Aaron Neville is well known as part of the New Orleans sound of the Neville Brothers.
A mountain of a man; quiet and soft spoken, with one of the most unique voices in music today, Aaron Neville sings with a raw and haunting beauty.
Aaron Neville The Basics
Birth Date- January 24, 1941
Birth Place - New Orleans, Louisiana
Gender - Male
Religion - Catholic
Race / Ethnicity - Black Aaron Neville was born to Arthur and Amelia Neville, he is the third born of the four Neville brothers, Art, Charles and Cyril. He also has a sister Athelgra. He grew up on Valance Street in uptown New Orleans before moving to the Calliope housing projects. Aaron's father, Arthur worked in the merchant marine and drove a cab while mother Amelia stayed home and raised the children. He was married to Joell Roux Neville from January 10, 1959 to January 5, 2006 and together they had four children and six grandchildren.
Tell It Like It Is The Lyrics
If you want something to play with
Go and find yourself a toy
Baby my time is too expensive
And I'm not a little boy
If you are serious
Don't play with my heart
It makes me furious
But if you want me to love you
Then a baby I will, girl you know that I will
Tell it like it is
Don't be ashamed to let your conscience be your guide
But I know deep down inside me
I believe you love me, forget your foolish pride
Life is too short to have sorrow
You may be here today and gone tomorrow
You might as well get what you want
So go on and live, baby go on and live
Tell it like it is
I'm nothing to play with
Go and find yourself a toy
But I... Tell it like it is
My time is too expensive and I'm not your little boy
Tell it Like It Is - Aaron Neville's Life
The Early Years Aaron Neville's story is marked by struggle, trouble, drugs, crime and prison time. He battled his demons for years and eventually triumphed over them in his words " by faith, prayer and the help of Saint Jude " ( the catholic patron saint of lost causes).
Growing up in a close knit family in New Orleans, he was surrounded by music. At home he heard gospel music and the music of Nat King Cole, Mahalia Jackson and Sarah Vaughn which was played by his parents. Some of his other early influences were Sam Cooke, Pookie Hudson and " cowboy " yodlers such as Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.
His mother Amelia who was Catholic insisted that the children attend St. Monica's Catholic School. It was there that he became fascinated by the hymn " Ave Maria" which he said would do something to his heart and became a saving grace to him.
Aaron liked to hang out on street corners singing with his friends. Even as a young teenager his voice was remarkable enough that he would sing to gain free entrance to basketball games and movie theaters.
In 1955 a teacher encouraged Aaron to join a local vocal group the " Avalons".
His days of youthful innocence didn't last long, he started hanging out with the wrong crowd and was exposed to a gritty musical world where drug use was all too common. Neville tells of the time he came home with his notorious pirate's cutlass tattooed on his cheek and his father was so furious he tried to scrub it off Aaron with steel wool.
In 1958 Art Neville joined the navy and Aaron took his place as the lead singer for the " Hawkettes ". It was during this time that he met his future wife Joel Roux. As Aaron was falling in love with Joel, drugs and bad influences were pulling him in another direction and he wound up going to jail for car theft. When he got out of jail he married Joel on January 10, 1959. Needless to say her upper middle class family was not pleased; her father was a golf pro and housing administrator and Joel was expected to graduate college, not marry a 17 year old high school drop out and aspiring singer. Joel did enroll at Xavier University but quit after their first child Ivan was born in August of 1959.
Between 1960 and 1961 Aaron recorded more than a dozen songs on the Minit record label. Almost all of these songs were written by Aaron and / or Allen Toussaint. These recordings did establish Neville as a serious vocalist. Although they were popular in New Orleans they had little impact on the national scene.
In the early 60's Aaron moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career. Joel encouraged him and his brother Cyril. By this time he was addicted to heroin and to pay for his habit he turned to more serious crimes, carrying knives and cutting people was not unusual. It was in Los Angeles that he was arrested for breaking into a clothing store. Neville says that this changed his life as he had been praying for an end to his addiction and that he had tried to quit a thousand times.
