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ARTHUR NEVILLE

ON 8.5X11 INCH PAPER

Arthur "Art" Lanon Neville, Jr. was an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist from New Orleans. Neville was a staple of the New Orleans music scene for over five decades.

Art Neville, who has died aged 81, was a founder not only of the Meters, whose music in the late 1960s and early 70s helped to define the genre of New Orleans funk, but of the Neville Brothers, who were masters of various soul, blues and gospel styles and were distinguished by their intricate vocal harmonies.

The Meters provided the musical backup for innumerable soul and funk artists, including on big-selling classics such as Lee Dorsey’s Working in the Coal Mine (1966) and Labelle’s Lady Marmalade (1974). But they also had hits in their own right, notably in 1969 with Cissy Strut (1969) and Look-Ka Py Py. Their musical groove influenced artists as varied as Little Feat, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Public Enemy and the Grateful Dead.

Once Neville, who was nicknamed Poppa Funk, quit the Meters in 1977 he joined his siblings Charles, Aaron and Cyril to form the Neville Brothers, whose best- known album, Yellow Moon (1989), contained several landmark tracks including the title song, a version of Dylan’s With God on Our Side, and Sister Rosa, their ode to the civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks. They toured with major artists, including the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead and Tina Turner, and were traditionally the closing act on the final Sunday night of New Orleans’s annual Jazz & Heritage festival.

Art Neville singing with the Neville Brothers in 2008.

Art Neville singing with the Neville Brothers in 2008. Photograph: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Art was born in New Orleans to Arthur Neville and his wife, Amelia (nee Landry). His father was a station porter fond of singing tunes by Nat King Cole and the Texan bluesman Charles Brown. His mother was part of a dance act with her brother, George “Big Chief Jolly” Landry.

Art was the oldest of the four brothers. His interest in playing keyboards was triggered at the age of three, when his grandmother took him to a New Orleans church where he spotted the organ. “I turned the little switch and hit one of the low keys,” he recalled. “It scared the daylights out of me, but that was the first keyboard I played.”

He later began playing the piano and performing with his brothers, and in high school joined (and subsequently led) his first band, the Hawketts. He was the lead singer on their version of Mardi Gras Mambo, a regional hit in 1954. It became a regular fixture at New Orleans’s annual Mardi Gras celebrations.

In 1958 he joined the US Navy, emerging in 1962 to continue his musical career. He formed Art Neville and the Neville Sounds, which included Aaron and Cyril before they quit to form their own group. Now a four-piece completed by guitarist Leo Nocentelli, bass player George Porter Jr and drummer Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste, they played regularly at New Orleans clubs, backing artists such as the Pointer Sisters and Lee Dorsey.

In 1965 they became the Meters, whose refinement of the loping, syncopated rhythm called the “second line” became emblematic of New Orleans funk. Prime examples included the group’s hits Cissy Strut, Look-Ka Py Py, Chicken Strut (1970) and Hey Pocky A-Way (1974). Cissy Strut, which reached No 23 on the mainstream Billboard chart, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011.

The Meters made countless recordings as the house band for the songwriter and producer Allen Toussaint, with highlights including Working in the Coal Mine, which reached No 8 in the UK and the US, Dr John’s album In the Right Place (1973), and Labelle’s US chart-topper Lady Marmalade, a song about a prostitute in the French quarter of New Orleans with the famous line “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?”

In 1974 the Meters backed Robert Palmer on his album Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley, and in 1975 Paul McCartney invited them aboard the Queen Mary ocean liner in Long Beach, California, to play at the launch party of the Wings album Venus and Mars. Also present was Mick Jagger, who invited the Meters to support the Rolling Stones on their tours of the US and Europe in 1975-76. The group now included Cyril, who joined for their album Fire on the Bayou (1975).

Art and Cyril quit the Meters in 1977 and formed the Neville Brothers with Aaron and Charles. The brothers had already gathered the previous year to back their uncle George Landry on the album The Wild Tchoupitoulas. At first the Neville Brothers were slow to gain recognition. Art recalled how when they used to play at Tipitina’s in New Orleans “you could have blown it up and not hurt anyone but the Neville Brothers”. Though Keith Richards hailed their 1981 album Fiyo on the Bayou as the finest of the year, sales were poor.

They failed to release another studio album until Uptown (1987), a conscious effort to find a more mainstream sound (with Richards and Carlos Santana guesting) that prompted accusations of a sellout.

