Dr. John, the revered American musician known equally over the last half a century as an inimitable interpreter, a matchless piano player and a top notch songwriter, has completed Mercernary: The Songs of Johnny Mercer, a Johnny Mercer songbook, to be released May 23 on Blue Note. Featuring 13 tracks with his band the Lower 911, Dr. John masterfully reworks Mercer staples such as "Beautiful Baby, " "Blues in the Night," "Personality," "Moon River" and "Tangerine." The Mercer catalog is one that Dr. John has discovered throughout his life, from his early touring days in the 50's, through 2005, when his daughter recommended he cover "Personality" for his next project.

Dr. John also wrote a song in praise of Mercer's gifts as a songwriter, entitled "I Ain't No Johnny Mercer." "There ain't no other lyricist like him and there ain't never gonna be, " comments Dr. John. "I always liked his versatility, how he saw the world in his lyrics and how people couldn't break him down into one genre."

'MERCERNARY' TRACK LISTING:
Blues in the Night
Beautiful Baby
Personality
Dreamland
Old Cow Hand
Dream
Lazy Bones
Ol' Black Magic
Come Rain or Come Shine
Moon River
Tangerine
I Ain't No Johnny Mercer
Save the Bones