Neville, Aaron (24th January 1941-Present)

He is a singer-songwriter born in New Orleans, Louisiana, who comes from an extremely musical family.

He saw his first real success as a solo artist in 1966 with “Tell It Like It Is” which topped the Billboard R&B charts and would later be covered by the group Heart.

Singing with his brother Art in The Hawkettes in the late 1950s/early 1960s, he joined Art’s co-founded band The Meters during the late 1960s and then in the 1970s he and his brothers and uncle formed The Wild Tchoupitoulas. Then in 1978, more than a decade after his No. 1 hit in 1966, he and his three brothers, Art, Cyril and Charles, formed The Neville Brothers who have had several chart hits and are still a successful act going into today.

He next hit the charts in the Grammy-winning “Don’t Know Much” and “All My Life” when he sang as half of a duo with Linda Ronstadt and followed up with the further successful solo chart songs on the Top 100 and Adult Contemporary charts, “Can’t Stop My Heart From Loving You (The Rain Song)”, “Don’t Take Away My Heaven”, “Everybody Plays the Fool” and “Hercules”.

His career went from strength to strength and to date he has received 16 Grammy Award nominations in a cross-section of musical genres that run from gospel to pop and won the 1994 “Best Country & Western Vocal Collaboration” with Trisha Yearwood for the hit song “I Fall to Pieces”. He was also named “Best Male Vocalist” in a Rolling Stone poll two years running. He has often been called upon to sing for television, movies and sporting events including joining Aretha Franklin and Dr. John on stage to perform “The Star Spangled Banner” for Super Bowl XL and making a guest appearance on The Young & The Restless.

Throughout his long career he has worked with many artists including Chris Botti, James Gadson, Chaka Khan, Clyde McPhatter, Maria Muldaur, Anne Murray, Ray Parker Jr., Robbie Robertson, David Sanborn, Paul Shaffer, Andy Williams and Tammy Wynette.

Singing on countless albums he can be heard on his own Aaron Neville’s Soulful Christmas, Devotion, The Grand Tour, Humdinger and Orchid in the Storm among others as well as Family Groove, Neville-ization and Uptown Rulin’ with The Neville Brothers and Hot Water by Jimmy Buffett, Breathless by Kenny G and Dedicated to the One I Love by Linda Ronstadt and the soundtracks to The Bodyguard, A Bronx Tale, Mulholland Falls and The Truth About Cats & Dogs among many others.

2005 saw him evacuating to Memphis, Tennessee, and then relocating to Nashville after he lost his home in New Orleans. He performed in A Concert for Hurricane Relief aired by NBC along with many other benefit concerts and returned to New Orleans to live in 2008.

His son, Ivan, is also a successful musician.

Sources:

Neville, Aaron (24th January 1941-Present)

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