Tell It Like It Is the CD 2005
Songs from Aaron Neville Early and Middle Career Years Aaron's vocal styles cover Soul, Funk, Jazz, Blues & Gospel. His early work is some of his most creative. On this CD Aaron slips through the many styles that he has developed over the years to give a complete view of his exceptional vocal skills. On several tracks his unique talent is fully exposed when only guitar, drums and voice are featured. Other tracks blend an orchestra to compliment his rich vocal style, his beautiful renditions of classic songs like 'Feelings' & 'Cry Me A River', balance this CD ( 2 cd set )
Tracks on the Tell It Like It Is Cd
1. Hercules
2. Strutting on Sunday
3. Tell It Like It Is
4. Make Me Strong
5. Love Letters
6. Cry Me a River
7. TheGreatest Love
8. Where Is My Baby
9. Honey
10. Performance
11. She's on My Mind
12. You Can Give
13. Mojo Hannah
14. You Don't Love Me
15. All These Things
16. Wild Flower
17. My Greatest Gift
18. Been So Wrong
19. Feelings
20. For the Good Times
21. One Fine Day
22. Baby I'm a Want You
23. Waiting for a Bus
24. Speak to Me
25. Nadine
To Make Me Who I Am
Aaron Neville It Took Me Who I Was Once I was a schemer
But I always was a dreamer
But it took me who I was and where I've been
To make me who I am
Aaron Neville
At home in New Orleans Joel and Aaron's mother Amelia were praying novenas to Saint Jude. As Aaron awaited trial and a possible stiff sentence he returned to New Orleans on bond and joined his mother most days praying also to the patron Saint of hopelessness.
On the day of his sentencing Aaron was assured that a lenient judge would here his case, but it just so happened that he was on vacation and the judge that was on duty was giving out jail time like it was water. Standing in the court room with his St Jude medal Aaron was sentenced to 1 - 14 years suspended and served a year fighting fires at a forestry camp outside of Los Angeles. To this day he still wears a St Jude medal in his ear. During that year at the forestry camp Aaron broke free of his drug addiction and started working out , but his heart ached for his wife and children.
Returning to New Orleans Neville took jobs digging ditches and working on the docks to support his family. eventually he signed with a new and fledgling record label Par-Lo. He recorded Tell It Like It Is written by Lee Diamond. The recording hit the top of the national music charts, unfortunately Par-Lo went bankrupt before Aaron saw much money from the record. Aaron and brother Art toured the country for almost a year on the strength of the hit record. The traveling became another opportunity to abuse drugs and again he became hooked on heroin.
Neville would later tell of his many attempts to quit. He would quit cold turkey suffering severe withdrawal alone, sweating and trembling on the back of a Greyhound bus going to the next gig. Unsure of where his career was going and addicted to drugs, Aaron would wander the streets of New Orleans looking for a fix while at the same time repeatedly singing the " Ave Maria" to himself for help.
In 1968 Aaron recorded songs for Allen Toussaint and Sansu Enterprises. Some feel that Aaron was at his peak during this time, but again the project had little impact on the national record charts and on Neville's finances. Again he found solace with drugs. One day in 1972 he returned home to an empty house, Joel and the children had left him and moved in with her parents who forbade her to see him again.
In 1976 the Neville brothers were getting some recognition as the Wild Tchoupitoulas which would later lead to the formation of the Neville Brothers in 1978. Bette Midler heard them play at a local club and persuaded A&M Records to offer them a contract.
It was at this time that Aaron put to music a poem " Lovely Lady dressed in Blue" that he had learned at St Monica's School as a child , he had an epiphany and realized the depth of his addiction. Aaron checked himself into rehab and made the decision to cut all ties to the "demon" that had held him hostage for so many years. Neville says that he has never touched a drug since that time. He and Joel would later reconcile.