A change of fortune came with Yellow Moon, sympathetically produced by Daniel Lanois, which successfully moulded the group’s collective skills into a coherent whole. In 1989 the group won a Grammy for best pop instrumental performance for the Yellow Moon track Healing Chant.

Outside the Neville Brothers Art began playing concerts with his former Meters bandmates, following a reunion at the 1989 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage festival.

They subsequently formed a new version of the band called the Funky Meters, and Art continued to perform with both outfits. He won another Grammy in 1996 with various artists for best rock instrumental performance for SRV Shuffle, a tribute to the guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. The Neville Brothers disbanded in 2012 but reunited for a farewell concert in New Orleans in 2015. Three years alter Art announced his retirement after more than six decades in the music business.

He is survived by his second wife, Lorraine, their two children, Amelia and Ian, a son, Arthel, from his first marriage, to Joan, his brothers Aaron and Cyril and sister Athelgra.

Arthur Lanon Neville, musician, born 17 December 1937; died 22 July 2019

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.[1]

While they rarely enjoyed significant mainstream success, they are considered originators of funk along with artists like James Brown, and their work is influential on many other bands, both their contemporaries and modern musicians.[2][3] Their sound is defined by a combination of tight melodic grooves and syncopated New Orleans "second line" rhythms under highly charged guitar and keyboard riffing.[4][5] The band has been nominated four times for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, most recently in 2017.[6] In 2018 the band was presented with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[7]

Contents

1 History

1.1 1960s–1970s

1.2 1980s–1990s

1.3 2000s–2010s

2 Members

2.1 The Meters/The Original Meters/The Meter Men

3 Funky Meters Members

3.1 The Funky Meters

4 Discography

5 Influence

6 Awards and honors

7 References

8 Further reading

9 External links

History

1960s–1970s

Art Neville, the group's frontman, launched a solo career around the New Orleans area in the mid-1950s while still in high school. The Meters formed in 1965 with a line-up of keyboardist and vocalist Art Neville, guitarist Leo Nocentelli, bassist George Porter Jr. and drummer Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste. They were later joined by percussionist-vocalist Cyril Neville. The Meters became the house band for Allen Toussaint and his record label, Sansu Enterprises.[8]

In 1969 the Meters released "Sophisticated Cissy" and "Cissy Strut", both major R&B chart hits. "Look-Ka Py Py" and "Chicken Strut" were their hits the following year. After a label shift in 1972, the Meters had difficulty returning to the charts, but they worked with Dr. John, Paul McCartney, King Biscuit Boy, Labelle, Robert Palmer and others.[4]

In 1975 Paul McCartney invited the Meters to play at the release party for his Venus and Mars album aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones was in attendance at the event and was greatly taken with the Meters and their sound.[2](p166)[9] The Rolling Stones invited the band to open for them on their Tour of the Americas '75 and Tour of Europe '76.[4] That same year, the Meters recorded one of their most successful albums, Fire on the Bayou. From 1976 to 77 they played in The Wild Tchoupitoulas with George and Amos Landry and The Neville Brothers.

Art and Cyril Neville left the band in early 1977, but The Meters still appeared on Saturday Night Live on March 19, 1977, during the show's second season. After the Nevilles' departure, David Batiste Sr. took over on keyboards while Willie West joined as the band's lead singer. Porter left the group later that year and by 1980 The Meters had officially broken up.

After the break-up, Neville continued his career as part of The Neville Brothers, Modeliste toured with Keith Richards and Ron Wood, while Nocentelli and Porter "became in-demand session players and formed new bands."[10]

1980s–1990s

In 1989 Art Neville, George Porter Jr. and Leo Nocentelli reunited as The Meters, adding drummer Russell Batiste Jr. to replace Zigaboo Modeliste. Nocentelli left the group in 1994 and was replaced with guitarist Brian Stoltz, formerly of The Neville Brothers. The band was renamed The Funky Meters. They were referred to as "the Funky Meters" as early as 1989. They were billed as such when playing in a tiny venue called Benny's Bar at Valence and Camp streets.[11]

2000s–2010s

The Funky Meters continued to play into the 2000s with Stoltz being replaced by Art Neville's son, Ian Neville, from 2007 to 2011 while he went to pursue a solo career. Stoltz returned to the band permanently in 2011.[12]

