DR JOHN

To think that Doctor John is the most important persona Mac Rebennack possesses is to miss the point entirely. If Rebennack were only the voodo rock necromancer he seems to be at first glance, his place on the program of a blues and jazz festival might be suspect. Even if his music, as Doctor John’s has, has extended the forms and definition of both blues and jazz (not to mention rock and R&B) to a more-than-minor degree.

Mac Rebennack is here because in a very real way, he is responsible for the existence of this festival. He didn’t found any particular mainstream of blues, jazz or R&B. But in a larger sense, Mac Rebennack has devoted his life to the music of New Orleans and Louisiana, to bringing it forth to the public and making it come alive again.