Gris-Gris
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Gris-Gris [fashioned GRIS-gris] is the debut album by Dr. John (Mac Rebennack). Produced by Harold Battiste, it was released on Atco Records in 1968. The musical style of Gris-Gris is a hybrid of New Orleans rhythm and blues and psychedelic rock. Despite the New Orleans style, it was recorded in California, albeit with several native New Orleans musicians.
Gris-Gris failed to chart in the United Kingdom and the United States. It was re-issued on compact disc decades later and received much greater praise from modern critics, including being listed at #143 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
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Track listing
| title1 = Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya | writer1 = Dr. John Creaux | length1 = 5:36 | title2 = Danse Kalinda Ba Doom | writer2 = Creaux, Harold Battiste | length2 = 3:39 | title3 = Mama Roux | writer3 = Creaux, Jessie Hill | length3 = 2:59 | title4 = Danse Fambeaux | writer4 = Creaux | length4 = 4:56
}} {{tracklist | headline = Side two | title1 = Croker Courtbullion | writer1 = Battiste | length1 = 6:00 | title2 = Jump Sturdy | writer2 = Creaux | length2 = 2:20 | title3 = I Walk on Guilded Splinters | writer3 = Creaux | length3 = 7:37
Personnel
Musicians
- Dr. John – vocals, keyboards, percussion
- Dr. Battiste – bass, clarinet, percussion, arranger
- Richard "Dr. Ditmus" Washington – percussion
- "Senator" Bob West – bass
- "Dr." John Boudreaux – drums
- "Governor" Plas Johnson – saxophone
- "Dr." Lonnie Boulden – flute
- "Dr." Steve Mann – bottleneck guitar, banjo
- "Dr." McLean – guitar, mandolin
- Mo "Dido" Pedido – congas
- Dave Dixon, Jessie Hill, Ronnie Barron – backing vocals, percussion
- Joni Jonz, Prince Ella Johnson, Shirley Goodman, Sonny Ray Durden, Tami Lynn – backing vocals
Technical
- Harold Battiste – producer
- Marvin Israel – design
- Raphael – photography
- Richie Unterberger – reissue liner notes
From liner notes of original LP: "My group consists of Dr. Poo Pah Doo of Destine Tambourine and Dr. Ditmus of Conga, Dr. Boudreaux of Funky Knuckle Skins and Dr. Battiste of Scorpio in Bass Clef, Dr. McLean of Mandolin Comp. School, Dr. Mann of Bottleneck Learning, Dr. Bolden of The Immortal Flute Fleet, The Baron of Ronyards, Dido, China, Goncy O'Leary, Shirley Marie Laveaux, Dr. Durden, Governor Plas Johnson, Senator Bob West Bowing, Croaker Jean Freunx, Sister Stephanie and St. Theresa, John Gumbo, Cecilia La Favorite, Karla Le Jean who were all dreged up from The Rigolets by the Zombie of the Second Line. Under the eight visions of Professor Longhair reincannted the charts of now."
"I will mash my special faix deaux-deaux on all you who buy my charts, the rites of Coco Robicheaux who, invisible to all but me, will act as a second guardian angel until you over-work him. All who attend our rites will receive kites from the second tier of Tit Alberto who brought the Saute Chapeau. To Chieu Va Bruler up to us from the Antilles to the bayou St. John. Aunt Francis who told me the epic of Jump Sturdy and Apricot Glow. Mimi, who in silence, says the lyrics to Mamma Roux in Chipacka the Chopatoulis Chocktaws without teepees on Magnolia Street and wise to the Zulu parade and the golden blade the sun-up to sun-down second liners who dig Fat Tuesday more than anybody and that's plenty. I have also dug up the old Danse Kalinda to remind you we have not chopped out the old chants and the new Croaker Courtbuillion to serve Battiste style of Phyco-Delphia. We did the snake a la gris-gris calimbo to frame our thing into the medium of down under yonder fire. We walked on gilded splinters to shove my point across to you whom I will communicate with shortly through the smoke of deaux-deaux the rattlesnake whose forked tongue hisses pig Latin in silk and satin da-zaw-ig-day may the gilded splinters of Aunte Andre spew forth in your path to light and guide your way through the bayous of life on your pirougue of heartaches and good times... Push and the shove that you need to get your point across no matter what the cost."
See also
