New Orleans funk music icon John 'Papa' Gros goes it alone for Newmarket show

John 'Papa' Gros in his New Orleans studio. (Courtesy photo))

NEW ORLEANS, La. - On a recent rainy Monday we caught up with a tour de force on the New Orleans music scene.

John "Papa" Gros (the 's' is silent), a devotee of Dr. John and the frontman of the renowned former New Orleans party band "Papa Grows Funk," was cooking beans.

"It's a rainy Monday, and I'm here cooking my red beans," he said. "I turned them down and they're simmering right now."

Rice and beans: New Orleans.

If you didn't know, rice, beans, maybe some cornbread, is a staple of humble yet beloved New Orleans food.

And Gros tends to his red beans the way he does his New Orleans music, with adoration and a degree of reverence.

"New Orleans is a gumbo of cultures," he says, "Always has been, and New Orleans music is a gumbo, too."

Born in New Orleans, but growing up in Baton Rouge, he began playing out at the age of 15.

"My first gig was a bat mitzvah," he quipped. "By high school I was playing with a rock cover band at taverns and biker bars."

When it came time for college he landed a full French Horn scholarship at Loyola University. During his college years he played piano and organ, backing up some of the biggest names in the Crescent City like Meters bassist George Porter Jr. and guitarist Snooks Eaglin.

He said the transition from Baton Rouge rock to New Orleans "gumbo" was seamless.

"New Orleans music came easy to me," he said. "I wasn't big on jazz and dance stuff, but I could do the Neville Brothers, I could do Dr. John and Fats Domino."

His seminal group, "Papa Grows Funk," spawned six critically acclaimed albums and established them as New Orleans premier party band.

Its genesis came at the Maple Leaf Bar in the early 2000s where Gros would invite fellow musicians at the top of their game to come play with him.

The result was a powerful ensemble New Orleans funk band that included unpredictable jazz riffs. The band toured for more than 10 years touring the U.S. and abroad.

Gros' most recent album, "Central City" is a collection of eclectic offerings celebrating the joy of New Orleans music while marking the sadness of a time when many were faced with loneliness and despair.

The album was released in April of last year as some of the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic were upon us.

Gros' cover of Irma Thomas' "It's Raining" is both poignant and crushingly sorrowful, and its lyrics and his powerful tenor voice vocals will grab your soul.

"It's raining so hard it's really coming down

I'm sitting by my window, I watch the rain fall to the ground

This is the time I'd love to be holding you tight

I guess I just go crazy tonight."

"It's Raining" is one of the many "Central City" tracks he'll be playing when he comes to the Stone Church in Newmarket on June 6.

He played the venue with his "Papa Grows Funk" group around 2004 - he can't remember exactly when - but this time due the unpredictability of COVID-19 protocols he'll be by himself.

"This will be my first time doing a show solo," he said.

Gros said he'd sunk a lot of resources in the last year and a half for the production of his latest album, and it was time to get back out on the road, even if it was just him alone.

"'Central City' is my tribute to the New Orleans music that I enjoyed as a kid," he said. "New Orleans music is a celebration of life. It's rooted in history, but it's very much alive, too."

Tickets for the 5-7 p.m. show start at $15

To get tickets click here.

To listen to "It's Raining" click here.