The Neville Brothers
Encyclopedia
The Neville Brothers, an American
R&B
and soul
group, was formed in 1977 in New Orleans, Louisiana
.
(born 1937), Charles (b. 1938), Aaron
(b. 1941), and Cyril
(b. 1948) got together to take part in the recording session of The Wild Tchoupitoulas
, a Mardi Gras Indian
group led by their uncle Big Chief Jolly.
This experience led them to form the group the following year. Their debut album was released from Capitol Records
in 1978.
The Neville Brothers were featured as stellar musicians from New Orleans, on the Southern Stars poster
created by Dianna Chenevert to help promote them and historically document their contribution to the music industry. On October 12, 1983 USA Today
reporter Miles White highlighted the Nevilles as being included on the poster, which provided them with more nationwide attention. The band is referred to in the 1987 movie The Big Easy, which was partially filmed at Chenevert's office building located at 500 Valence Street, and the Nevilles' music was played on the soundtrack.
Their version of "Bird on a Wire" was played over the opening and closing credits of the 1990 film
, Bird on a Wire
.
In 1988, the group released Uptown from EMI
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 best pop instrumental performance of the Grammy Award
s. 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
. Also in 1990, they appeared on the bill at that year's Glastonbury Festival
.
Due to the health problems of Art Neville, the band kept low profile in the late 1990s onto the early 2000s. However, they made a comeback in 2004 with the album, Walkin' In The Shadow Of Life, from Back Porch Records, their first newly recorded effort in five years.
All brothers except Charles, who lived in Massachusetts, 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, at the closing spot which had been reserved for them for years.
Ivan Neville
, Aaron's son (keyboards
) has infrequently played with the band in recent years.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
and 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...
group, was formed in 1977 in New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
History
The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, ArtArt 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...
(born 1937), Charles (b. 1938), Aaron
Aaron Neville
Aaron Neville is an American soul and R&B singer and musician. He has had four top-20 hits in the United States along with four platinum-certified albums...
(b. 1941), 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...
(b. 1948) got together to take part in the recording session of The Wild Tchoupitoulas
The Wild Tchoupitoulas
The Wild Tchoupitoulas were originally a group of Mardi Gras Indians formed in the early 1970s by George Landry. With help from local New Orleans musicians The Meters, The Wild Tchoupitoulas recorded an eponymous album, which featured the "call-and-response" style chants typical of Mardi Gras Indians...
, a Mardi Gras Indian
Mardi Gras Indians
Mardi Gras Indians are African-American Carnival revelers in New Orleans, Louisiana, who dress up for Mardi Gras in suits influenced by Native American ceremonial apparel.Collectively, their organizations are called "tribes"...
group led by their uncle Big Chief Jolly.
This experience led them to form the group the following year. Their debut album was released from Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
in 1978.
The Neville Brothers were featured as stellar musicians from New Orleans, on the Southern Stars poster
Southern Stars Poster
The "Southern Stars" poster included famous Louisiana musicians and was created for a booking agency called Omni Attractions which was based in New Orleans from 1982 to 1994...
created by Dianna Chenevert to help promote them and historically document their contribution to the music industry. On October 12, 1983 USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
reporter Miles White highlighted the Nevilles as being included on the poster, which provided them with more nationwide attention. The band is referred to in the 1987 movie The Big Easy, which was partially filmed at Chenevert's office building located at 500 Valence Street, and the Nevilles' music was played on the soundtrack.
Their version of "Bird on a Wire" was played over the opening and closing credits of the 1990 film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Bird on a Wire
Bird on a Wire (film)
Bird on a Wire is a 1990 feature film starring Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn, directed by John Badham, and shot mainly in British Columbia, Canada. The title refers to the Leonard Cohen song "Bird on the Wire"...
.
In 1988, the group released Uptown from EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
featuring guests including Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis is an American saxophonist, composer and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ensembles and has led the group Buckshot LeFonque.-Biography:Marsalis was born...
, 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...
and Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
. The following year saw the release of Yellow Moon
Yellow Moon
Yellow Moon is a 1989 album by The Neville Brothers.-Track listing:# "My Blood" – 4:11# "Yellow Moon" – 4:04# "Fire and Brimstone" – 3:57...
from A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
produced by Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
. The track "Healing Chant" from that album won best pop instrumental performance of the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s. In 1990, the Neville Brothers contributed "In the Still of the Night
In the Still of the Night
In the Still of the Night may refer to:* In the Still of the Night, a 1932 popular song by Hoagy Carmichael and Jo Trent* In the Still of the Night, a 1937 popular song by Cole Porter...
" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Blue
Red Hot + Blue
Red Hot + Blue is the first in the series of compilation albums from the Red Hot Organization. The recording was the first in the Red Hot Benefit Series...
produced by the Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
. Also in 1990, they appeared on the bill at that year's Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
.
Due to the health problems of Art Neville, the band kept low profile in the late 1990s onto the early 2000s. However, they made a comeback in 2004 with the album, Walkin' In The Shadow Of Life, from Back Porch Records, their first newly recorded effort in five years.
All brothers except Charles, who lived in Massachusetts, had been living in New Orleans; but following 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...
in 2005
2005 in music
-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...
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
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, often known as Jazz Fest, is an annual celebration of the music and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana...
in 2008, at the closing spot which had been reserved for them for years.
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....
, Aaron's son (keyboards
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...
) has infrequently played with the band in recent years.
Studio albums
- 1978: The Neville Brothers (Capitol)
- 1981: Fiyo on the BayouFiyo on the BayouFiyo on the Bayou is the second studio album by the New Orleans four piece The Neville Brothers. It was released in 1981 on A&M. It also features a young Whitney Houston on backing vocals. In 1975 another album entitled Fire On The Bayou was released by The Meters, a band that included Art Neville...
(A&M) - 1984: Live Nevillization (Black Top)
- 1987: Uptown (EMI)
- 1987: Nevillization 2 (Live At Tipitina's Volume 2) (Spindletop)
- 1989: Yellow MoonYellow MoonYellow Moon is a 1989 album by The Neville Brothers.-Track listing:# "My Blood" – 4:11# "Yellow Moon" – 4:04# "Fire and Brimstone" – 3:57...
(A&M) - 1990: Brother's Keeper (A&M)
- 1992: Family Groove (A&M)
- 1994: Live on Planet Earth (A&M)
- 1995: Mitakuye Oyasin Oyasin/All My Relations (A&M)
- 1997: The CarnivalThe Carnival"The Carnival" is the debut album released by hip hop writer Wyclef Jean. Released on June 24, 1997, Jean also served as the album's executive producer. The album encompasses many musical genres, including hip hop, reggae, folk, disco, soul, Son Cubano and Haitian music...
(Guest appearance, song "Mona Lisa") - 1999: Valence Street (Columbia)
- 2004: Walkin' In The Shadow Of Life (Back Porch).
Compilation albums
- 1986: Treacherous - A History of the Neville Brothers 1955-1985 (Rhino)
- 1991: Treacherous Too! - A History of the Neville Brothers Volume Two 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 Best of the Neville Brothers (A&M)
- 2005: Gold (Hip-O)
Related albums
- 1976: The Wild TchoupitoulasThe Wild Tchoupitoulas (album)The Wild Tchoupitoulas is a 1976 album by the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian "tribe" The Wild Tchoupitoulas.The album features "call-and-response" style chants typical of Mardi Gras Indians. Vocals were provided by George Landry, as "Big Chief Jolly", as well as other members of his Mardi Gras...
(with three of the Neville brothers)