Dr. John and The Nite Trippers headline Mardi Gras in May at UAB’s Alys Stephens Center

Before the show, enjoy the Chad Fisher Group; Dr. John will perform a career retrospective and “The Spirit of Satch,” his Louis Armstrong tribute.

dr john webJoin the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center for Mardi Gras in May with the incomparable Dr. John on Saturday, May 16.

A six-time Grammy Award winner and a true icon of American culture, Dr. John will be joined by The Nite Trippers. This performance will feature a career retrospective, including his biggest hits and music from his most recent release, “The Spirit of Satch,” his tribute to the late Louis Armstrong.

Join the ASC before the show for Mardi Gras in May: The Chad Fisher Group will perform in the ASC lobby at 6:30 p.m. Enjoy NOLA-themed drinks at ASC cash bars. Dr. John and The Nite Trippers are set for 8 p.m. in UAB’s Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. South. Tickets are $45.50, $54.50 and $63.50. Call 205-975-2787 or visit www.AlysStephens.org.

Born in New Orleans, Dr. John began his musical career in the 1950s when he wrote and played guitar on some of the greatest records to come out of the Crescent City, including recordings by Professor Longhair, Art Neville, Joe Tex and Frankie Ford. A legend was born with his breakthrough 1968 album “Gris-Gris,” introducing to the world his unique blend of voodoo mysticism, funk, rhythm and blues, psychedelic rock, and Creole roots. Rolling Stone magazine ranked the album No. 143 on “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” Over the course of his career he has recorded more than 20 albums and in 1973 scored a Top 20 hit with the funky “Right Place Wrong Time,” an enduring classic that is among his best-known songs. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

The Nite Trippers are Sarah Morrow, trombone; Reggie Jackson, drums; Dwight Bailey, bass; Dave Yoke, guitar; and Bobby Floyd, organ.