In 2000 a big offer enticed all four original Meters to reunite for a one-night stand at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco; by this time Modeliste wanted to make the reunion a permanent one, but the other members and their management teams objected.[10] It wasn't until Quint Davis, producer and director of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, got them to "put aside their differences and hammer out the details" and perform at the Festival in 2005.[13]

In June 2011 The Original Meters along with Allen Toussaint and Dr. John played the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. The six men performed Dr. John's album Desitively Bonnaroo which was originally recorded with the Meters, to a sold-out crowd. The Original Meters also played a set at the 2011 Voodoo Experience in New Orleans. On May 5, 2012 The Meters returned to New Orleans for a performance to a sold-out crowd at the Howlin' Wolf.

In late 2012, Zigaboo Modeliste, Leo Nocentelli, and George Porter Jr. played concerts with Phish keyboardist Page McConnell under the name The Meter Men.[14] During his time off from Phish, Page McConnell has continued to play with Porter Jr., Nocentelli, and Modeliste under the moniker of The Meter Men since those shows in 2012. The Meter Men had performed 16 shows together as of spring 2015, with their third annual appearance as a late night act during New Orleans' Jazz and Heritage Festival.[15][16] In 2014, during The Meter Men's second appearance as a late night act during Jazzfest, the band performed at The Republic on April 26, 2014, after McConnell had headlined the NOLA Jazzfest at the New Orleans Fairgrounds with Phish earlier that day.[17][18] The Meter Men had also played the previous night at The Republic.[19] The states The Meter Men had appeared in as of spring 2015 were Massachusetts, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Colorado, and Vermont, with one other performance in Washington, D.C.[20][21][22]

As of 2017, The Funky Meters tour consistently performing songs by The Meters, while The Meters perform sporadically. The lineup of Neville, Porter, Nocentelli and Modeliste typically bill themselves as The Original Meters to avoid confusion with The Funky Meters. When not performing with The Original Meters, guitarist Leo Nocentelli leads his own group, The Meters Experience, which also performs the music of The Meters.[23]

As of 2018, the most recent performance of the original Meters (with all four of the founding members) took place at the Arroyo Seco Festival in Pasadena, California on June 25, 2017. The song "They All Ask'd for You" from the 1975 album Fire on the Bayou remains popular in the New Orleans region and is the unofficial theme song of the Audubon Zoo.[24]

Art Neville announced his retirement from music on December 18, 2018.[25] Neville died on July 22, 2019.

Members

Current

George Porter Jr. – bass, background vocals (1965–1977, 1989–2018, 2020-present)[26]

Zigaboo Modeliste – drums, vocals (1965–1977, 2000–2018, 2020-present)[26]

Leo Nocentelli – guitar, background vocals (1966[27]–1977, 1989–1994, 2000–2018, 2020-present)[26]

Former

Art Neville – keyboards, vocals (1965–1977, 1989–2018)[25]

Gary Brown − saxophone (1965-1967)[28]

"Glen" − drums (1965)[28]

Cyril Neville – percussion, vocals (1970–1977)

David Batiste, Sr. – keyboards (1977–1980)

Willie West – vocals (1977–1980)[29]

Russell Batiste Jr. – drums (1989–2000)

Brian Stoltz – guitar (1994–2000)

Page McConnell − keyboards, background vocals (2012-2014)

The Meters/The Original Meters/The Meter Men

Funky Meters Members

Art Neville – keyboards, vocals (2000-2016)

George Porter Jr. – bass, background vocals (2000-2016)

Brian Stoltz – guitar (2000–2007, 2011–2016)

Ian Neville – guitar (2007–2011)

Russell Batiste Jr. – drums (2000–2015)

Terrence Houston – drums (2015-2016)

The Funky Meters

Discography

Original studio albums

The Meters (1969), Josie JOS-4010 #23 R&B

Look-Ka Py Py (1969), Josie JOS-4011

Struttin' (1970), Josie JOS-4012

Cabbage Alley (1972), Reprise MS-2076

Rejuvenation (1974), Reprise MS-2200

Fire on the Bayou (1975), Reprise MS-2228

Trick Bag (1976), Reprise MS-2252

New Directions (1977), Warner Bros. BS-3042

Compilation albums

Cissy Strut (1974), Island ILPS-9250 [LP]

The Best of The Meters (1975), Virgo SV-12002 [LP]

Second Line Strut (1980), Charly R&B CRB-1009 [LP]

