Art Neville

Art Neville, a New Orleans vocalist and keyboardist, served as a founding member of both the Meters and the Neville Brothers, leaving an indelible mark on the city's modern funk style. His earliest outfit, the Hawketts, secured regional popularity in 1954 with the perennial carnival number "Mardi Gras Mambo" on Chess. In the late 1950s he issued several engaging solo singles on Specialty, among them "Cha Dooky-Doo," and supplied two fiery piano choruses to Jerry Byrne's 1958 standout "Lights Out." The tender ballad "All These Things" also fared well locally in 1962 on the Instant imprint. Mid-decade he formed the Meters, an instrumental quartet that functioned as the Crescent City's equivalent to the MG's until the group's 1977 split. Art and his siblings then launched the Neville Brothers, who emerged as New Orleans' foremost musical export. Health concerns prompted Art Neville's retirement from performing in 2018; he died on July 22, 2019, at the age of 81.