Aaron Neville
Encyclopedia
Aaron Neville is an American
soul
and R&B
singer and musician. He has had four top-20 hits in the United States (including three that went to number one on Billboard's adult contemporary chart and one that went to number one on the R&B chart) along with four platinum-certified albums. He has also recorded with his brothers Art, Charles and Cyril as The Neville Brothers
and is the father of singer/bassist Ivan Neville
. Of mixed African American
and Native American
heritage, his music also features Cajun
and Creole
influences.
", which topped Billboard's R&B chart for five weeks in 1967 and also reached #2 on the Hot 100. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
. A remake of the song was a Top 10 Pop hit for the Rock group Heart
featuring Ann
and Nancy Wilson in 1981.
In 1989 Neville teamed up with Linda Ronstadt
on the album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind
. Among the duets recorded for the disc were the #1 Grammy-winning hits "Don't Know Much
" and "All My Life
". "Don't Know Much" earned a million-selling Gold single, while the album was certified Triple Platinum for US sales of more than 3 million.
His other hits have included "Everybody Plays the Fool
", his 1991 cover of the 1972 Main Ingredient song, that reached #8 on the Hot 100; "Don't Take Away My Heaven", "Hercules" and "Can't Stop My Heart From Loving You (The Rain Song)." Neville's biggest solo successes have been on the Adult Contemporary chart, where "Don't Know Much," "All My Life," and "Everybody Plays the Fool" all reached Number One.
In August 2005, his home in Eastern New Orleans
was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina
; he evacuated to Memphis, Tennessee
before the hurricane hit. He moved to Nashville
after the storm. and had yet to return to the city as of early 2008, causing the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival to temporarily change its tradition of having the Neville Brothers close the festival. However, the Neville Brothers, including Aaron, returned for the 2008 Jazzfest, which returned to its traditional seven-day format for the first time since Katrina. Neville is in the process of moving back to the New Orleans area, namely the North Shore city of Covington
. Neville performed Randy Newman
's "Louisiana 1927
" during NBC
's A Concert for Hurricane Relief
on September 2, 2005.
Neville signed to SonyBMG's new Burgundy Records
label in late 2005 and recorded an album of songs by Otis Redding
, Marvin Gaye
, Curtis Mayfield
, Sam Cooke
and others for Bring It on Home…The Soul Classics, released on September 19, 2006. The album, produced by Stewart Levine
, features collaborations between Neville and Chaka Khan
, Mavis Staples
, Chris Botti
, David Sanborn
, Art Neville
, and others. The album's first single was a remake of The Impressions' 1963 classic "It's All Right."
Neville's career has included work for television, movies and sporting events. Neville sang the National Anthem
in the movie The Fan
starring Robert De Niro
and Wesley Snipes
. He also sang the anthem at the WWF
's SummerSlam 1993
and at WCW
Spring Stampede
in 1994. Neville sang the theme music to the children's TV series Fisher-Price
Little People
. He also sang a new version of "Cotton," for Cotton, Inc. which was introduced during the 1992 Summer Olympics
. In 1988 he recorded "Mickey Mouse March" for Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films
, one of Various Artists. In 2006, Neville performed "The Star-Spangled Banner
", alongside Queen Of Soul Aretha Franklin
and Dr. John
on keyboard
at Super Bowl XL
in Detroit, Michigan
. The performance was widely panned, however. In addition, Neville (along with brothers Art
and Cyril
) did background vocals for the songs "Great Heart", "Bring Back the Magic", "Homemade Music", "My Barracuda", and "Smart Woman (in a Real Short Skirt)" on Jimmy Buffett
's Hot Water, released in 1988.
On October 27, 2006, Neville made a guest appearance on an episode of the soap opera The Young and the Restless
. He sang "Stand By Me
" and "Ain't No Sunshine
", from his album, Bring It on Home … The Soul Classics. In 2008 he released Gold, which includes a double album
of his hits.