Here Come The Metermen (1986), Charly R&B CRB-1112 [LP]

Struttin' (1987), Charly R&B CD-63

Good Old Funky Music (1990), Rounder CD-2104[30]

Funky Miracle (1991), Charly CDNEV-2 [2-CD set]

Meters Jam (1992), Rounder CD-2105

Fundamentally Funky (1994), Charly CPCD-8044

Funkify Your Life: The Meters Anthology (1995), Rhino R2-71869 [2-CD set]

The Best of The Meters (1996), Mardi Gras MG-1029

The Very Best of The Meters (1997), Rhino R2-72642

Kickback (2001), Sundazed LP-5081/SC-11081

Zony Mash (2003), Sundazed LP-5087/SC-6211

Here Comes the Meter Man (The Complete Josie Recordings 1968–1970) (2011), Charly SNAX627CD [2-CD set]

Original Album Series (2014), Rhino 081227961565 [5-CD set], reissues: Cabbage Alley, Rejuvenation, Fire on the Bayou, Trick Bag, New Directions

A Message from The Meters: The Complete Josie, Reprise & Warner Bros. Singles 1968–1977 (2016), Real Gone Music RGM-0491 [2-CD set]

Live albums

Uptown Rulers: The Meters live on the Queen Mary (1975 [rel. 1992]), Rhino R2-70376

Live at the Moonwalker (1993), Lakeside Music LAKE-2022 – as 'The Legendary Meters'

Second Helping (Live at the Moonwalker) (1994), Lakeside Music LAKE-2026 – as 'The Legendary Meters'

Fiyo at the Fillmore, Volume 1 (2001 [rel. 2003]), Too Funky/Fuel 2000/Varese 030206127522 – as 'The Funky Meters'

Original Josie (45-rpm) releases

1001 Sophisticated Cissy // Sehorn's Farm (1968) US # 34

1005 Cissy Strut // Here Comes The Meter Man (1969) US # 23

1008 Ease Back // Ann (1969) US # 61

1013 Dry Spell // Little Old Money Maker (1969) US # 114*

1015 Look-Ka Py Py // This Is My Last Affair (1970) US # 56

1018 Chicken Strut // Hey! Last Minute (1970) US # 50

1021 Hand Clapping Song // Joog (1970) US # 89

1024 A Message From The Meters // Zony Mash (1970) [45rpm release only, not on LP] US # 123**

1026 Stretch Your Rubber Band // Groovy Lady (1971) [45rpm release only, not on LP]

1029 Doodle-Oop (The World Is A Little Bit Under The Weather) // I Need More Time (1971) [45rpm release only, not on LP] US # 124*

1031 Good Old Funky Music // Sassy Lady (1971) [45rpm release only, not on LP]

Original Reprise/Warner Bros. (45-rpm) releases

REP 1086 Do The Dirt // Smiling (1972)

REP 1106 Cabbage Alley // The Flower Song (1972)

REP 1135 Chug Chug Chug-A-Log (Push N' Shove), Part 1 // Chug Chug Chug-A-Lug (Push N' Shove), Part 2 (1972) [45rpm release only, not on LP]

RPS 1307 Hey Pocky A-Way // Africa (1974)

RPS 1314 People Say // Loving You Is On My Mind (1974)

RPS 1338 They All Ask'd For You // Running Fast (Long Version) (1975) US # 101*

RPS 1357 Disco Is The Thing Today // Mister Moon (1976)

RPS 1372 Trick Bag // Find Yourself (1976)

WBS 8434 Be My Lady // No More Okey Doke (1977) US # 78

US chart is Billboard unless otherwise noted. * Cash Box singles chart. ** Record World singles chart.[31]

Influence

According to Brian Knight of The Vermont Review, "In a sense, the Meters defined the basic characteristics of the groove. While Funkadelic, Cameo, James Brown and Sly Stone are synonymous with funk, these artists look to the Meters for the basic-down to earthy and raw sound."[32] Music critique Robert Christgau called the band "totally original" and placed the compilation album Funkify Your Life: The Meters Anthology on his list of top six New Orleans classics.[33][34]

The Meters' music has been sampled by musicians around the world, including rap artists Heavy D, LL Cool J and Queen Latifah, Musiq, Big Daddy Kane, Run-DMC, N.W.A, Ice Cube, Scarface, Cypress Hill, EPMD, Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, Beastie Boys, Naughty by Nature, and Tweet.[35]

Red Hot Chili Peppers covered the Meters' song "Africa", renamed "Hollywood (Africa)", on their 1985 album Freaky Styley. The eclectic jazz-fusion guitarist Oz Noy has recorded his version of "Cissy Strut" twice. Bands such as the Grateful Dead,[36] KVHW, Steve Kimock Band, Widespread Panic,[37] Rebirth Brass Band, Galactic, Jaco Pastorius and The String Cheese Incident[38] have performed songs by The Meters in their concert rotations.

