OFF TOPIC with Steve Mixup. A place for me to tell the odd story or two about the post war rock generation. If they couldn’t change the world at least they brought us some wonderful music.

This song called “Della” appears on a 1973 album credited to Dr John called Zu Zu Man. It clearly is not Dr John singing. The story behind this album is one of those, of cheap labels, out of copyright demo’s, nameless jams, mimicked covers by unscrupulous chancers in for a quick buck. So, who is it?

Dr John was New Orleans born Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. who died in 2019 leaving a legacy of funky swamp rock albums that are still loved today. You may have heard “Right Place, Wrong Time” and if you want to get the feel for his music I recommend his 1968 debut album “Gris-Gris”.

This is not an authorised Dr John release and in fact it isn’t Dr John singing but someone imitating him. It is said, by Dr John himself, that the music is actually a bunch of Dr John demos that fell into the hands of some unscrupulous maverick. It was released on “Trip” records.

The “Trip” label was a subsidiary of the USA “Springboard” label founded in the 60’s and active through the 70’s. It dealt in cheap “out of copyright” recordings (eg Jimi Hendrix early jams), cheap compilations and “top of the pops” style covers albums.

The “Zu Zu Man” album is reportedly (by the man himself in his memoirs) a bunch of demos from the early career of Dr John with a session vocalist hired to sing in the style of Dr John over them. Dr John fans will rightly cringe at this cheap aside that could spoil his reputation. On that album, however, there are a few interesting songs that are worth checking out.

Two of the songs are actually from a 1964 single by Ronnie Barron on the Louisiana label “Michelle”. “Did She Mention My Name“, the B side is a nice laid back soul track written by Dr John although the version on the album is a little sped up. The A side is “The Grass Looks Greener Yonder” also written by Dr John.

Dr John and Ronnie Barron were school buddies meeting in the late fifties. They worked together and Ronnie Barron went on to work with many artists as a session musician and live performer, Sonny and Cher, Paul Butterfield and Canned Heat to name a few.

Here they are in an early collaboration. Dr John and Ronnie Barron – Talk that talk

If you like New Orleans funky swamp rock then Ronnie Barron’s debut album “Reverend Ether” from 1971 is worth checking out.

Ronnie also did a few acting roles. Here is is in Steven Seagal’s Above The Law as the barman with a classic line “Don’t do me ugly”.

So, the song on the “Zu Zu Man” album called “Della”. I don’t think it is the guy mimicking Dr John’s voice and it sounds like the same period as Ronnie’s 1964 single but with an up tempo groove. I’m probably wrong but…………

Could it be a long lost Dr John / Ronnie Barron track. I can’t track that one down. It’s not the Lee Hazelwood track Della. Until someone can tell me different I’ll give it to Ronnie Barron.

June 2022