Get to Know John “Papa” Gros
One of the joys of six days at sea is discovering artists you’ve never heard, maybe never heard of.
Meet John “Papa” Gros. He’s part of the generational chain handing New Orleans’ very special music down to us.
Pop music eats itself. It’s hard to see the line from Elvis to K-pop. Maybe there isn’t one. In sharp contrast, New Orleans music nurtures itself. Successive generations build on what came before. A legend from the 1940s, like Professor Longhair, could sit in with most of the city’s newer acts. In fact, if the Professor came back, it might even be at the club named for one of his biggest hits, Tipitina’s.
John doesn’t just parrot the old music. He adds a splash of what’s happened lately and a whole lot of his own experience and musical chops. And make no mistake, this guy can PLAY.
For the Big Easy Cruise, John Gros will pay tribute to another departed legend, Dr. John. It’s a special show that he mounts at Tipitina’s several times a year. For those whose memories don’t stretch back that far, Dr. John spent the late Sixties working his Night Tripper act (feathers, gris-gris, face-paint, voodoo notions) before emerging as a singer-pianist in the great New Orleans tradition. John Gros picks his favorites from across Dr. John’s career, and it will be a treat.
It won’t be all we hear from John, either.
John, you have a French name. Have you ever traced your family tree?
I had a great-aunt in Thibodaux who traced us back to two brothers who came from France in the 1700s. She mostly worked off family lore and courthouse records, but it turned out she was pretty much right.
You were born in New Orleans?
Right. I grew up in Baton Rouge, but we were back and forth. We saw the Mardi Gras parades—setting out and coming back. The zoo, streetcars, Café du Monde … the whole experience. Then I went to Loyola University in New Orleans and took to the lifestyle pretty well. Maybe too well. I found that jukeboxes in New Orleans still had the classics, like “Iko, Iko.” Baton Rouge is only ninety miles away, but it’s a different world.
Were there many of the New Orleans greats still around and playing when you got started.
Man, yeah. The Nevilles. Wolfman Washington. George Porter. On and on. They were playing the music I love and I said, “I’m going to do this for the rest of my life.” It was celebratory music. Joyous. I just gravitated to it. I knew it was my job to carry it forward.
What was the first step?
Weddings. Cover bands on Bourbon Street. Then George Porter hired me as a keyboard player. He didn’t TELL you what to do, but you’d experience his life through his music and you’d just know where to fall in. I like to say that I got a B.A. from Loyola and a doctorate from George Porter. George gave me the blueprint. Don’t forget he’s on The Big Easy Cruise, too.
Then you put your own band together?
Yeah. Papa Grows Funk. We started out jamming at the Old Point Bar in Algiers—right across the river from the French Quarter. We played to maybe five or ten people at first, but then we started drawing real good crowds. We were together thirteen years.
So now you’re back on your own and one of things you started doing was the salute to Dr. John?
I do it a few times a year at Tipitina’s, just out of love and respect. I don’t dress up as the Night Tripper, but I do songs from that era, like “Gris-Gris” and “Walk on Gilded Splinters.” And of course, later songs like “Such a Night.” We add songs all the time. Dr. John, or Mac as we called him, will keep you engaged the rest of your life. He’s a deep well.
Did you know him?
We opened for him. He was very supportive. I was the kid. In 2014, there was a big tribute to him while he was still alive: The Musical Mojo of Dr. John. It was at the Saenger Theater in the French Quarter. Bruce Springsteen, John Fogerty, Jason Isbell, and a whole bunch of others were there. I was Dr. John’s stand-in during the rehearsals. He came and sat in with Papa Grows Funk a few times, too. A sweet, humble man. A complete musician. He knew theory. He knew soul. And he knew thousands of songs.
When the Big Easy Cruise docks in New Orleans, we’ll be heading for Tipitina’s to see Galactic ft. Jelly Joseph. For the folks who don’t know, could you tell us about Tip’s.
It’s the House that Professor Longhair built. There’s even a bust and a big ol’ picture of him. It was just an old rundown place. A neighborhood bar. Some Tulane students began using it for parties. It opened in 1977 as a place Professor Longhair could play, and ‘Fess was there ‘til he died a few years later. And then about eight years ago, it was bought by the group Galactic. The place just oozes history. Every time I hit that stage, I’m revved up.
John, we’re so happy you’re joining us.
Tell your friends. That’s what you do when there’s going to be a great party.
- Colin Escott © 2025
Born in England, Colin wrote the definitive biography of Hank Williams, subsequently adapted into a movie starring Tom Hiddleston. He also wrote Good Rockin’ Tonight—Sun Records and the Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll. His work has appeared in many magazines, and he has won two Grammys for historical sets. He also cowrote the hit Broadway show Million Dollar Quartet.