The Meters' songs have been used in the films Two Can Play That Game, Jackie Brown, Drumline, Hancock, Calendar Girls, Hitch, Red, The Best of Enemies, The Kitchen, Beerfest and Another Round.[39] The band's songs were also featured in the television shows The Wire, Ballers and Disjointed as well as the video game Grand Theft Auto IV.[40]

Awards and honors

In 1970, The Meters were named Best Rhythm and Blues Instrumental Group by both Billboard and Record World magazines.[41]

The Meters have been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame four times since becoming eligible in 1994: 1996, 2012, 2013 and 2017.

George Porter Jr. and The Meters were recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the second annual Jammy Awards in 2001.[42]

In 2011, the iconic Meters' song "Cissy Strut" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[43][44]

In 2013, The Meters received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Big Easy Music Awards.[45]

The band was featured on the 2017 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival's commemorative poster.[46]

In January 2018, The Meters were honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[47][48]

The Neville Brothers were an American R&B/soul/funk group, formed in 1977 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Contents

1 History

2 Discography

2.1 Singles

2.2 Studio albums

2.3 Live albums

2.4 Compilation albums

2.5 Related albums

3 References

4 External links

History

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. 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 final Neville Brothers studio album, titled Walkin' in the Shadow of Life, was released in 2004.[9] The group formally disbanded in 2012 but reunited in 2015 for a farewell concert in New Orleans.[10]

Charles Neville died of pancreatic cancer on April 26, 2018, at the age of 79.[11]

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed the Neville Brothers among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.[12]

Art Neville died on July 22, 2019, at the age of 81. A cause of death has not yet been provided.[13]

Discography

Singles

Year Single Peak positions Album

US R&B AUS NZ NED GER

[14] IRE UK

[15]

1978 "Washable Ink / Speed of Light" — — — — — — — The Neville Brothers

1979 "Sweet Honey Dripper / Dance Your Blues Away" — — — — — — — single only

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" — 100 — 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.

Studio albums

1978: The Neville Brothers (Capitol)

1981: Fiyo on the Bayou (A&M)

1987: Uptown (EMI)

1989: Yellow Moon (A&M)

1990: Brother's Keeper (A&M)

1992: Family Groove (A&M)

1995: Mitakuye Oyasin Oyasin/All My Relations (A&M)

1999: Valence Street (Columbia)

2004: Walkin' in the Shadow of Life (Back Porch/EMI)

Live albums

1984: Neville-ization (Black Top)

1987: Nevillization 2 (Live at Tipitina's Volume 2) (Spindletop)

1994: Live on Planet Earth (A&M)

1998: Live at Tipitina's (1982) (Rhino)

2010: Authorized Bootleg: Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA, February 27, 1989 (A&M)

Compilation albums

1986: Treacherous: A History of The Neville Brothers (1955–1985) (Rhino)

1991: Treacherous Too!: A History of the Neville Brothers, Vol. 2 (1955-1987) (Rhino)

1997: The Very Best of the Neville Brothers (Rhino)

1999: Uptown Rulin' – The Best of the Neville Brothers (A&M)

2004: 20th Century Masters – The Millenium Collection: The Best of The Neville Brothers (A&M)

2005: Gold (Hip-O/UMe)

Related albums

1976: The Wild Tchoupitoulas (with four of The Neville Brothers)

1997: Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival by Wyclef Jean (guest appearance on "Mona Lisa")

References

Arthur "Art" Lanon Neville, Jr. (December 17, 1937 – July 22, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist from New Orleans.

Neville was a staple of the New Orleans music scene for over five decades. He was the founder of the funk band The Meters whose musical style set the tone of New Orleans funk, a co-founder of the rock-soul-jazz band The Neville Brothers, and he later formed the spinoff group The Funky Meters.[1][2] He performed on many recordings by notable artists from New Orleans and elsewhere, including Labelle (on "Lady Marmalade"), Paul McCartney, Lee Dorsey, Robert Palmer, Dr. John and Professor Longhair.[3][4] He was the recipient of three Grammy awards.

