"I think all musicians influence each other. I don't think any musician plays anything that is new. Everything musical has been played."

• Born Nov. 20, 1940, in New Orleans
   
• Dr. John's musical career began in the ‘50s as a songwriter and guitarist for recordings by Professor Longhair, Art Neville and Allen Toussaint. In the '60s, he played keyboards on recordings by Van Morrison, Aretha Franklin and the Rolling Stones. As a solo artist, his 1973 album, In The Right Place, hit No. 24 on the Billboard 200, with the single "Right Place Wrong Time" peaking at No. 9 on the singles chart.
   
• Dr. John won his first GRAMMY for 1989 for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo Or Group for "Makin' Whoopee" with Rickie Lee Jones. He made his GRAMMY stage debut at the 29th GRAMMY Awards in 1987, performing "When I Make Love" alongside Willie Dixon, Junior Wells and Ry Cooder.
   
• Nicknamed "Mac," Dr. John appeared in the 1978 Martin Scorsese-directed documentary The Last Waltz, performing "Such A Night: with The Band.
   
• Dr. John performed "Everybody Has The Blues" with Taj Mahal at the 2006 MusiCares Person of the Year tribute concert honoring James Taylor. The annual gala raises funds for MusiCares, which provides services and resources that cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies for music people.
   
• Sales from his 2007 GRAMMY-nominated album, Sippiana Hericane, benefitted the New Orleans Musicians Clinic, which has provided medical care to musicians in New Orleans since 1998.