Blues Traveler Releases Their Version of Dr. John Hit ‘Qualified’, the third single from their upcoming Traveler’s Soul album.
Veteran rockers and jam band icons Blues Traveler have announced the release of “Qualified,” their cover of the Dr. John classic song and third single from the band’s 15th forthcoming studio album, Traveler’s Soul.
“Qualified” is a funky cover of another New Orleans stalwart, Dr. John (Malcolm John Rebennack Jr.), that features a swinging harp solo and Crescent City-inspired vocal performance by Blues Traveler’s John Popper, as well as a stirring turn on the ivories by Ben Wilson –returning the favor for one of his primary musical influences.
“We knew we needed to do a Dr. John song, because our keyboardist Ben (Wilson) is such a huge fan,” said guitarist Chan Kinchla about the choice. “We wanted to pick a deeper cut and ‘Qualified’ hit the bill perfectly.” “Dr. John is one of the singular artists in American music,” added Wilson. “From session guitar player in his early years to master pianist and songwriter in his later years.”
“Qualified”
Rebennack recorded “Qualified” (co-written with Jessie Hill) for In the Right Place, his sixth and biggest-selling album that was released on Atco Records in 1973 and featured his signature song, “Right Place, Wrong Time.”
Dr. John passed away in June 2019 at the age of 77 after a long and colorful career as a singer/songwriter associated with New Orleans’ melting pot of blues, jazz, funk and R&B. A six-time Grammy Award winner, Rebennack was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by John Legend in 2011. His posthumous Things That Happen That Way album was nominated for a Grammy for Best Americana Album in 2022.
Blues Traveler consists of John Popper (vocals, harmonica), Chan Kinchla (guitar), Tad Kinchla (bass), Ben Wilson (keyboards) and Brendan Hill (drums). With three gold-selling records, one platinum album, and the 6x-platinum opus Four highlighted by the Grammy-winning “Run Around,” Blues Traveler’s 14th studio album, 2021’s Traveler’s Blues, represented a career highlight, earning a Grammy nomination last year for Best Traditional Blues Album.
“We had so much fun with Traveler’s Blues that we wanted to try something similar but with a different style,’” recalls Chan. “We have so many influences, going from hip-hop and blues to pop, rock, and R&B. We wanted to honor soul and R&B and challenge ourselves by trying our own take on some of our favorites from those genres.”
Blues Traveler burst onto the scene in 1987 and hit the ground running with a trio of gold-selling albums—Blues Traveler (1990), Travelers and Thieves (1991) and Save His Soul (1993). Their next album Four (1994) went six-times platinum and spawned the definitive “Run-Around,” which garnered a GRAMMY® Award in the category of “Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group.” The band logged another platinum album with Straight On Till Morning in 1998 and spent the next twenty years selling out shows on multiple continents before releasing Hurry Up & Hang Around in 2018.
Pre-order Traveler’s Soul HERE
BLUES TRAVELER 2023 FALL TOUR DATES
10.19.23 Rocktoberfest MCAS Cherry Point – Cherry Point, NC
10.20.23 Sweetland Amphitheatre – LaGrange, GA
10.21.23 Deep Roots Festival – Milledgeville, GA
10.23.23 Contemporary Arts Center – Morgantown, WV
10.25.23 Santander Performing Arts Center – Reading, PA
10.26.23 The Capitol Theatre – Port Chester, NY
10.27.23 Grunin Center for the Arts – Toms River, NJ
11.03.23 Crystal Grand Music Theatre – Wisconsin Dells, WI
11.08.23 Rialto Square Theatre – Joliet, IL
11.09.23 Manchester Music Hall – Lexington, KY
11.11.23 Brown County Event Center – Nashville, IN
11.12.23 SKyPAC – Bowling Green, KY
11.14.23 Tannahill’s Tavern – Fort Worth, TX
11.16.23 Downstream Casino Resort – Quapaw, OK
11.17.23 Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort – Hot Springs, AR
11.18.23 IP Casino Resort & Spa – Biloxi, MS
11.20.23 Montgomery Performing Arts Center – Montgomery, AL
11.21.23 Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
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