Idle Monday
nights led to a full-time gig for
John "Papa" Gros.
In
2000, the keyboardist worked steadily as a member
George Porter Jr.'s
band, co-leader of the rock band
MuleBone
and as a solo act on Bourbon Street. To fill his open Monday
nights he launched an informal New Orleans funk project,
Papa
Grows Funk, at a weekly residency at the
Old Point Bar,
later moved to the
Maple Leaf.
Papa Grows Funk is now Gros'
main gig, with three CDs -- 2001's
"Doin' It", 2003's "Shakin' ",
and the new release “Live at the
Leaf” -- and 200 shows annually
on a touring circuit that
extends from coast
to coast and to Europe
and Japan. PGF songs have turned
up during broadcasts of
Major League Baseball's
World Series and the
National Basketball Association
finals.
Papa Grows Funk's Website