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Doctor John Covers Mercer on New Album
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?r=279&ctl=13E287B:A6F02AD83191E160410159D49F4876099574F7DCC14957C0 He recorded
'Mercenary' a few months before Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on his
native New Orleans Into every singer's repertoire, a song or two by
Johnny Mercer must fall.  In Doctor John's case, when it rains Johnny
Mercer songs it pours.





Singer and pianist Doctor John is no stranger to the Great American
songbook.  His 1989 collection of pop standards, In A Sentimental
Mood, features classics by Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, and, of
course, Johnny Mercer.

It was almost by accident that Doctor John, known for his fusion of
New Orleans funk, pop and soul, ever got around to making an album of
Johnny Mercer tunes.  Thinking it was a perfect match for her father,
Doctor John's daughter suggested he record Mercer's 1946 hit
"Personality."  Noting similarities between himself and his fellow
Southerner, including their passion for being in the spotlight, Doctor
John recorded not one, but 10 Johnny Mercer compositions for his new
album, Mercernary.

Johnny Mercer himself recorded a number of songs during his career,
and even though he didn't write "Personality," it's one that always
suited his, well … personality.

It was no easy task sorting through a body of work that spans more
than 30 years.  But in the end, Doctor John decided to go with Johnny
Mercer's most-popular songs, including those he wrote with Harold
Arlen, Hoagy Carmichael and Henry Mancini.  Doctor John's soulful
arrangements, fueled by his band The Lower 911, will actually have you
thinking that Mercer was born and raised in New Orleans rather than
Savannah, Georgia. 

Doctor John recorded Mercernary just a few months before Hurricane
Katrina wreaked havoc on his native New Orleans.  For the past year,
he's been an active participant in the city's comeback.  He recently
returned to his hometown to perform in a benefit concert to mark the
one-year anniversary of the hurricane.


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