Contents

1 Life and career

2 Personal life

3 Discography

3.1 Singles

3.2 Other contributions

4 Further reading

5 References

6 External links

Life and career

Neville grew up in New Orleans. He was the son of Amelia (Landry) and Arthur Neville Sr.[5][6] He started on piano and performed with his brothers at an early age. He was influenced by the R&B styles of James Booker, Bill Doggett, Booker T. Jones, Lloyd Glenn and Professor Longhair.[4][7] In high school he joined and later led The Hawketts. In 1954 the band recorded "Mardi Gras Mambo" with Neville on vocals.[3][8] The song gained popularity and became a New Orleans carnival anthem. The band toured with Larry Williams. Neville performed regularly in New Orleans, joined the U.S. Navy in 1958, and returned to music in 1962. He released several singles as a lead artist in 1950s and 1960s.[4][9]

In early 1960s Neville formed the Neville Sounds. The band included his brothers Aaron and Cyril, as well as George Porter, Leo Nocentelli, and Ziggy Modeliste.[3][7] Shortly after, Aaron and Cyril left the group to form their own band.[9] The remaining four members continued playing at the Nitecap and the Ivanhoe nightclubs.[4][9] The band backed many notable artists such as Lee Dorsey, Betty Harris and The Pointer Sisters.[3][4] The band had a strong sense of groove and unlike traditional groups each instrument was free to lead and go anywhere musically. Over time the band's style came to represent New Orleans funk.[3][5]

In the late 1960s the band changed its name to The Meters and released three instrumental albums.[4] Early on, compositions were through live improvisation; however, this changed in the early 1970s.[7][9] The band gained notoriety in the rock music community including with musicians Paul McCartney, Robert Palmer and The Rolling Stones.[5] The group released five more albums and disbanded in late 1970s due to financial, managerial and artistic factors.[10] The band's musical style emphasized rhythm over melody[4] and had a lasting impact on upcoming musical styles such as hip-hop as well as jam bands including Phish, Galactic and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.[3][11][12][13]

Art Neville (left) and George Porter Jr. of the Funky Meters at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 2004

In 1978 Neville and his brothers Cyril, Aaron and Charles formed The Neville Brothers. Previously, the brothers had worked on The Wild Tchoupitoulas album.[9] The group's debut album, titled The Neville Brothers, was released in 1978.[14] In 1981 music critic Stephen Holden wrote: the Neville Brothers' style of soul music combines "funk, doo-wop, reggae and salsa under the banner of New Orleans rhythm and blues".[15][16] The group released several albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including Fiyo on the Bayou and Yellow Moon, and an album in 2004.[14] During this period, Neville performed several shows with the original Meters bandmates including a 1989 reunion at the New Orleans Jazz Festival. Following that performance, Neville, Porter, Nocentelli and Russell Batiste formed The Funky Meters. The lineup changed in 1994 with Brian Stoltz replacing Nocentelli on guitar. Neville performed concurrently with both The Neville Brothers and The Funky Meters.[9]

In a 1995 interview, Neville spoke about the joy of live improvisation. He said "The best part, to me, is when the [rhythm] just evolves into some other stuff."[7] Neville received a Grammy in 1989 with The Neville Brothers for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. He received a Grammy in 1996 with various artists for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in "SRV Shuffle", a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan. He was nominated for a Grammy in 1999 in category Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.[17] He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 as a member of The Meters.[18]

Neville retired from music in December 2018.[19] He died in New Orleans at the age of 81 on July 22, 2019, after years of declining health. He was survived by his wife of thirty three years, Lorraine, three children, a sister and his two brothers Aaron and Cyril.[20][16] The Recording Academy and Louisiana governor John B. Edwards released statements in recognition of Neville's contributions to New Orleans music.[21][22]

Personal life

Neville was married to wife Lorraine and had three children, Arthel, Ian, and Amelia.[6] Arthel Neville, born from first wife Doris Neville, is a journalist, television personality and news anchor for Fox News.[23][24] Ian Neville is a guitar player and a founding member of Dumpstaphunk, a New Orleans-based funk and jam band.[25] He occasionally performed with The Funky Meters,[26] Slightly Stoopid, and Dr. Klaw.

Discography