Dr. John and the Nite Trippers: at The Franklin Theatre (Franklin, TN) Fri. March 29, 2013

Dr. John and the Nite Trippers

Nashville Scene Critic's Pick …

The hipster jive and modified blues structure of Mac Rebennack and Ronnie Barron’s 1962 single “Talk That Talk” still sounds pretty crazy today. Credited to Drits & Dravy, the track provides a fascinating glimpse into Rebennack’s career before he assumed his famous Dr. John moniker. The New Orleans native played guitar with Crescent City pianist Professor Longhair before his mid-’60s move to Los Angeles, where Rebennack became an in-demand session musician for such performers as Sonny & Cher. As Dr. John, he cut the 1972 full-length Gumbo, a primer of New Orleans rock ’n’ roll. In recent years, Dr. John has modernized his sound: With Allen Toussaint and The Meters, he performed his 1974 full-length, Desitively Bonnaroo, at the 2011 Bonnaroo Music Festival. He recorded last year’s acclaimed Locked Down in Nashville with producer Dan Auerbach — all the record lacked was a new version of “Talk That Talk.”

—Edd Hurt