LOS ANGELES, CA. (Top40 Charts/ 429 Records) - Iconic American musician and unofficial ambassador to New Orleans, the legendary
Dr. John (aka Mac Rebennack, Jr.), will perform at the NBA All Star Game on February 17th, which takes place at the New Orleans
Arena - home of the Hornets. Executing a musical "slam dunk" to the half-time festivities,
Dr. John will perform a solo piano version of "
What A Wonderful World" as the featured musician of the "NBA Cares Moment," which follows immediately after the traditional 3-point-shot contest. In addition, he'll take part in a multi-pianist performance segment of the show with eight other guest musicians such as Harry Connick, Jr., Allen Toussaint, Art Neville, Ivan Neville (Aaron Neville's son), Ellis Marsalis (father of Wynton and Branford) and others all performing on piano on the arena floor. The 2008 NBA All Star Game is televised on TNT February 17th @ 8pm EST.
Dr. John recently signed a multi-record agreement with the Savoy Label Group's 429 Records and is in the midst of recording his definitive musical response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina on his beloved Crescent City. Tentatively titled "THE CITY THAT CARE FORGOT," Mr. Rebennack promises a strong song cycle that has casually been referred to by some as the "What's Going On" for New Orleans. Featuring guest star turns by a host of celebrated musicians, the project will be a clarion call to the continuing plight of the Crescent City. Dr. John is currently, and not surprisingly, one of the leading voices protesting the inept response to the disaster, tirelessly performing benefit shows and setting up relief fund support in an effort to keep the issue in the public eye. With "THE CITY THAT CARE FORGOT" Dr. John will doubtlessly distill the spectrum of intense passions into an eloquent musical dissertation. The project is tentatively set for a June 2008 release on Savoy's 429 Records imprint.
429 Records is a unit of the Savoy Label Group (SLG). SLG is the North American unit of CME (Columbia Music Entertainment), the oldest music company in Japan. The Savoy Label Group has evolved into a leading independent company in the adult music genres consistently outperforming competitors in key music categories as monitored by Billboard Magazine. SLG is led by Steve Vining, and CME is headed by Chairman Strauss Zelnick, founder of Zelnick Media, which owns interests in and manages an array of media companies.
