Neville, Charles (28th December 1938-Present)

He was a saxophonist and arranger born Charles Barrow Neville in New Orleans to a musical family where his brothers are also successful singers and musicians and nicknamed him “The Horn Man”.

He began playing the saxophone while still a child and before he had hit his teen years he became a member of the school band. Also during his school years he became a co-founder of the band The Turquoise with his brother Art and later joined him and another brother, Aaron, in the band The Hawkettes.

He left school when he was around fifteen and started performing on a variety show tour with Gene Franklin & The Houserockers. His return home in the early 1950s saw him becoming a member of the house band of the Dew Drop Inn and within just a few years he was touring with many of the great names on the R&B scene. In 1956 he served to two years in the US Navy, posted in Memphis, Tennessee, as an aviation mechanic. At the same time he played in a local band and struck up a friendship with B.B. King.

His return to New Orleans saw him starting out as a touring musician again and not pursuing his initial thoughts of studying at Southern University. This life wasn’t without problems and soon he became dependent on a drug habit, which eventually resulted in him serving a three and a half year jail sentence. After his release he moved to New York City to resume his career and backed several artists in the studio and on the road. During the years 1969-70 he also taught a Goddard College.

Then in 1972 he joined his brothers Cyril and Aaron in their band The Soul Machine which led to them working with their uncle under the name The Wild Tchoupitoulas. This project of Mardi Gras Indian music saw him returning to New Orleans once again, this time to stay, and in 1976 he become one of the newly formed family group, The Neville Brothers. The group have gone on to see much success on a national and international level, with several chart songs and albums and to this day are still recording and performing.

Remaining a busy performer in his own right, he kept up his work as a session musician as well as appearing and recording with Diversity, which was put together as a classical/jazz ensemble by him and a principal harpist from the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra.

Throughout his career he performed with numerous artists that include Johnny Ace, James Brown, Clarence Carter, Ray Charles, Dr. John, B.B. King, Maria Muldaur, Junior Parker, Brian Stoltz and Allen Toussaint amongst many others.

The countless albums he can be heard on include Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads by Jimmy Buffett, Charles Neville & Diversity by Diversity, Grand Tour by Aaron Neville, New Orleans Cookin’ by Cyril Neville, Family Groove, Fiyo on the Bayou, Neville-ization, Uptown, Walkin’ in the Shadow of Life and Yellow Moon by The Neville Brothers, Safe in Buddha’s Palm by The Charles Parker Quartet and the soundtrack of Get On the Bus and Lightning in a Bottle. Working as an arranger he spread his wings into the realms of the stage for his musical production Shangri-La.

Into the 2000s he performed with The Neville Brothers and his own The Charles Neville Quartet. His daughter Charmaine is also a singer.

He passed away from\pancreatic cancer in April 2018 when he was 79 years old.

Sources:

Neville, Charles (28th December 1938-26th April 2018)

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