At the 1984 World's fair singer Linda Ronstadt came to see the Neville Brothers show and was so entranced with Aaron's ethereal sound that she came on stage to sing several duets. They would later record " Don't know Much " which was a hit and won one of Aaron Neville's several Grammy awards.
Since then Aaron Neville has released solo albums, provided backup on many recordings by others, had all of his earlier work rerecorded, has sung the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, performed in front of the Nation's capitol, performed for President Clinton, has had roles in movies and television including his favorite daytime show " All My Children " and has received many awards.
Since Aaron relaunched his solo career in 1991 he has included a spiritual track at the end of all his records.
With his new found success Aaron was able to give Joel everything he always wanted to and he moved his wife and family to a spacious home on a golf course where he dreamed of living for the rest of their lives. That was not to be.
Cancer and Katrina
Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and Joell Neville Aaron Neville was on tour when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, destroying his home, his careers memento's his neighborhood and city. His family was able to save his four Grammy's from the wreckage. Although Aaron participated in dozens of benefits for hurricane Katrina victims he did not return to New Orleans. Aaron has said " I've got a memory and I'll leave it at that. It's a packet of memories. But the New Orleans I know is not there anymore."
Joel Neville, Aaron's wife, the love of his life was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2004. The doctors gave her three months to live, but she battled the cancer into remission with radiation and chemotherapy. Her health still being an issue they decided New Orleans was no place for her.
The family settled in Brentwood, Tennessee down the road fromDolly Parton. Throughout this ordeal Aaron and his manager considered when and how Neville might return to New Orleans.
In the end it was Joel who brought him home - to bury her.
It was not the homecoming anyone wanted. In the spring of 2006 Joel got sick again, the cancer had spread. Ad the end drew near Aaron kept virgil at Joel's bedside. On January 5, 2006 the Lord came for her. On January 10, their wedding anniversary, Aaron returned to New Orleans for the first time since Katrina, to lay to rest Joel, his wife of 48 years.
When Aaron will return again to New Orleans is uncertain. He says that he anticipates one final trip to New Orleans to be buried with the love of his life.
Aaron Neville's Awards
A Lifetime of Achievments * 1989 32nd Grammy Awards - Winner
Pop Vocal Group
* 1990 33rd Annual Grammy Awards - Winner
Pop Vocal Group
* 1991 34th Annual Grammy Awards - Nominee - Pop Male Vocalist
* 1991 34th Annual Grammy Awards - Nominee
Best Engineered Album
* 1992 Rolling Stone Critics' Poll - Winner
Best Male Singer
* 1993 Rolling Stone Critics' Poll - Winner
Best Male Singer
* 1993 36th Annual Grammy Awards - Nominee
Pop Male Vocalist
* 1993 36th Annual Grammy Awards - Nominee
Best Country & Western Vocal Performance
* 1994 Academy of Country Music Awards - Nominee
Vocal Duet of the Year
"I Fall to Pieces"
Aaron Neville, Trisha Yearwood
* 1994 37th Annual Grammy Awards - Winner
Best Country & Western Vocal Collaboration
"I Fall to Pieces"
Aaron Neville, Trisha Yearwood
* 1998 41st Annual Grammy Awards - Nominee
Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
"To Make Me Who I Am"
Aaron Neville
* 2000 43rd Annual Grammy Awards - Nominee
Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album
Devotion
Aaron Neville
* 2001 Big Easy Awards - Winner
Best Gospel Singer
Aaron Neville
* 2003 35th Annual Dove Awards - Nominee
Traditional Gospel Album of the Year
* 2003 46th Annual Grammy Awards - Nominee
Best Engineered Album - Non-Classical
Nature Boy - The Standards Album
* 2003 46th Annual Grammy Awards - Nominee
Best Jazz Vocal Album
Nature Boy - The Standards Album
* 2003 46th Annual Grammy Awards - Nominee
Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album
Believe
* 2004 Big Easy Awards - Nominee
Best Male Artist
* 2004 Big Easy Awards - Nominee
Album of the Year
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