Dr John completed one final album before he passed away last week, it has been revealed.
Tributes from the music world poured in for the legendary New Orleans artist following his recent death. In a statement, it was confirmed that the 77-year-old had died of a heart attack.
Now, it has been reported that Dr John had finished a new album, which he began work on in 2017. According to Rolling Stone, the musician continued recording on the project as his health started to decline last year.
Dr John worked from a makeshift home studio alongside producer Shane Theriot, who explained the late artist’s enthusiasm to see the LP through to the very end.
“It would break my heart because he would come to my house, and I knew he wasn’t feeling great,” he said, “and Mac’s work ethic, he was old school; he grew up doing five sets a night. And so he told me on several occasions, he would say, ‘Whatever we gotta do, we gotta do it. We gotta get it done, Sha-zane. Whatever we gotta do to finish this motherfucker, we gotta finish it.’”
The publication goes on to state that the album contains a mix of new original tracks and reworked older material. A selection of “country-tinged covers” will see Dr John take on Johnny Cash’s ‘Guess Things Happen That Way’, Hank Williams’ ‘Ramblin’ Man’ and Willie Nelson’s ‘Funny How Time Slips Away’.
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While further details are not yet known, Theriot revealed that Dr John was able to hear the finished record himself.
“We sat and listened to everything twice,” he said. “He was singing along and had a big grin on his face. Then he walked me out to my car, stared at me and said, ‘I’m glad. I made the right choice.’ And then he hugged and kissed me on the cheek.”