had.” I guess she didn’t know I was in earshot. And I picked up on it. Boy I was floating about three feet off the ground. And man, he’d had Ron Baron before me playing with him and I thought, “Oh hell, surely he heard Ron Baron play. That guy was mon- strous!” In fact, Ron Baron was supposed to have been Dr. John. I don’t know if you ever knew this story. But Dr. John, he was known to Wexler and some of these people and they wanted him to put together – his name is Mac Rebennack, that’s his real name and they wanted him to put together this persona of a New Orleans voodoo kind of guy and they had the name Dr. John Crow. And so Mac, he was friends with Ron Baron and Mac had recorded some stuff with Ron and he was try- ing to convince Ron to take on the persona of Dr. John Crow, but he didn’t want to do it. And you know Mac says you know, he didn’t feel like he could sing well enough to do this. But then again, he did. He recorded the album and took on that persona. And hell, it worked. He’s known as Dr. John. And so Ron Baron never really made it.
That’s some interesting bit of history. And Mac, I guess he thought he couldn’t sing because he’s got such a unique voice. He’s like Leon Russell.
Yeah! Exactly. They might not be able to sing but they can. Yeah. Dr. John, the first time I heard his record, I said, “Oh shit! That guy can’t sing!” But listen to his piano playing. And then it grew on me and I’m now the biggest Dr. John fan that ever lived.
That’s what happened to me and the same thing happened with Leon with me, way back when he did Asylum Choir and all that, way back. I was like, “My God, what a crazy voice!” You just get used to it.
But it’s a personality voice, you know, it’s like to me, Johnny Cash was not a great singer but he had a personality and that’s what you learned to love, was the personality.
What are your current projects you’re involved in? Nothing major. There’s a couple younger bands around Macon I’ve been recording a good bit lately. There’s a band called the Matt Brantley Band and he’s a big ole boy with a rough looking beard, sort of like a Chris Sta- pleton, kind of a scruffy-looking guy. But he is showing some stuff. I think he’s going to do something. He’s a good writer, a good singer and he’s reminiscent of those two acts that I just mentioned. And there’s another band I’m enjoying working with some. They’re called The Royal Johnson Band.
You know, I’m a big fan of those guys. Ever since they they first put out the “Belly Full” record. Then I met the gui- tar player, Andy Johnson. Great guy. Andy has another side project. He has a duo. He has a harp player he plays with and it’s called Dos Blues Guys.
I’ve been meaning to tell you. As a kid I recall my other had a 45 of “My Gal is Red Hot, Your Gal Ain’t Diddly Squat.” Oh really. That wasthe late fifties, it was rockabilly days, the Elvis days, you know.
My mom and dad both loved music. Mom had the rock and roll, pop, and Rock and Roll and Marty Robbins. I love Marty Robbins.
Yeah, that was her favorite singer. Me too, and he might be the greatest singer that ever lived.
Speaking of Marty Robbins, you know Dennis and Donnie, the Winters Broth- ers worked with him. Have you heard
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