In 2009, Neville, along with the Mt. Zion Mass Choir, released a version of the song "A Change Is Gonna Come
" on the compilation album
, Oh Happy Day
.
On December 12, 2010, while performing at Baton Rouge's Manship Theater in the Shaw Center, Neville was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame.
Neville is an inductee of the Delta Music Museum
Hall of Fame in Ferriday, Louisiana
.
Neville's oldest son Ivan
is also a musician and released an album, If My Ancestors Could See Me Now, in 1988, which yielded a Top 40 hit with "Not Just Another Girl." Ivan has also performed with The Rolling Stones
and Bonnie Raitt
, and played bass for Keith Richards
on his first solo tour. Ivan then assembled his own band (Ivan Neville's Dumpstphunk) which tours and frequently appears in New Orleans.
Neville's third son, Jason, is a vocalist and rap artist who has performed with his father and with the Neville Brothers, notably at the 2009 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Neville is a Roman Catholic with a devotion to St. Jude, to whom he has credited his success and survival. He wears a St. Jude Medal as a left earring.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer and musician. He has had four top-20 hits in the United States (including three that went to number one on Billboard's adult contemporary chart and one that went to number one on the R&B chart) along with four platinum-certified albums. He has also recorded with his brothers Art, Charles and Cyril as The Neville Brothers
The Neville Brothers
The Neville Brothers, an American R&B and soul group, was formed in 1977 in New Orleans, Louisiana.-History:The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art , Charles , Aaron , and Cyril The Neville Brothers, an American R&B and soul group, was formed in 1977 in...
and is the father of singer/bassist Ivan Neville
Ivan Neville
Ivan Neville is a multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the son of Aaron Neville and nephew to members of The Neville Brothers....
. Of mixed African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
and Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
heritage, his music also features Cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
and Creole
Louisiana Creole people
Louisiana Creole people refers to those who are descended from the colonial settlers in Louisiana, especially those of French and Spanish descent. The term was first used during colonial times by the settlers to refer to those who were born in the colony, as opposed to those born in the Old World...
influences.
Career
Neville's first major hit single was "Tell It Like It IsTell It Like It Is
"Tell It Like It Is" is a song written by George Davis and Lee Diamond. It was first recorded by Aaron Neville, who released the song as a single in 1966. It was issued at the end of the year on the Par-Lo label and became a hit, peaking at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and at number...
", which topped Billboard's R&B chart for five weeks in 1967 and also reached #2 on the Hot 100. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. A remake of the song was a Top 10 Pop hit for the Rock group Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
featuring Ann
Ann Wilson
Ann Dustin Wilson is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, flute player, songwriter, and occasional guitar player of the rock band Heart.-Personal life:...
and Nancy Wilson in 1981.
In 1989 Neville teamed up with Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
on the album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind
Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind
Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind is a Grammy award winning, Triple Platinum-certified 1989 album by American singer/songwriter/producer Linda Ronstadt featuring American soul singer Aaron Neville. This album was taken out of print in 2009—twenty years after release.-History:The album is a...
. Among the duets recorded for the disc were the #1 Grammy-winning hits "Don't Know Much
Don't Know Much
"Don't Know Much" is a song written by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil and Tom Snow and made famous when performed as a duet by Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville on Ronstadt's 1989 album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind...
" and "All My Life
All My Life (Linda Ronstadt song)
"All My Life" is a song written by Karla Bonoff and performed as duet by Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville on Ronstadt's Triple Platinum 1989 album Cry Like A Rainstorm, Howl Like The Wind; this is the 2nd collaboration of Ronstadt and Neville...
". "Don't Know Much" earned a million-selling Gold single, while the album was certified Triple Platinum for US sales of more than 3 million.
His other hits have included "Everybody Plays the Fool
Everybody Plays the Fool
"Everybody Plays the Fool" is the title of a popular song written by J.R. Bailey, Rudy Clark and Ken Williams. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best R&B Song at the 1973 ceremony....
