Fat Tuesday Video Du Jour: Dr. John, Earl King & The Meters

Did you catch Dr. John’s freaky getup during the Black Keys’ appearance at the Grammy Awards? Mac Rebbenack, in his guise as “Dr. John the Night Tripper” has always been one sorta strange cat – his records in the late 1960s were pretty bizarre and when you consider the period, that’s saying a lot.

Dr. John at the Grammy Awards.

But Dr. John is probably the king of New Orleans piano players (Art Neville notwithstanding) right now. In this video Dr. John, the Meters and Earl King lay down a funky slab of Crescent City, in the form of “Big Chief,” the tune popularized by the former king of New Orleans piano players, Professor Longhair.

Fun fact: Earl King (the dude in the yellow doing the singing) actually wrote “Big Chief.” King is also the composer, of course, of New Orleans standards “Trick Bag” and “Come On,” which he recorded, as well as Lee Dorsey’s “Do-Re-Mi” and Willie Tee’s “Teasin’ You.” King died in 2003, and Professor Longhair died in 1980.

Happy Mardi Gras, ya’ll! Don’t forget: Check out our Mardi Gras playlist from last week.  And, you can tune in to real-time live webcams for a ringside seat to the madness and Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans.  NOLA webcams