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Over the course of his six-decade-long career, Dr. John embodied a near-mythic multitude of musical identities: global ambassador of New Orleans funk and jazz and R&B, visionary bluesman, rock and roll innovator, one-time top 10 hitmaker, self-anointed and massively revered high priest of psychedelic voodoo. On Things Happen That Way, the six-time Grammy-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Famer otherwise known as Malcolm John “Mac” Rebennack Jr. reveals yet another dimension of his cosmically vast musicality: a lifelong affinity for classic country and western, whose songs he first encountered via the 78 rpm records frequently spun at his father’s electronics shop.

2 CD 2019 Release featuring Dr. John's early singles pre-Atlantic Records and live concert recordings previously unreleased in North American and Japan. This new retrospective includes rarities from the Rex, Ace, Crazy Cajun labels, and rare live band and solo performances of Dr. John's greatest hits.

Recorded in 1995 with Germany's WDR Big Band, the album features 16 tracks with over 60 minutes of music including an a bonus track on the CD only. Dr. John arguably has never sounded better. Hisvocals are crisp and clear and joyful, as if he turned back the clock toanother time and to a jubilant state of mind.

Over his 35 years of recording, Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack has worn many hats, from '50s greasy rock & roller to psychedelic '70s weirdo to keeper of the New Orleans music flame. All of these modes, plus more, are excellently served up on this two-disc anthology. From the early New Orleans sides featuring Rebennack's blistering guitar work ("Storm Warning" and "Morgus the Magnificent") to the fabled '70s sides as the Night Tripper to his present-day status as repository of the Crescent City's noble musical tradition, this is the one you want to have for the collection.

This 40-song assortment will definitely appease those who want a hefty one-stop of Dr. Hook's best material, but it also makes for a worthy summation of the band's career. All but the last two of Dr. Hook's Top 40 singles appear here, led by "Sylvia's Mother," "The Cover of the Rolling Stone," and "Only Sixteen," while excluding later efforts like "Girls Can Get It" and "Baby Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk." All of their second-bests are also present, including fan favorites such as "More Like the Movies," "The Radio," "Jungle to the Zoo," and "On the Way to the Bottom." Their absurd lean toward rock & roll throughout the '70s is well-covered in songs like "I Got Stoned and I Missed It," "Bad Eye Bill," "You Make My Pants Want to Get Up And Dance," "Walk Right In"…