Junko Partner", legendary tale of wastrel and drug addict (Bob Shad)

2. "Stack-A-Lee", famous tale of "two men who gambled late" (Traditional)

3. "Tipitina", the great Professor Longhair song (Henry Roeland Byrd)

4.  "Those Lonely Lonely Nights" (Earl King, Johnny Vincent)

5.  "Huey Smith Medley", tribute to Huey Smith and the Clowns (Huey "Piano" Smith, Johnny Vincent)

   1. "High Blood Pressure"

   2. "Don't You Just Know It"

   3. "Well I'll Be John Brown"

6.  "Little Liza Jane", New Orleans R&B standard based on a children's rhyme (Huey "Piano" Smith, Johnny Vincent)

Album Credits: 

 Dr. John - guitar, piano, cornet, vocals

 Lee Allen - tenor saxophone

 Ronnie Barron - organ, piano, vocals

 Harold Battiste - clarinet, saxophone, horn arrangements

 Morris Bechamin - saxophone

 Jimmy Calhoun - bass

 Sidney George - harmonica, saxophone

 Shirley Goodman - vocals

 Ken Klimak - guitar

 Tammy Lann - vocals

 Dave Lastie - saxophone

 Melvin Lastie - trumpet, cornet

 Robbie Montgomery - vocals

 Keith Olsen - engineer

 Alvin Robinson - guitar

 Jessica Smith - vocals

 Fred Staehle - drums, percussion

 Richard Washington - percussion

 John Ewing - trombone

 Tom Wilkes - design, photography

 Barry Feinstein - design, photography

There is nothing that I can say that has not already been said about this album.  This is ESSENTIAL.  I'm sure there is not one single person in New Orleans that has not heard this album.  It's definitely one of my all time favorites.  There is never a Mardi Gras season that goes by without this album being played everywhere...
If you didn't know who Dr. John was before, do yourself a favor and get this right now!

Iko Iko