Feature Song: “Such a Night”
Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr. (1941-2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. His music combined New Orleans blues, jazz, R&B, soul, and funk. He was active as a session musician for the late 1950s until his death and gained a following in the late 1960s after the release of his album Gris-Gris (1968), along with his appearance at the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music (1970). Over the years he recorded thirty studio albums and nine live albums, as well as contributing to thousands of other musicians’ recordings.
Although most of us, me included, know him as an amazing pianist and vocalist, he started his musical career as a guitar player, until around 1960 when the ring finger of his left (guitar fretting) hand was injured by a gunshot during an incident at a Jacksonville, Florida gig. After the injury, he concentrated on bass guitar before making piano his main instrument, developing a style influenced by Professor Longhair, who he had met when he was thirteen. He was suitably impressed by the professor’s flamboyant attire and striking musical style, and soon began performing with him, thus beginning his life as a professional musician. The second push towards that career came when he was a struggling student at Jesuit High School. He was already performing in night clubs, something that the Jesuit fathers did not like, and he was told to stop playing in the clubs or leave the school. He was expelled in 1954 and from then on his focus was entirely on music.
The first time I became aware of his prowess on the guitar was in the late 80s when I attended one of his shows at a small venue in Vancouver, B.C. He started the show on the piano along with his band, and after about a half hour into the show after the end of a song, he stood up, walked over to the lead guitarist, took the guitar from him and wowed the audience with his “shredding” over the course of two or three songs. I, like many members of the audience, just sat there with our mouths open in disbelief!
Rebennack left New Orleans around 1965, after some legal trouble and spending two years at a Federal Correctional Institution and headed to Los Angeles becoming a “first call” session musician in the LA studio scene in the 1960s and 1970s and was part of the so-called “Wrecking Crew” stable of musicians. There is an amazing 2008 documentary titled The Wrecking Crew, directed by Denny Tedesco, the son of guitarist Tommy Tedesco who was a member of the wrecking crew. Rebennack provided backing for the likes of Sonny & Cher, Canned Heat, and Frank Zappa, just to name a few.
The song “Such a Night” was recorded by Dr. John in 1960 at RCA Studio B in Nashville. It was released in 1973 on Dr. John’s album, In The Right Place. However, most of us know it from his performance of it at The Band’s farewell concert, which became one of the better music documentaries, The Last Waltz filmed by Martin Scorsese. There was an earlier song with the same name that was written by Lincoln Chase in 1953 and was first recorded by The Drifters, but the lyrics are very different: The Drifters version starts: “It was a night, ooh oh, what a night it was, it really was such a night / The moon was bright, oh, how bright It was, it really was such a night / The night was alight with stars above / Ooh, when she kissed me 1 had to fall in love / Oh, it was a kiss / Ooh oh, what a kiss;” Dr. John’s version begins with: “Such a night, it’s such a night / Sweet confusion under the moonlight / Such a night, such a night / To steal away, the time is right / Your eyes caught mine, and at a glance You let me know that this was my chance / But you came here with my best friend Jim And here I am, tryin’ to steal you away from him.”
The cover I’ve chosen is another one of my YouTube finds, which blew me away because it really does justice to the song. Unfortunately, I could find very little information about the musicians here, other than what is available on Walter B’s YouTube channel, which was created in 2009. So, what I do know is that Walter B. is a musician, guitarist, singer, and composer from Italy, and he is joined in this cover by “The CocoBanana Trio,” and I could not find a single line item on them. He is also accompanied by a bass player, rhythm guitar, a guy thumping on a taped up guitar, a guy on a kitchen shredder, and a kazoo! No, I am not making this up. Let’s just list this as a mystery cover! I chose an extended live version by Dr. John form 2015 as it showcases his virtuosity on the piano.
Enjoy!
Dr. John. “Such A Night” live, 2015.
Walter B. and The CocoBananas. “Such A Night” cover 2022.
Bonus video of Dr. John at The Band’s farewell concert 1976.
Los Angeles 2025
I only (casually) know Dr. John as a piano player and had no idea he started out as a guitarist. It’s very unfortunate a gunshot stopped him in his guitar tracks – looks like he definitely wasn’t in the right place that night! On the other hand, perhaps we never may have known about Dr. John as the gifted piano player he became thereafter, so in that regard, that injured ring finger may have been a happy accident.
“Such a Night” is a classic in my book – and sadly one of the couple of songs I knew by Doctor John. Walter B. and The CocoBananas (gotta love that band name!) did a nice job with their cover.
I love Dr. John’s original, and the cover by Walter B. & The CocoBananas is pretty sweet. It’s endlessly fascinating to see the variety of songs artists from other countries decide to cover, which I’m guessing is one of the reasons you enjoy doing this series.
It is fascinating, and you definitely guessed right!
I always think I don’t know enough Dr. John, but this song at least I am familiar with. I totally love that video cover, incredible. You can’t beat that version from the Last Waltz.
I agree, which is why I included it! Yeah, that video definitely rocks.
I know Dr. John. How could I make it to now and have never heard this song? What is wrong with me?! Loved all 3. Thanks, Irwin, as always, for expanding my musical world.