Dr. John's Gumbo is the fifth album by New Orleans singer and pianist 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.

Dr John's Gumbo was released in 1972 and is in many ways a tribute by Dr. John, aka the Night Tripper, to his hometown of New Orleans. It features excellent interpretations of New Orleans traditionals ("Iko Iko", "Tipitina", "Junko Partner" and "Stack-O-Lee") and contemporary R&B written or played by the likes of Huey Piano Smith ("Blow Wind Blow" and "Huey Smith Medley") and Earl King ("Big Chief" and "Those Lonely Lonely Nights").

Dr. John delivers a strong set of infectious songs drenched in good vibes and spiced with a pinch of voodoo. His eccentric (stage) appearance adds unique color to his stature as master of the ivories and as an entertainer.

We expect this definitive deluxe 180-gram 45 RPM 2LP Analogue Productions (Atlantic Series) reissue of Dr. John's Gumbo to be a cherished addition to the music collections of all fans of New Orleans classics.

Reviews

“The shift produced one of his best albums, Dr. John’s Gumbo (1972), a return to his New Orleans R&B roots that transcended nostalgia, as Rebennack reinvented classics... with his own marvelous pianism and idiosyncratic personality.” PopMatters

“Yet for all the cult praise and seals of approval from contemporaries, it was his fifth release, Dr. John’s Gumbo, that established him as New Orleans royalty, thanks to his interpretative magic...” Louder

“The album’s focus on ‘your basic 2/4 beat with compounded rhythms and syncopations added on,’ an amalgam he summarizes as ‘good-time New Orleans blues and stomp music with a little Dixieland jazz and some Spanish rhumba blues.’” Best Classic Bands