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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2011 Inductee Dr. John this week's NPR spotlight
NPR's David C. Barnett has been showcasing a different inductee from this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class on Morning Edition. This week's segment spotlights Dr. John.
Click here to listen, and check back next week for the final part of this series!
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Announces its 2011 Inductees
Today, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced the Alice Cooper Band, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Darlene Love and Tom Waits as its 2011 performer inductees. Also being inducted this year as individual recipients of the Ahmet Ertegun Award are Jac Holzman and Art Rupe. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Award for Recording Excellence (previously the Sidemen category) will be presented to Leon Russell. The 26th annual ceremony will take place on Monday, March 14, 2011, at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City and be broadcast on Fuse, Madison Square Garden’s national music television network.
“We are pleased to welcome these artists and executives into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” said Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation President and CEO Joel Peresman. “They truly represent the variety of people that have defined and continue to influence music and the business of Rock and Roll.”
The performer Inductees are:
· Alice Cooper Band
· Neil Diamond
· Dr. John
· Darlene Love
· Tom Waits
Ahmet Ertegun Award recipients (nonperformers):
· Jac Holzman
· Art Rupe
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Award for Recording Excellence (previously the Sidemen category):
· Leon Russell
The 2011 Rock and Roll Hall ...
Dr. John, Fats Domino, and the piano
Over the past few weeks I have traveled to New Orleans several times and had the chance to see Dr. John perform live at Lafayette Square, play with the band Widespread Panic, and even sit next to him as he played in a small rehearsal studio just west of the French Quarter. Each time my eyes were fixed on his hands as he moved them effortlessly across the keys. What an amazing player; Dr. John holds the history of New Orleans piano music in his head and the soul of the sound in his hands.
The reason I’ve seen him so many times is that Dr. John and his band, the Lower 911, will be the house band for the upcoming American Music Masters Tribute to Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew. It is a perfect combination: Dr. John leading the band that will honor one of the giants of rock and roll piano, Fats Domino. As you can imagine I have been thinking a lot about the music of New Orleans, the piano style of Fats Domino, and the rhythms of Mardi Gras. What makes Fats’ music so exciting is the way it blends together several major musical ideas ...