", his 1991 cover of the 1972 Main Ingredient song, that reached #8 on the Hot 100; "Don't Take Away My Heaven", "Hercules" and "Can't Stop My Heart From Loving You (The Rain Song)." Neville's biggest solo successes have been on the Adult Contemporary chart, where "Don't Know Much," "All My Life," and "Everybody Plays the Fool" all reached Number One.
In August 2005, his home in Eastern New Orleans
Eastern New Orleans
Eastern New Orleans is a large section of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Developed extensively from the 1960s onwards, it was originally marketed as "suburban-style living within the city limits", and has much in common with the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans...
was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
; he evacuated to Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
before the hurricane hit. He moved to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
after the storm. and had yet to return to the city as of early 2008, causing the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival to temporarily change its tradition of having the Neville Brothers close the festival. However, the Neville Brothers, including Aaron, returned for the 2008 Jazzfest, which returned to its traditional seven-day format for the first time since Katrina. Neville is in the process of moving back to the New Orleans area, namely the North Shore city of Covington
Covington, Louisiana
Covington is a city in and the parish seat of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,483 at the 2000 census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River....
. Neville performed Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
's "Louisiana 1927
Louisiana 1927
"Louisiana 1927" is a 1974 song telling the story of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 that left 700,000 people homeless in Louisiana and Mississippi...
" during NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's A Concert for Hurricane Relief
A Concert for Hurricane Relief
A Concert for Hurricane Relief was an hour-long, celebrity-driven benefit concert broadcast live. Sponsored by the NBC Universal Television Group, its purpose was to raise money, relief, and awareness in response to the loss of life and human suffering that resulted from Hurricane Katrina in five...
on September 2, 2005.
Neville signed to SonyBMG's new Burgundy Records
Burgundy Records
Burgundy Records is an American record label, and subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment.- History :In January 2006 the Sony BMG Strategic Marketing Group announced the launch of its new record label, Burgundy Records. The new Sony BMG SMG imprint label, which was spearheaded by former Executive...
label in late 2005 and recorded an album of songs by Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
, Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
, Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
and others for Bring It on Home…The Soul Classics, released on September 19, 2006. The album, produced by Stewart Levine
Stewart Levine
Stewart Levine is an American record producer. He has worked with such artists as The Crusaders, Minnie Riperton, Lionel Richie, Simply Red, Boy George, Peter Blakeley, Joe Cocker, Oleta Adams, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Jamie Cullum, Aaron Neville, Sly Stone, Hugh Masekela and Killing Joke.Stewart...
, features collaborations between Neville and Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
, Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
, Chris Botti
Chris Botti
Christopher Stephen "Chris" Botti , is an American trumpeter and composer. In 2007, Botti was nominated for two Grammy Awards including Best Pop Instrumental Album. On December 4, 2009, he was nominated for three more Grammy Awards including Best Pop Instrumental Album and Best Long Form Music Video...
, David Sanborn
David Sanborn
David Sanborn is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album Taking Off in 1975, but has been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school...
, Art Neville
Art Neville
Art Neville is an American singer and keyboardist from New Orleans.-History:Neville is a part of one of the most famous musical families of New Orleans, the Neville Brothers...
, and others. The album's first single was a remake of The Impressions' 1963 classic "It's All Right."
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
in the movie The Fan
The Fan
The Fan can refer to:*Fan district, a neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia*The Fan is a 1977 novel by Bob Randall*The Fan , a 1995 novel by US author Peter Abrahams...
starring Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
and Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes
Wesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist, who has starred in numerous action films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film trilogy, among various other high profile roles...
