Dr. John’s Gumbo by Dr. John

Dr. John's Gumbo, the fifth album from the New Orleans singer and pianist, hit the shops on Atco in 1972, and it's a love letter to his hometown served in one steaming bowl. After years of voodoo mystery and Mardi Gras-feathered theatrics, Rebennack turns archivist, running through a set of classic New Orleans tunes with producers Jerry Wexler and Harold Battiste steering.

The results roll and strut, the piano rumbling and that gravel-and-molasses voice holding court like a man who knows every story on the block. "Iko Iko" is the one that made the countdowns. It only made No. 112 on the Billboard 200 during an eleven-week run, but the reputation outlasted the chart numbers: in 2012 Rolling Stone placed it at number 404 on its list of the 500 greatest albums. Fun footnote: the cover was shot in front of the giant mural on the Farmer John Company wall in Vernon, California.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.