The Neville Brothers | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the Neville Brothers' debut album | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, soul, funk |
| Years active | 1976–2012, 2015 |
| Labels | Capitol, Black Top, A&M, EMI, Columbia, Back Porch |
| Past members | |
| Website | nevilles.com |
The Neville Brothers were an American R&B/soul/funk group, formed in 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art (1937–2019), Charles (1938–2018), Aaron (b. 1941), and Cyril (b. 1948) came together to take part in the recording session of the Wild Tchoupitoulas, a Mardi Gras Indian group led by the Nevilles' uncle, George Landry ("Big Chief Jolly"). [1]
Their debut album The Neville Brothers was released in 1978 on Capitol Records. [2]
In 1987, the group released Uptown on the EMI label, featuring guests including Branford Marsalis, Keith Richards, and Carlos Santana. The following year saw the release of Yellow Moon from A&M Records produced by Daniel Lanois. The track "Healing Chant" from that album won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance at the 1990 Grammy ceremony. [3]
In 1990, the Neville Brothers contributed "In the Still of the Night" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Blue produced by the Red Hot Organization. [4]
Also in 1990, they appeared on the bill at that year's Glastonbury Festival. [5] Due to Art Neville devoting more time to his other act, The Meters, the band kept a low profile in the late 1990s onto the early 2000s. They made a comeback in 2004, however, with the album, Walkin' in the Shadow of Life, on Back Porch Records, their first newly recorded effort in five years. [6]
All brothers except Charles, a Massachusetts resident, had been living in New Orleans, but following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 Cyril and Aaron moved out of the city. Aaron moved to Austin briefly at the invitation on his friend, the late blues club impresario, Clifford Antone. They had not been performing in New Orleans since Katrina hit the city; however, they finally returned to perform there at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2008, being given the closing spot which had been reserved for them for years. [7] [8]
Infrequently, Aaron's son Ivan Neville (keyboards) and Art's son Ian Neville (electric guitar), both of the band Dumpstaphunk, have played with the Neville Brothers.
The Neville Brothers appear in performance footage in the 2005 documentary film Make It Funky! , which presents a history of New Orleans music and its influence on rhythm and blues, rock and roll, funk and jazz. [9] In the film, they perform "Fire on the Bayou" with guests Ivan and Ian Neville. [10]
The group formally disbanded in 2012 but reunited in 2015 for a farewell concert in New Orleans. [11] Charles Neville died of pancreatic cancer on April 26, 2018, at the age of 79. [12] Art Neville died on July 22, 2019, at the age of 81. A cause of death was not provided. [13]
| Year | Title | Label | Peak chart positions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [14] | NZ [15] | UK [16] | |||||||
| 1978 | The Neville Brothers | Capitol | — | — | — | ||||
| 1981 | Fiyo on the Bayou | A&M | 166 | — | — | ||||
| 1987 | Uptown | EMI | 155 | — | — | ||||
| 1989 | Yellow Moon | A&M | 66 | 16 | — | ||||
| 1990 | Brother's Keeper | 60 | 4 | 35 | |||||
| 1992 | Family Groove | 103 | 11 | — | |||||
| 1996 | Mitakuye Oyasin Oyasin/All My Relations | — | — | — | |||||
| 1999 | Valence Street | Columbia | — | — | — | ||||
| 2004 | Walkin' in the Shadow of Life | Back Porch/EMI | — | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||||
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B [14] | AUS [17] | NZ [15] | NLD | GER [18] | IRE | UK [16] | |||
| 1978 | "Washable Ink / Speed of Light" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Neville Brothers |
| 1979 | "Sweet Honey Dripper / Dance Your Blues Away" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| 1981 | "Sitting In Limbo / Brother John / Iko Iko" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Fiyo on the Bayou |
| 1987 | "Whatever It Takes" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Uptown |
| 1989 | "Sister Rosa" | 75 | — | 23 | — | — | — | — | Yellow Moon |
| "Yellow Moon" | — | — | — | 21 | — | — | — | ||
| "With God on Our Side" | — | — | — | 53 | — | 26 | 47 | ||
| 1990 | "A Change Is Gonna Come" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Bird on a Wire" | — | — | 5 | — | 35 | — | 72 | Brother's Keeper | |
| "River of Life" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Fearless" | — | — | 40 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991 | "Sons and Daughters" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Drift Away" | — | — | 19 | — | — | — | — | Treacherous Too! A History of the Neville Brothers | |
| 1992 | "Fly Like an Eagle" | — | 44 | 8 | 66 | — | — | — | Family Groove |
| "One More Day" | — | — | 29 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "On the Other Side of Paradise" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||||
Henry Roeland "Roy" Byrd, better known as Professor Longhair or "Fess" for short, was an American singer and pianist who performed New Orleans blues. He was active in two distinct periods, first in the heyday of early rhythm and blues and later in the resurgence of interest in traditional jazz after the founding of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1970. His piano style has been described as "instantly recognizable, combining rumba, mambo, and calypso".