. He also sang the anthem at the WWF
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
's SummerSlam 1993
SummerSlam (1993)
SummerSlam was the sixth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 30, 1993 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan....
and at WCW
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
Spring Stampede
Spring Stampede
Spring Stampede was a professional wrestling pay-per-view from World Championship Wrestling held in the month of April in 1994 and then from 1997 to 2000.-1994:...
in 1994. Neville sang the theme music to the children's TV series Fisher-Price
Fisher-Price
Fisher-Price is a company that produces toys for infants and children, headquartered in East Aurora, New York. Fisher-Price has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel since 1993.-History:...
Little People
Little People
Little People is a toy brand for preschoolers, originally produced by Fisher-Price in the 1960s as the Play Family. The current product line consists of playsets, mini-sets and accessories, books, CDs, and DVDs focusing on various configurations of five characters named Eddie, Sarah Lynn, Maggie,...
. He also sang a new version of "Cotton," for Cotton, Inc. which was introduced during the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
. In 1988 he recorded "Mickey Mouse March" for Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films
Stay Awake (album)
Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films is a 1988 tribute album recorded by various artists performing songs from Disney films...
, one of Various Artists. In 2006, Neville performed "The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
", alongside Queen Of Soul Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
and Dr. John
Dr. John
Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...
on keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
at Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. The performance was widely panned, however. In addition, Neville (along with brothers Art
Art Neville
Art Neville is an American singer and keyboardist from New Orleans.-History:Neville is a part of one of the most famous musical families of New Orleans, the Neville Brothers...
and Cyril
Cyril Neville
Cyril Neville , is a percussionist and vocalist who first came to prominence as a member of his brother Art Neville's funky New Orleans-based band, The Meters...
) did background vocals for the songs "Great Heart", "Bring Back the Magic", "Homemade Music", "My Barracuda", and "Smart Woman (in a Real Short Skirt)" on Jimmy Buffett
Jimmy Buffett
James William "Jimmy" Buffett is a singer-songwriter, author, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett's musical hits include "Margaritaville" , and "Come Monday"...
's Hot Water, released in 1988.
On October 27, 2006, Neville made a guest appearance on an episode of the soap opera The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
. He sang "Stand By Me
Stand by Me (song)
"Stand by Me" is the title of a song originally performed by Ben E. King and written by King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller, based on the spiritual "Lord Stand by Me,", plus two lines rooted in Psalms 46:2-3...
" and "Ain't No Sunshine
Ain't No Sunshine
"Ain't No Sunshine" is a song by Bill Withers from his 1971 album Just as I Am, produced by Booker T. Jones. The record featured musicians Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass guitar and Al Jackson, Jr. on drums, as well as Withers on lead vocals and guitar. The song was released as a single in September...
", from his album, Bring It on Home … The Soul Classics. In 2008 he released Gold, which includes a double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
of his hits.
In 2009, Neville, along with the Mt. Zion Mass Choir, released a version of the song "A Change Is Gonna Come
A Change Is Gonna Come (song)
"A Change Is Gonna Come" is a 1964 single by R&B singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, written and first recorded in 1963 and released under the RCA Victor label shortly after his death in late 1964. Though only a modest hit for Cooke in comparison with his previous singles, the song came to exemplify the...
" on the compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, Oh Happy Day
Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration
"Some of secular music's top acts -- among them Queen Latifah, Jon Bon Jovi, Joss Stone and 3 Doors Down -- take a walk on the spiritual side for Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration."...
.
On December 12, 2010, while performing at Baton Rouge's Manship Theater in the Shaw Center, Neville was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame.
Neville is an inductee of the Delta Music Museum
Delta Music Museum
The Delta Music Museum is a museum located in Ferriday, Louisiana. It offers exhibits on sixteen rock and roll and blues musicians from the Mississippi River delta country. The museum opened with a grant from the State of Louisiana and is operated by local volunteers. There is no admission charge;...
Hall of Fame in Ferriday, Louisiana
Ferriday, Louisiana
Ferriday is a town in Concordia Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population, which is three-fourths African American, was 3,723 at the 2000 census....
.
