Talk:Dr. John

Videos
I made mention of the instructional videos and audios of Dr. John's piano playing. These are very high quality in terms of content and are great to listen to in terms of performance and blues history as well. I cut it short for now because it would have sounded like a commercial. They are an example of a treasure that will be more and more valuable after the artist is gone though so they are worth mentioning. Descriptions can be found at homespuntapes.com and doing a search for Dr. John (I am not affiliated with Homespuntapes in any way).Roadpeace 17:40, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

Heroin
'Excellent article. I notice no mention is made of his extensive drug use, particularly of IV heroin, during the years. I am aware of the policy on living persons, but Dr. John openly admits and talks about this period of his life in the Under a Hoodoo Moon autobiography.
 * That's because the article actually is unreferenced, unsourced, and basically just fan-writing. If it had been sourced, it could easily include material such as you mention, because there would abe a source (the Autobiography) for the material. I have tagged the article as unreferenced. This means it is suitable for deletion from Wikipedia, if no one adds references. cat yronwode Catherineyronwode (talk) 07:57, 21 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Tagging the article as unreferenced is a very good idea. I hope that no one deletes this article though. Deleting an article about Dr. John would be like deleting an article about BB King (there is no question that both need to be included in Wikipedia).  The only distinction I would make that differs from what you said above is that when you say "just fan writing", it implies that Dr. John is in the same category as an early 20's 'American Idol" winner with a lot of teenage fans.  Dr. John is a living national treasure and almost 70 years old.  When people who are knowledgeable about an artist show respect by detailing the facts of his music career it is not just "basically fan-writing" (e.g. saying "He's great!  I love him!"), it's called 'being appropriate' and writing appropriately as any conventional encyclopedia does in their entry about him. It does need to be sourced though - there's no dispute there.  Just today I noticed an example of an article created yesterday about a company CEO that should be deleted for both notability (no disrespect to him at all) and lack of sourcing. Any argument for deleting an article about someone like Dr. John just because the facts in the article are not sourced yet, will be a very weak argument.Roadpeace (talk) 18:18, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

As far as deletion of specific content goes (not deletion of the article itself), I do think the "Battle With Addition" section (whether accurate or not) should be deleted until it's sourced. RE: "Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful." I'll wait for other perspectives first. Roadpeace (talk) 20:35, 22 May 2012 (UTC)


 * I deleted the sentence, "His characteristic, nameless brand of jazzy funk, emphasized with a flair of psychedelic rock, was a direct result of his drug habit throughout his hoodoo albums of the 1960s and up through the 1970s." Really? His characteristic musical style was a DIRECT RESULT of his drug habit? As a musician I can say with confidence that this is amateurish garbage. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.27.112.146 (talk) 20:43, 20 June 2015 (UTC)
 * Whether it's amateurish garbage or not, if it doesn't have a source it's WP:OR and does not belong here. Martinevans123 (talk) 20:46, 20 June 2015 (UTC)
 * I've removed some unsourced material in this edit. Eman 235 / talk  22:18, 9 July 2015 (UTC)

john mayall's bluesbreakers?
the article lists "john mayall's bluesbreakers" as an associated act. since i can't find what makes them associated, especially considering that this is the only mention of this in the entire article, i'm going to remove it. if anyone can provide proof that there is some relationship between the two acts, feel free to change it back and post the reason. Glassbreaker5791 (talk) 21:30, 28 September 2008 (UTC)

Rolling Stones
Dr J played keyboards on most of "Exile on Main Street", along with Billy Preston. I realize it was just session work, but it's still something to be proud of.

You know, one of the top 10 albums ever made.

Cjmooney9 (talk) 14:47, 28 February 2011 (UTC)


 * Well, if the article on Exile on Main St. is to be believed, he played piano and sang backing vocals on one track "Let It Loose", and also sang backing vocals on "All Down the Line". Although yes, still a reason to be proud, I'm sure. Martinevans123 (talk) 08:36, 8 June 2019 (UTC)

Infobox musical artist and image size
I'm unclear on what the rule is here. Template:Infobox musical artist says "The image size should only be specified if the image is smaller than 220 pixels width. Enter the width in pixels without "px", for example 150. Size for landscape images should be 250."

If landscape equals yes, then should img size be set at 250 or less? Where can one find the pixel width of the image? –Vmavanti (talk) 15:08, 15 November 2016 (UTC)

IMDb entry
Dr. John has an entry at IMDb, but I don't know how to add it to the "External links" section.

So, if somebody would be kind enough to, here's the link - - -
 * https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0236566/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t80

Thank you. 2600:8800:784:8F00:C23F:D5FF:FEC4:D51D (talk) 01:17, 7 June 2019 (UTC)

Dr. John on Wolfman Jack Show
If I'm not mistaken, I believe Dr. John was a regular on The Wolfman Jack Show. Show ran from 1976 -1977 and was produced in Canada. Sjones5922 (talk) 01:20, 7 June 2019 (UTC)
 * The IMDB entry for the Wolfman Jack Show doesn't list him even as a guest. --jpgordon&#x1d122;&#x1d106; &#x1D110;&#x1d107; 04:14, 7 June 2019 (UTC)

Yes I can't find a reference to it anywhere. Was sort of hoping there were episodes on YouTube but the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. probably destroyed the tapes. Funny thing is I specifically remember watching this show when it came out. Excellent selection of musical acts guest starred every week. And I can still see, in my mind, Wolfman Jack standing by a piano and talking to, I was sure, Dr. John. Oh well...another of life's mysteries.sjones5922

