The Neville Brothers were an American R&B/

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

group, formed in 1976 in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

History

The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family,

Art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

(1937–2019),

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

(1938–2018),

Aaron According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Greek (Septuagint): Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of ...

(b. 1941), and

Cyril Cyril (also Cyrillus or Cyryl) is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Greek name Κύριλλος (''Kýrillos''), meaning 'lordly, masterful', which in turn derives from Greek κυριος ('' kýrios'') 'lord'. There are various varia ...

(b. 1948) came together to take part in the recording session of

the Wild Tchoupitoulas The Wild Tchoupitoulas were originally a group of Mardi Gras Indians formed in the early 1970s by George "Big Chief Jolly" Landry. Landry, with his Autochthon American (Choctaw) heritage, had been an active performer in the Mardi Gras Indian sty ...

, a Mardi Gras Indian group led by the Nevilles' uncle, George Landry ("Big Chief Jolly"). Their debut album ''The Neville Brothers'' was released in 1978 on

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

. In 1987, the group released '' Uptown'' on the

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

label, featuring guests including

Branford Marsalis Branford Marsalis (born August 26, 1960) is an American saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed inst ...

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

, and

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...

. The following year saw the release of ''

Yellow Moon Yellow Moon may refer to: * ''Yellow Moon'' (Neville Brothers album), 1989, or the title song * ''Yellow Moon'' (Don Williams album), 1983, or the title song * ''Yellow Moon'' (EP), a 2006 EP by Akeboshi, or the title song * "Yellow Moon", a 196 ...

'' from

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

produced by

Daniel Lanois Daniel Roland Lanois ( , ; born September 19, 1951) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has produced albums by artists including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, Emmylou Harris, Willie ...

. The track "Healing Chant" from that album won the

Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by m ...

at the 1990 Grammy ceremony. In 1990, the Neville Brothers contributed " In the Still of the Night" to the AIDS benefit album ''

Red Hot + Blue Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

'' produced by the

Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 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 compilati ...

. Also in 1990, they appeared on the bill at that year's

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

. 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. All brothers except Charles, a Massachusetts resident, had been living in New Orleans, but following

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

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 Clifford Antone (October 27, 1949 – May 22, 2006) was the founder of the eponymous Austin blues club Antone's and independent record label Antone's Records and Tapes, as well as a mentor to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan, Kim Wilson, G ...

. 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 The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of visitors to New ...

in 2008, being given the closing spot which had been reserved for them for years. Infrequently, Aaron's son

Ivan Neville Ivan Neville (born August 19, 1959) is an American multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the son of Aaron Neville and nephew to members of The Neville Brothers. Career He has released four solo (music), solo albums and ha ...

(

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

) and Art's son Ian Neville (

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

), both of the band

Dumpstaphunk Dumpstaphunk is a funk and jam band, jam band from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Origins and background The quintet's current lineup features Ivan Neville on vocals, B3 and Clav, the double bass attack and soulful voices of Tony Hall (m ...

, have played with the Neville Brothers. The group formally disbanded in 2012 but reunited in 2015 for a farewell concert in New Orleans. 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 Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

. In the film, they perform "Fire on the Bayou" with guests Ivan and Ian Neville. The Neville Brothers were among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire. Charles Neville died of pancreatic cancer on April 26, 2018, at the age of 79. Art Neville died on July 22, 2019, at the age of 81. A cause of death has not yet been provided.

Discography

Studio albums

* 1978: ''The Neville Brothers'' (Capitol) * 1981: '' Fiyo on the Bayou'' (A&M) * 1987: '' Uptown'' (EMI) * 1989: ''

'' (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)

Singles

Related albums

* 1976: ''

The Wild Tchoupitoulas The Wild Tchoupitoulas were originally a group of Mardi Gras Indians formed in the early 1970s by George "Big Chief Jolly" Landry. Landry, with his Autochthon American (Choctaw) heritage, had been an active performer in the Mardi Gras Indian sty ...

'' (with four of The Neville Brothers) * 1997: ''

Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival ''Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival'', also known simply as ''The Carnival'', is the debut studio album released by Haitian hip hop musician Wyclef Jean. The album was released on June 24, 1997, Wyclef Jean also served as the album's executive pro ...

'' by

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...

(guest appearance on "Mona Lisa")

References

External links

Official Neville Brothers Biography / Website

Official Aaron Neville Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neville Brothers, The Musical groups established in 1977 Musical groups disestablished in 2012 1977 establishments in Louisiana 2012 disestablishments in Louisiana African-American families American funk musical groups American soul musical groups Family musical groups Musical groups from New Orleans Grammy Award winners Black Top Records artists A&M Records artists Neville family (show business) Capitol Records artists EMI Records artists Columbia Records artists