Art Neville
by Bill Dahl
As a founding member of the Meters and Neville Brothers, New Orleans vocalist and keyboardist Art Neville helped immeasurably to shape the contemporary New Orleans funk sound. Nevilles first band, the Hawketts, tasted local success in 1954 with the carnival perennial Mardi Gras Mambo on Chess. He cut some nice solo singles for Specialty during the late 50s, notably Cha Dooky-Doo, as well as contributing two choruses of storming piano to Jerry Byrnes 1958 classic Lights Out. All These Things, a gentle ballad, also did well locally in 1962 on the Instant logo. He assembled the Meters in the mid-60s and the instrumental quartet proved the Crescent Citys answer to the MGs until their 1977 breakup. Thats when Art and his siblings formed the Neville Brothers, who went on to reign as the leading musical export from New Orleans.
As a founding member of the Meters and Neville Brothers, New Orleans vocalist and keyboardist Art Neville helped immeasurably to shape the contemporary New Orleans funk sound. Nevilles first band, the Hawketts, tasted local success in 1954 with the carnival perennial Mardi Gras Mambo on Chess. He cut some nice solo singles for Specialty during the late 50s, notably Cha Dooky-Doo, as well as contributing two choruses of storming piano to Jerry Byrnes 1958 classic Lights Out. All These Things, a gentle ballad, also did well locally in 1962 on the Instant logo. He assembled the Meters in the mid-60s and the instrumental quartet proved the Crescent Citys answer to the MGs until their 1977 breakup. Thats when Art and his siblings formed the Neville Brothers, who went on to reign as the leading musical export from New Orleans.
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