The Meters are an American funk band formed in 1965 in New Orleans by Zigaboo Modeliste (drums), George Porter Jr. (bass), Leo Nocentelli (guitar) and Art Neville (keyboards). The band performed and recorded their own music from the late 1960s until 1977 and played an influential role as backing musicians for other artists, including Lee Dorsey, Robert Palmer, Dr. John, and Allen Toussaint. Their original songs "Cissy Strut" and "Look-Ka Py Py" are considered funk classics.
Allen Richard Toussaint was an American musician, songwriter, arranger, and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, described as "one of popular music's great backroom figures." Many musicians recorded Toussaint's compositions. He was a producer for hundreds of recordings: the best known are "Right Place, Wrong Time", by longtime friend Dr. John, and "Lady Marmalade" by Labelle.
Aaron Joseph Neville is an American R&B and soul singer. He has had four platinum albums and four Top 10 hits in the United States, including three that reached number one on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. "Tell It Like It Is", from 1966, also reached the top position on the Soul chart for five weeks.
Galactic is an American funk band from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Arthur Lanon Neville Jr. was an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist from New Orleans.
Cyril Garrett Neville is an American percussionist and vocalist who first came to prominence as a member of his brother Art Neville's funky New Orleans-based band, The Meters. He joined Art in the Neville Brothers band upon the dissolution of the Meters.
Ivan Neville is an American multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the son of Aaron Neville and nephew to the other members of The Neville Brothers.
"Tipitina" is a song written and made famous by Professor Longhair. The song has been widely covered and the Professor Longhair version was recorded in 1953 for Atlantic Records. "Tipitina" was first released in 1953. A previously unreleased alternate take was released on the album New Orleans Piano in 1972. Although the nature of his contributions are unknown, recording engineer Cosimo Matassa is listed as the song's co-writer along with Roy Byrd, Professor Longhair's legal name.
Tipitina's is a music venue located at the corner of Napoleon Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street in Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.
The Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, commonly referred to as Voodoo or Voodoo Fest, was a multi-day music and arts festival held in City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana. First started in 1999, it was last held in October 2019, after being canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, and canceled in 2022 without explanation.
Troy Andrews, also known by the stage name Trombone Shorty, is a musician, most notably a trombone player, from New Orleans, Louisiana. His music fuses rock, pop, jazz, funk, and hip hop.
Robert "Bob" French was an American jazz drummer and radio show host at WWOZ, from New Orleans, Louisiana. French led The Tuxedo Jazz Band from 1977 until his death in 2012..
George Porter Jr. is an American musician, best known as the bassist and singer of the Meters. Along with Art Neville, Porter formed the group in the mid 1960s and came to be recognized as one of the progenitors of funk. The Meters disbanded in 1977, but reformed in 1989. The original group played the occasional reunion, with the Funky Meters, of which Porter and Neville are members, keeping the spirit alive, until Neville's retirement in 2018 and death the following year.
Leo Nocentelli is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member and lead guitarist of the funk band the Meters. He wrote the original versions of several funk classics such as "Cissy Strut" and "Hey Pocky A-Way". As a session musician he has recorded with a variety of notable artists such as Dr. John, Robert Palmer and Etta James. He is the recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award as a member of the Meters.
Jon Cleary is a British-born, American funk and R&B musician, based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Cleary is an accomplished pianist as well as being a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter.
Walter "Wolfman" Washington was an American singer and guitarist, based in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. While his roots were in blues music, he blended in the essence of funk and R&B to create his own unique sound.
Quint Davis is an American festival producer and director based in New Orleans. He is best known as the producer of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival founded by George Wein. Davis has been involved in the production of the event from its start in 1970. He is the CEO of Festival Productions, Inc. - New Orleans, the company that produces the Jazz Fest.
Calvin A. Johnson Jr. is an American saxophonist, bandleader, composer, producer, and actor from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known as a tenor and soprano saxophone player but also performs and records on alto and baritone saxophones, clarinet, and flute. Johnson has worked with many of the biggest names in New Orleans music, including Aaron Neville, Harry Connick Jr., the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Mystikal, Irvin Mayfield, Mannie Fresh, and others. Johnson is the nephew of New Orleans clarinetist Ralph Johnson, a longtime member of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Johnson began playing saxophone at the age of seven, and since 2008 has been playing with his own band, Calvin Johnson & Native Son. In 2015, he started a new band with Dirty Dozen Brass Band founding member and sousaphone player, Kirk Joseph, called Chapter:SOUL.
Charles Neville was an American R&B and jazz musician best known as part of The Neville Brothers. Known onstage as "Charlie the horn man", his saxophone playing helped earn the group a Grammy Award for best pop instrumental performance.
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