Personal
Neville met his wife, Joel, in 1957. They were married on January 10, 1959 when both were 18 years old. Joel was diagnosed with lung cancer in late 2004 and died on January 5, 2007. She was 66. Neville would eventually remarry.Neville's oldest son Ivan
Ivan Neville
Ivan Neville is a multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the son of Aaron Neville and nephew to members of The Neville Brothers....
is also a musician and released an album, If My Ancestors Could See Me Now, in 1988, which yielded a Top 40 hit with "Not Just Another Girl." Ivan has also performed with The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
and Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
, and played bass for Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
on his first solo tour. Ivan then assembled his own band (Ivan Neville's Dumpstphunk) which tours and frequently appears in New Orleans.
Neville's third son, Jason, is a vocalist and rap artist who has performed with his father and with the Neville Brothers, notably at the 2009 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Neville is a Roman Catholic with a devotion to St. Jude, to whom he has credited his success and survival. He wears a St. Jude Medal as a left earring.
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Label | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
US Christ | US Gospel | US Jazz | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
CAN Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
US | CAN | |||
| 1965 | Tell It Like It Is | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Par-Lo Records |
| 1986 | Orchid in the Storm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Rhino |
| 1991 | Warm Your Heart | 62 | — | — | — | 44 | 25 | Platinum | Gold | A&M |
| 1993 | The Grand Tour | — | — | — | — | 37 | — | Platinum | Gold | |
| Aaron Neville's Soulful Christmas | — | — | — | — | 36 | — | Platinum | Gold | ||
| 1995 | The Tattooed Heart | 50 | — | — | — | 64 | — | Gold | — | |
| 1997 | To Make Me Who I Am | 73 | — | — | — | 188 | — | — | — | |
| 2000 | Devotion | — | 28 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | Chordant |
| 2002 | Humdinger | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | EMI |
| 2003 | Believe | — | 14 | 2 | — | 191 | — | — | — | Telit |
| Nature Boy: The Standards Album | 85 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | Verve | |
| 2005 | Gospel Roots | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Chordant |
| 2005 | Christmas Prayer | 74 | 14 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | EMI Gospel |
| 2006 | Mojo Soul | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Music Avenue |
| Bring It On Home... The Soul Classics | 20 | — | — | — | 37 | — | — | — | Burgundy |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US AC Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
CAN Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
CAN AC | CAN Country | |||
| 1960 | "Over You" | 111 | — | 21 | — | — | — | — | Non-album songs |
| 1966 | "Tell It Like It Is Tell It Like It Is "Tell It Like It Is" is a song written by George Davis and Lee Diamond. It was first recorded by Aaron Neville, who released the song as a single in 1966. It was issued at the end of the year on the Par-Lo label and became a hit, peaking at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and at number... " |
2 | - | 1 | — | 96 | 2 | — | |
| 1967 | "She Took You for a Ride" | 92 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1991 | "Everybody Plays the Fool Everybody Plays the Fool "Everybody Plays the Fool" is the title of a popular song written by J.R. Bailey, Rudy Clark and Ken Williams. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best R&B Song at the 1973 ceremony.... " |
8 | 1 | — | — | 19 | — | — | Warm Your Heart |
| "Somewhere Somebody" | — | 6 | — | — | 43 | 15 | — | ||
| 1992 | "Close Your Eyes" (with Linda Ronstadt Linda Ronstadt Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden... ) |
— | 32 | — | — | 90 | — | — | |
| 1993 | "Don't Take Away My Heaven" | 56 | 4 | — | — | 17 | 12 | — | The Grand Tour |
| "The Grand Tour The Grand Tour (song) "The Grand Tour" is a song made famous by country music singer George Jones. Originally released in 1974, the song was the title track to his album released that year.The song became Jones' sixth No... " |
90 | — | — | 38 | — | — | 58 | ||
| "Don't Fall Apart on Me Tonight" | — | 26 | — | — | 37 | — | — | ||
| 1994 | "I Owe You One" | — | — | — | — | 51 | 29 | — | |
