The Neville Brothers Biography
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 The Neville Brothers represent the essence of 40 years of New Orleans music distilled within one family unit. The Nevilles comprise Art (Arthur Lanon Neville, 17 December 1937, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; keyboards/vocals), Charles (b. 28 December 1938, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; saxophone/flute), Aaron Neville (b. 24 January 1941, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; vocals/keyboards) and Cyril Neville (b. 10 January 1948, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; vocals). Each member is also a capable percussionist.
They have, individually and collectively, been making an impression on R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, soul, funk and jazz since the early 50s. Art Neville was the leader of the Hawkettes, whose 1954 Chess Records hit ‘Mardi Gras Mambo’ has become a New Orleans standard, reissued every year at Mardi Gras time. From 1957 he released solo singles on Specialty Records, and in the early 60s, both he and Aaron worked (separately) for the legendary producer Allen Toussaint. Aaron had emerged from vocal group the Avalons, and although he had a minor R&B hit in 1960 with Toussaint’s ‘Over You’, it was not until 1967 that he achieved fame with the soul ballad ‘Tell It Like It Is’, a million-seller that reached number 2 in the charts. Charles Neville, meanwhile, had been working - on the road and back home as part of the Dew Drop Inn’s house band - with many legendary names: B.B. King, Bobby Bland and Ray Charles, among them. In 1968, Art formed the Meters, one of the Crescent City’s most innovative and respected outfits. Featuring Leo Nocentelli (guitar), George Porter (bass), Joseph Modeliste (drums) and, later, Cyril Neville (percussion), they were New Orleans’ answer to Booker T. And The MGs, and besides their own albums, they could be heard on early 70s releases by Paul McCartney, Robert Palmer, LaBelle and Dr. John. The Wild Tchoupitoulas was a transitional album, featuring the Meters’ rhythm section and all four Neville Brothers; by 1978 they were officially a group. Despite a considerable ‘cult’ following, particularly among fellow musicians, it took them until 1989 and the release of the Daniel Lanois -produced Yellow Moon, to find a wider audience. A single, ‘With God On Our Side’, was extracted and became a minor hit; Aaron, duetting with Linda Ronstadt, achieved his greatest chart success since ‘Tell It Like It Is’, when ‘Don’t Know Much’ reached US and UK number 2 and won them the first of two Grammy Awards. In 1990, as a band, they released Brother’s Keeper and appeared on the soundtrack of the movie Bird On A Wire. Family Groove was a more pedestrian offering, but was followed by a compelling live set that played to the group’s strengths. Mitakuye Oyasin Oyasin was a new studio album that featured Aaron’s strong cover version of Bill Withers’ ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’. It was followed in 1999 by the excellent Valence Street.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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The Neville Brothers represent the essence of 40 years of New Orleans music distilled within one family unit. The Nevilles comprise Art (Arthur Lanon Neville, 17 December 1937, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; keyboards/vocals), Charles (b. 28 December 1938, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; saxophone/flute), Aaron Neville (b. 24 January 1941, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; vocals/keyboards) and Cyril Neville (b. 10 January 1948, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; vocals). Each member is also a capable percussionist.