Now, the Night Tripper has left this earthly plane of existence... https://www.theadvocate.com/new_orl...eIAHWBj9e60uz_Cgzm_SEkAlLKsBPS4TEqtZGdsW7HSQA Malcolm John Rebennack Jr., better known as Dr. John, initially aspired to be a professional songwriter, producer, session musician and sideman, like the utilitarian New Orleanians who forged his creative worldview in the 1950s. He wanted to work behind the scenes, not out front. But after assuming the persona of Dr. John the Night Tripper in the late 1960s, Rebennack was behind the scenes no more. His idiosyncratic style and sound – the gravelly growl, the sly, deceptively leisurely phrasing, the hipster patois, the hybrid Big Easy piano – embodied both New Orleans and its music. Rebennack, an icon of the city who remained an active creative force up until he abruptly disappeared from public view 18 months ago, died Thursday of a heart attack after years of declining health, a family member confirmed. He was reportedly 77.
The Night Tripper. I feel like all these great talents I enjoyed seeing 50 years ago are disappearing in increasing numbers. It's really bumming me out. I've lost friends over the years, but they were like friends, as well. Looking back, I've always known I was lucky to be where I was at that point in music history, with the ability to take it all in from radio stations like KFMK, where the DJ's played on my radio at home or in my car music just as soon as they discovered themselves when they put the demos on a turntable. It was such a trip. $4 dollar LP's that I bought 3 or 4 at a time, sometimes more, every week. In clubs and at concerts that were often cheaper than their records. This endless stream of creative genius that saw every week producing something new, something exciting, incredibly creative, often is unfathomable quantities. I knew I was lucky at the time. It was mind expanding, and would have been if I wasn't working on that anyway. It's what I spent every spare dollar on. I don't regret a bit of it. I do regret what's happening now, though.