| "I Fall to Pieces I Fall to Pieces "I Fall to Pieces" is a single released by Patsy Cline in 1961, and was featured on her 1961 studio album, Patsy Cline Showcase. "I Fall to Pieces" was Cline's first #1 hit on the Country charts, and her second hit single to cross over onto the Pop charts... " (with Trisha Yearwood Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn Yearwood, professionally known as Trisha Yearwood , is an American country music artist. She is best known for her ballads about vulnerable young women from a female perspective that have been described by some music critics as "strong" and "confident."Trisha Yearwood signed with MCA... ) |
— | — | — | 72 | — | — | — | Rhythm, Country and Blues Rhythm, Country and Blues -Production:*Produced By Tony Brown & Don Was*Executive Producers: Tony Brown, Al Teller, Kathy Nelson*Recorded, Engineered & Mixed By Bob Clearmountain*Mastered By Doug Sax-Personnel:*Drums: Kenny Aronoff, Ricky Fataar, Curt Bisquera, Paul Leim... |
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| "Even If My Heart Would Break" (with Kenny G.) | 122 | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Bodyguard (soundtrack) | |
| "Betcha By Golly, Wow" | — | — | — | — | 32 | — | — | The Grand Tour | |
| 1995 | "Can't Stop My Heart from Loving You (The Rain Song)" | 99 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | The Tattooed Heart |
| "For the Good Times" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996 | "Use Me" | — | — | 93 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Crazy Love" (with Robbie Robertson Robbie Robertson Robbie Robertson, OC; is a Canadian singer-songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known for his membership as the guitarist and primary songwriter within The Band. He was ranked 59th in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time... ) |
— | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | Phenomenon Phenomenon (film) Phenomenon is a 1996 romantic fantasy-drama film written by Gerald Di Pego, directed by Jon Turteltaub, and starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, and Robert Duvall.... (soundtrack) |
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| 1997 | "Say What's in My Heart" | — | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | To Make Me Who I Am |
| 2006 | "It's All Right"A | — | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | Bring It on Home... |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
- A "It's All Right" peaked at #12 on Hot Contemporary Jazz Songs.
Guest singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US AC | CAN | CAN AC | ||||||
| 1989 | "Don't Know Much Don't Know Much "Don't Know Much" is a song written by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil and Tom Snow and made famous when performed as a duet by Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville on Ronstadt's 1989 album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind... " |
Linda Ronstadt | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind is a Grammy award winning, Triple Platinum-certified 1989 album by American singer/songwriter/producer Linda Ronstadt featuring American soul singer Aaron Neville. This album was taken out of print in 2009—twenty years after release.-History:The album is a... |
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| 1990 | "All My Life All My Life (Linda Ronstadt song) "All My Life" is a song written by Karla Bonoff and performed as duet by Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville on Ronstadt's Triple Platinum 1989 album Cry Like A Rainstorm, Howl Like The Wind; this is the 2nd collaboration of Ronstadt and Neville... " |
11 | 1 | 10 | 1 | ||||
| "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby When Something Is Wrong with My Baby "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" is a popular hit song, a soul ballad, written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, sung by Sam & Dave, and first released in 1967 by Stax Records.... " |
78 | 5 | 29 | 10 | |||||
| 1996 | "That's What My Love Is For" | Anne Murray Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies.... |
— | — | — | 15 | Anne Murray | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | "Don't Take Away My Heaven" | Zack Synder |
| "The Grand Tour" | Jim Shea | |
| "Please Come Home for Christmas" | Bronwen Hughes | |
| 1994 | "I Fall to Pieces" (w/ Trisha Yearwood Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn Yearwood, professionally known as Trisha Yearwood , is an American country music artist. She is best known for her ballads about vulnerable young women from a female perspective that have been described by some music critics as "strong" and "confident."Trisha Yearwood signed with MCA... ) |
Charley Randazzo |
| 1995 | "For the Good Times" | Jim Shea |