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Aaron Neville and His Quintet featuring Charles Neville

Presented by Cypress Creek FACE at The Centrum (at the Cypress Creek Christian Community Center)

May 8, 2010

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Cypress Creek FACE presents Aaron Neville and His Quintet featuring Charles Neville.  8 p.m., Saturday, May 8, 2010.  Spend an evening with one of America’s vocal treasures singing classic songs. A product of New Orleans’ musical heritage, Aaron Neville (pictured) possesses a voice and style uniquely his own.

Born January 24, 1941, Aaron is the third of the four famous Neville Brothers of New Orleans. A product of that city’s richly complex musical culture, his first vocal model was older brother Art, keyboardist and founder of the Meters. Brother Charles played sax with B.B. King while brother Cyril became Aaron’s partner in a funk band they called the Soul Machine.

Throughout the sixties Aaron recorded for local Louisiana labels, but it wasn’t until 1966 that he broke onto the national scene with “Tell It Like It Is,” the plaintive ballad that went #1 on the pop charts, a song still considered a classic in the annals of American music. Issued on the obscure Par-Lo Records, the hit unfortunately coincided with the label’s demise. With no follow-up and few royalties, Aaron’s career stalled. Beset by demons both professional and personal, he struggled for the next ten years.

Aaron, Charles and Cyril gigged as The Wild Tchoupitoulas in New York before returning to New Orleans in 1976 to record the landmark album of the same name. The Wild Tchoupitoulas album celebrated the Indian tribe whose leader, George (Big Chief Jolly) Landry, was the brothers’ beloved uncle and prime musical/spiritual inspiration. For the first time, all four Neville brothers recorded together.

The Neville Brothers began their string of successful albums in 1977, beginning on Capitol and moving to A&M. The high point came in 1989 with “Yellow Moon,” written and sung by Aaron, whose solo career was revived in 1991 with Warm Your Heart, the acclaimed album produced by George Massenburg and Linda Ronstadt. “Linda,” says Aaron, “is the real reason my solo career found new life.”

It was Ronstadt who, in 1989, had featured Aaron on her Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind, resulting in the #2 pop hit duet “Don’t Know Much.”

Aaron has won four Grammys: in 1989 for Best Pop Duo with Linda Ronstadt for “Don’t Know Much”; in 1989 for Best Pop Instrumental Performance with the Neville Brothers for “Healing Chant,”; in 1990 for Best Pop Duo with Linda Ronstadt for “All My Life”; and for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals with Trisha Yearwood for “I Fall to Pieces” in 1994.

He was named “Best Male Singer” two straight years in the Rolling Stone critics’ poll. Aaron has recorded a dozen solo albums ranging in genre from gospel to country and jazz.