SONG OF THE DAY
“Right Place Wrong Time” by Dr. John (In The Right Place, Atco Records, 1973). Written by Mac Rebennack.
INTERESTING FACTS (a la wikipedia)
– The album became the biggest selling album of Dr. John’s career.
- Allen Toussaint played piano, electric piano, acoustic guitar, conga drums and tambourine, background vocals, vocal arrangements, arrangement and conducting.
– Malcolm John “Mac” Rebennack, Jr., better known by the stage name Dr. John (also Dr. John Creaux), is an American singer/songwriter, pianist and guitarist whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock ‘n’ roll.
– Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, his professional musical career began in New Orleans in the 1950s.
- Rebennack’s career as a guitarist came to an end when his left ring finger was injured by a gunshot while he was defending singer/keyboardist Ronnie Barron, his bandmate, Jesuit High School classmate, and longtime friend.
- He moved to Los Angeles in 1963 where he became a “first call” session musician on the booming Los Angeles studio scene in the Sixties and Seventies, providing backing for Sonny & Cher, and for Canned Heat on their classic albums Living the Blues (1968) and Future Blues (1970), and many other acts.
– Dr. John is perhaps best known for his recordings during 1972-1974. 1972’s Dr. John’s Gumbo, an album covering several New Orleans R&B standards with only one original, is considered a cornerstone in New Orleans music. In 2003, Dr. John’s Gumbo was ranked #402 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time.
- In 1973, with Allen Toussaint producing and The Meters backing, Dr. John released the seminal New Orleans funk album, In the Right Place. In the Right Place established Dr. John as one of the main ambassadors of New Orleans funk.
– In describing the album, Dr. John states, “The album had more of a straight-ahead dance feel than ones I had done in the past, although it was still anchored solid in R&B.”
– It rose to #24 on the Billboard album charts, while the single “Right Place Wrong Time” landed at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
– Still in heavy rotation on most classic rock stations, “Right Place Wrong Time” remains his single most recognized song.
– Artists such as Bob Dylan, Bette Midler, andDoug Sahm contributed singular lines to the lyrics, which lists several instances of ironic bad luck and failure.
– On Thanksgiving Day 1976 he performed at the farewell concert for The Band, which was filmed and released as The Last Waltz. His bow-tie and smile confirmed him as the happiest man at the show.