Date of Birth
He was born on November 21, 2941 according to birth records. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.38.189.88 (talk) 04:33, 7 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Really??!!  Ghmyrtle (talk) 06:40, 7 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Suprised there is no source for a date of birth. This book says he was born in 1940, as does this book while this one gives 1941. As far as obituaries go, The Daily Telegraph says 1940, as do Rolling Stone and the Evening Standard.   Martinevans123 (talk) 07:44, 7 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Thanks, User:BlackcurrantTea for adding this source, which may explain some of the confusion. Martinevans123 (talk) 08:27, 7 June 2019 (UTC)
 * There's also this CBC radio transcript. It says that after the NOLA article (the source I added), his publicist explained 'that back in the 50s the musician added a year to his age so he could play in clubs and that "Mac has rolled with it since his teenage years."' I'll add that as a second ref. BlackcurrantTea (talk) 09:59, 7 June 2019 (UTC)

He was born on 20 November 1941- see discussion in  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Isaac579 (talk • contribs) 12:08, 7 June 2019 (UTC)

Expelled from Jesuit High School in 1954?
This source claims Rebennack was expelled from the Jesuit High School in 1954. But this would be when he was aged only 12 or 13. This seems a little unlikely? Although it does fit in with the claims that he net Professor Longhair "When he was about 13 years old" and that he "... soon began performing with him, and began his life as a professional musician". So should we take it as a fact? I can find no other supporting source, either for 1954 or for his being expelled. Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 11:25, 8 June 2019 (UTC)
 * FWIW, WP:Verifiability from WP:RS, which this is. Not WP:Truth. 7&amp;6=thirteen (☎) 12:00, 8 June 2019 (UTC)
 * oh, go on then.... better slip it in before the article gets locked down. Martinevans123 (talk) 12:03, 8 June 2019 (UTC)

Attribution
References copied from Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem Muppets to Dr. John. See former article's history for a list of contributors. 7&amp;6=thirteen (☎) 12:01, 9 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Thanks for re-using them. Martinevans123 (talk) 12:08, 9 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Copying from articles is easy. Although this citation (which is copied directly from Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem is incomplete.  Don't know which book? But copying within Wikipedia requires attribution in the edit summary, and I like to have one at talk.   7&amp;6=thirteen (☎) 12:17, 9 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Better citation.   7&amp;6=thirteen (☎) 12:35, 9 June 2019 (UTC)

References copied from Dr. John to Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem. See former article's history for a list of contributors. <b style="color:#060">7&amp;6=thirteen</b> (<b style="color:#000">☎</b>) 12:35, 9 June 2019 (UTC)

Discography
Although discogs.com is not considered a WP:RS source, it does tend to be tolerated in External links sections. I note that the discogs entry for Dr. John lists a total of 65 albums, i.e. 46 more than the 39 currently listed in this article. A quick look shows that discogs may include some joint projects, but it's possible that some albums have been missed entirely. Discogs also lists 50 singles and EPs. Martinevans123 (talk) 07:28, 10 June 2019 (UTC)

Citation format
I propose creating a bibliography for the books, and using WP:SFN. I will do it myself. Per WP:CITEVAR I am asking if anyone objects? <b style="color:#060">7&amp;6=thirteen</b> (<b style="color:#000">☎</b>) 10:36, 10 June 2019 (UTC)
 * No objections. Good idea and many thanks. Perhaps it will make the article look less "shoddy"? Martinevans123 (talk) 11:11, 10 June 2019 (UTC)
 * I inadvertently introduced a couple of citation errors. (Concerning the Morris and the Inductees citations) I can't figure out what I did; I tried to correct this.  Please take a look.  <b style="color:#060">7&amp;6=thirteen</b> (<b style="color:#000">☎</b>) 11:49, 10 June 2019 (UTC)
 * <b style="color:#060">7&amp;6=thirteen</b> (<b style="color:#000">☎</b>) 12:02, 10 June 2019 (UTC)
 * ✅ I put all the SFN in. If there is an objection, it can be undone.  IMO, it is an improvement.  <b style="color:#060">7&amp;6=thirteen</b> (<b style="color:#000">☎</b>) 12:04, 10 June 2019 (UTC)

ZuZu Man at AfD
There's a proposal to delete the article ZuZu Man. That's being discussed at Articles for deletion/ZuZu Man. Interested editors can comment there (and not here, to keep the discussion all in one place). — Mudwater (Talk) 06:11, 15 August 2019 (UTC)

Dr. John
I see that you're heavily involved with the Dr. John article. I added Against the Wind (album), Dr. John played keyboard on The Horizontal Bop. I added a source,, too. The source is Against the Wind (album). Can other articles on Wikipedia be used as sources?--2601:153:881:3D60:F9B8:1C89:B648:F2D6 (talk) 05:49, 17 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Special:Contributions/2601:153:881:3D60:F9B8:1C89:B648:F2D6 Nope.  WP:RS  WP:Wikipedia is not a reliable source.  Sorry, but that is pretty well established.  It is the same reasoning that precluded use of IMDB. See Citing IMDb and Questionable sources. <b style="color:#060">7&amp;6=thirteen</b> (<b style="color:#000">☎</b>) 14:23, 17 January 2021 (UTC)

Ethnicity - Cajun?
I noticed this article is using the category "Cajun musicians" and Dr. John plays Cajun music, he was born in New Orleans. The article currently reads "...German, Irish, Spanish, English, and French heritage", I wanted to clarify if his French descent translates to also being of Cajun ethnicity? Jooojay (talk) 20:17, 13 May 2021 (UTC)

Number of wives?
Under the section "Personal life and death", the section leads off with the sentence "Dr. John was married twice" and then proceeds to list three wives and the children for each.

His first wife was Lydia Crow... His second wife was Lorraine Sherman... His third wife was Cat Yellen... 2600:1700:1100:6E00:7865:E827:6D36:CAF6 (talk) 03:44, 5 February 2024 (UTC)