Mac Rebennack (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, guitarist, and session musician.

In late 1950s New Orleans, Rebennack gigged with local bands including Mac Rebennack and the Skyliners, (Paul Staele/Dennis "Bootsie" Cuquet, drums; Earl Stanley, bass; Charlie Miller, trumpet; Charlie Maduell, sax; Roland "Stone" LeBlanc, vocals), Frankie Ford and the Thunderbirds, and Jerry Byrne and the Loafers. By the age of 17 he had co-written his first rock and roll song "Lights Out", which was a regional hit for white singer Jerry Byrne on the Specialty label in 1957. He had a regional hit with a Bo Diddley-influenced instrumental called "Storm Warning" on Rex Records in 1959. At A&R he and Charlie Miller recorded monophonic singles on 45s for Johnny Vincent and Joe Corona for local labels Ace, Ron, and Ric. He oversaw the rhythm section while Miller wrote the horn arrangements and headed up the horns. This continued until Miller moved to New York to study music formally.

Rebennack's career as a guitarist was stunted around 1960, when the ring finger on his left (guitar fretting) hand was injured by a gunshot during an incident at a Jacksonville, Florida gig. After the injury, Rebennack concentrated on bass guitar before making piano his main instrument, developing a style influenced by Professor Longhair. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.