Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family. His father, Thomas Turrentine, Sr., was a saxophonist with Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans, his mother played stride piano, and his older brother Tommy Turrentine became a professional trumpet player.
He began his prolific career with blues and rhythm and blues bands, and was at first greatly influenced by Illinois Jacquet. In the 1950s, he went on to play with the groups of Lowell Fulson, Earl Bostic, and at the turn of the decade, Max Roach.
Turrentine received his only formal musical training during his military stint in the mid-'50s. In 1959, he jumped from the frying pan into the fire when he left the military and went straight into the band of the great drummer Max Roach.
He married the organist Shirley Scott in 1960 and the two frequently played and recorded together. In the 1960s, he started working with organist Jimmy Smith, and made many soul jazz recordings both with Smith and as a leader.
In the 1970s, after his professional split and divorce from Scott, Turrentine turned to jazz fusion and signed for Creed Taylor's CTI label. His first album for CTI, Sugar proved one of his biggest successes and a seminal recording for the label. He worked with Freddie Hubbard, Milt Jackson, George Benson, Bob James, Richard Tee, Idris Muhammad, Ron Carter, Grant Green and Eric Gale, to name a few. He returned to soul jazz in the 1980s and into the 1990s.
Turrentine lived in Fort Washington, Maryland from the early 90s until his death.
He died of a stroke in New York City on September 12, 2000 and is buried in Pittsburgh's Allegheny Cemetery
Dr. Feelgood
Stanley Turrentine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Always sittin' around me and my man
I don't want nobody
Always sittin' right there lookin' at me and that man
Be it my mother, my brother or my sister
Would you believe, I'll get up, put on some clothes
Go out and help you find somebody for dissolving that pain
Yes I will
Now I don't mind company
Because company's alright with me
Every once in a while - yes it is-a
I tell you I don't mind company
Because company's alright with me
Every once in a while - yeah
But oh, when me and that man get to lovin'
I tell you girls
I dig you but I just don't have time
To sit and chit and sit and chit-chat and smile
Don't send me no doctor
Fillin' me up with all of those pills
I got me a man named Doctor Feelgood
And oh, yeah, that man takes me off all o' my pains and my ills
His name is Doctor Feelgood in the mornin'
And taking care of business is really this man's gain
And after one visit to Doctor Feelgood
You'll understand why Feelgood is his name
Oh, yeah, oh good God of mine
And the man sure makes me feel real - good
The song "Dr. Feelgood" by Stanley Turrentine is about a woman who doesn't like it when people interrupt her and her man. She doesn't want anybody sitting around her and her man and looking at them. Even if it's her family members, she would rather get up and leave than tolerate them. She doesn't mind company every once in a while, but when she's with her man, she doesn't want to talk or entertain anyone. She wants to be exclusive with him and enjoy their time together. She also mentions that she doesn't need a doctor to heal her pains because she has a man named Dr. Feelgood who can do that job.
Overall, the song is about the desire for exclusivity and the healing powers of love. The woman is possessive of her man and doesn't want anyone else to interfere with their relationship. She also believes that her man, Dr. Feelgood, can heal her and take away her pain. The song has a soulful, bluesy feel to it that fits the theme of love and healing.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want nobody
I don't want anyone
Always sittin' around me and my man
Always sitting close to me and my partner
I don't want nobody
I don't want anyone
Always sittin' right there lookin' at me and that man
Always staring at me and my partner
Be it my mother, my brother or my sister
Even if it's my family
Would you believe, I'll get up, put on some clothes
I'll even leave the house
Go out and help you find somebody for dissolving that pain
To help you find someone to relieve your pain
Yes I will
I would do that
Now I don't mind company
I don't mind having people over
Because company's alright with me
Because having company is fine by me
Every once in a while - yes it is-a
Occasionally
I tell you I don't mind company
I'm okay with having company
Because company's alright with me
Because having company is fine by me
Every once in a while - yeah
Occasionally
But oh, when me and that man get to lovin'
But when my partner and I get intimate
I tell you girls
I'm telling you all
I dig you but I just don't have time
I like hanging out with you, but I don't have enough time
To sit and chit and sit and chit-chat and smile
To chat and socialize
Don't send me no doctor
Don't send me a physician
Fillin' me up with all of those pills
Giving me lots of medication
I got me a man named Doctor Feelgood
I have a partner who makes me feel good
And oh, yeah, that man takes me off all o' my pains and my ills
That man relieves me from all my pain and illnesses
His name is Doctor Feelgood in the mornin'
He's called Doctor Feelgood in the morning
And taking care of business is really this man's gain
He excels at taking care of people
And after one visit to Doctor Feelgood
After seeing him once
You'll understand why Feelgood is his name
You'll know why he's called Feelgood
Oh, yeah, oh good God of mine
Oh, yes, oh my goodness
And the man sure makes me feel real - good
And he makes me feel really good
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TED WHITE, ARETHA FRANKLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind