“Gros is steeped in New Orleans music tradition, standing at the intersection of funk, R&B, soul and
Americana music.” – Keith Spera, News Orleans Times Picayune
“Sharing New Orleans with the world is my calling,” says pianist and organist John “Papa”
Gros. “That’s what I have been doing and that’s what I’ll do with the rest of my life.”
For over three decades, Gros has brought his city’s celebratory culture to listeners around the
globe. Gros mixes all the sounds of New Orleans – funk, trad jazz, brass band, blues – and
makes it his own signature gumbo. His new solo album Central City, shows Gros capturing
New Orleans’ distinct feel-good charm with help from some of its’ most renowned players.
Gros began playing gigs when he was just fifteen years old but didn’t truly kick off his career
until after graduating from Loyola in 1989 with a degree in French Horn performance. During
the seminal years that followed, the young man cut his teeth as a solo performer on Bourbon
Street while also developing a reputation as a formidable sideman. He backed up some of
the biggest names in the Crescent City, such as Meters bassist George Porter Jr. and guitarist
Snooks Eaglin. Studying under mentors decades his senior, Gros absorbed a lifetime of
lessons in only a few years and quickly became part of the direct lineage of New Orleans
music.
Between 2000 and 2013, Gros began his transition into the spotlight by leading Papa Grows
Funk, a highly revered group that mixed hard-hitting funk grooves with often unpredictable
jazz spontaneity. The band released six critically-acclaimed studio albums, including Needle
in the Groove, which was co-produced by New Orleans legend and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
inductee, Allen Toussaint. The group’s weekly gigs at the world-famous Maple Leaf became a
staple for both locals and tourists alike, eventually leading to Gros touring in far off countries
like Japan and Brazil.
Hurricane Katrina’s devastation in 2005 caused Gros to reanalyze his role in the world.
“Before Katrina, I was simply a New Orleans musician, but after Katrina, I told my story of what
New Orleans meant to me and why it is culturally significant to the world. It was at that point I
became a New Orleans cultural ambassador, who happens to be a loudmouth, piano-playing,
singer-songwriter.”
After Papa Grows Funk dissolved, Gros briefly returned to sideman work, playing organ for a
series of all-star tributes to Dr. John and the Neville Brothers. The 2014 Dr. John tribute, The
Music Mojo of Dr. John, was later released as a critically-acclaimed live album that featured
Gros playing with Bruce Springsteen, Mavis Staples, Jason Isbell, and John Fogerty. More
importantly for Gros, those tribute concerts allowed him to play alongside his two biggest
influences: the Doctor and Art Neville, both of whom passed in 2019.
In 2016, Gros returned to the spotlight yet again with his second solo album River’s On Fire,
the much anticipated follow up to his 2004 debut Day’s End. Co-produced by Gros and Tracy
Freeman (Harry Connick Jr, Rebirth Brass Band, Bonerama), the album’s fiery funk rock
showed how Gros had matured as both a songwriter and bandleader. It firmly established
Gros’ identity as a solo force.
Now, Gros is preparing to release Central City, his third solo album. The album is a collection
of classic New Orleans songs, both new and old, filtered through his decades of dedication to
his craft. The album features Gros’ feel good originals alongside his takes on beloved songs
by Allen Toussaint, Lloyd Price, and John Prine. Joining Gros on the album are a who’s who in
the keepers of the New Orleans tradition, including singer Ivan Neville (Dumpstaphunk),
drummer Herlin Riley (Wynton Marsalis), banjoist Don Vappie, guitarist Brian Stoltz (Neville
Brothers), trumpeter Mark Braud (Harry Connick Jr.), trombonist Mark Mullins (Bonerama),
clarinetist Tim Laughlin, and his former boss George Porter Jr. (Meters). Together, they
perfectly exploit the similarities between New Orleans jazz and early rock ‘n’ roll on songs
such as “Yeah Yeah Yeah” and “Personality.”
“I’m walking in the same path [as Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, and Art Neville,]” explains Gros.
“I’ve been following them my whole life. Now, they’re no longer in front of me. They’ve gotten
off the path but the path is still very clear.”
Strike Percussion Ensemble (Opener)
In the fall of 1997, aspiring music educator Don Raaymakers assembled six of his
private lesson students to form a percussion ensemble. At first they borrowed some
instruments to play a few solos and some ensemble pieces. Their first concert was only
thirty minutes long. At that time, they did not even have a name. After the ensemble
became a non-profit group, Mr. Raaymakers’ teacher, Robert Hohner, dubbed the group
Strike.
Mr. Raaymakers was a member of the Robert Hohner Percussion Ensemble and
modeled Strike after Mr. Hohner’s group. Strike consists of a chamber group that
performs classical and contemporary percussion pieces ranging from three to forty
percussionists. Additionally, Strike plays steel band and jazz music as well as some
Stomp-like selections. Strike also has the new addition of many Japanese drums and
performs some traditional Japanese pieces as well. Strike is now 30 members strong with
a feeder middle school percussion ensemble out of Caledonia called Mini-Strike which
consists of 70 students.
Strike Percussion Ensemble has performed for the Percussive Arts Society
International Convention as well as the Michigan Day of Percussion. Strike has toured
portions of Canada, Hawaii, Florida, New Orleans, and the Mid-West and East Coast of
the United States. They have also performed for Grand Rapids Festivals, the Grand
Rapids Symphony “Percussion Explosion”, Michigan Youth Arts, and have been featured
in a number of newspaper and television news programs.
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Sweet Racks & Smokin’ Butts BBQ (food)
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S & S Bailey’s (Dessert)
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