Friday, March 29, 2024

Aaron Neville Brings His Quintet to Santa Monica … and Shares His ‘True Story’ With EURweb

Aaron Neville, Courtesy Sara Friedman
Aaron Neville, Courtesy Sara Friedman

*Aaron Neville will bring his impressive quintet to The Broad Stage in Santa Monica for a two-night engagement on Friday, February 12 and Saturday, February 13. He is also in town to promote his new album, “My True Story,” his first record on the Blue Note Records label.

And its a biggie!

As one-fourth of the critcally-acclaimed First Family of Music in New Orleans, Aaron Neville and his talented brothers Art, Charles and Cyril first became known as The Neville Brothers (1977), and later, The Nevilles (2010). Together, the group  brought us a rich, full-bodied legacy from N’awlins as they moved through music genres R&B, funk, pop and soul seamlessly. Yet when Aaron Neville took time out to speak with EURweb, he reflected fondly on that time with his brothers, but was no doubt extremely pleased with where he is now.

“That was an era,” he tells EURweb Sr. Editor, DeBorah B. Pryor, who asked if the group would ever unite again.

“It was wonderful, but it was strenuous. It was hard on my health…my voice especially. I began getting nodules and my vocal chords got bruised,” he said.

The conversation was by phone. And Neville is one of the few celebrities I have never met or spoken to. So all I had to go on visually was the pictures I had seen in the media. Speaking in what I now know is his trademark soft (and unaffected) voice, I pictured Neville (with that trademark face mole and earring in one ear!) sitting in some hotel room (he said he was in San Diego doing some shows) as we talked. In my minds’ eye, he wore a tight Tee-shirt that exposed his tattooed, muscular arms; along with a pair of blue jeans and some kind of cap or cowboy hat!

I especially got a kick out of that hat, and silently chuckled knowing he used to yodel earlier in his career when he did a bit of country music.

But as for now, and why his time with his beloved brothers had to end; like the saying goes: all good things eventually come to an end.

“It was time for me to do what I need to do,” Aaron said about making his decision to go solo.”I had to concentrate on ‘My True Story.'”

Neville, a member of the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, did say that a performance here or there with his brothers is not exactly out of the question. In fact, he pays homage to his eldest brother Art, who was one of the first artists he studied growing up.

“My brother Art used to have a group in the housing projects in New Orleans. We’d sit on a park bench at night and do harmonies. They would run me away when I tried to sing with them because I was so young, but after a while they let me sing,” he said coyly.

If you’re a Aaron Neville fan (like me) you know this man has vocal stylings like no other. That lilt in his voice that seems to just happen. The highs and lows in his tone. I wanted to know who it was that inspired his sound. Who did he listen to and want to sound like? And who is on his iPod now?

“I came up listening to Nat King Cole, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder,” he said. Then offered names of country stars like Hank Williams, and even Patsy Cline.

But he attributes his falsetto and vibratto stylings to Doo-wop and the likes  Pookie Hudson (leader of R&B Doo-wop group, The Spaniels) The Flamingos and Clyde McPhatter.

We both agreed that music today is way different than the music Neville and even I, though a bit younger, grew up with. Still, when I asked who is out there today that gets his attention, it was like he was in my head; saying the same names I was thinking.

In his easygoing voice he said, “I like Christina Aguilara. She can really sing. Bruno Mars. And Beyonce. She can sing. She sang Etta James and if you can sing Etta.”

And he still loves him some Linda Ronstadt!

Neville and Ronstadt have a special history together.

“I saw her last night when I was in San Francisco,” he said about the woman he performed a series of duets with in 1989; giving life to two Grammy-award winning hits from their collaboration on the album “Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind,” with the songs, “Don’t Know Much” (1990, Best Pop Performance By Duo or Group With Vocals) and “All My Life” (1991, under the same category).

And if Aaron Neville never won another award, he’d still have more than most artists.

Sadly, Ronstadt is no longer performing. The former singer was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease in 2013, and speaks at length about her life today to CBS SF Bay Area. I recommend you watch that interview. It’s incredible and Ronstadt looks great! Strong. Prideful.

As a solo artist, Aaron Neville has no equal. Though his heart and soul breathes doo-wop, he has even reached the Country charts with the title track of 1993’s “The Grand Tour,” and in 2010, did a gospel album, I Know I’ve Been Changed.” 

We’re talking about a man who makes hits practically every time he opens his mouth. Though my absolute favorite remains “Tell It Like It Is,” his breakout solo hit in 1967, that kept the Billboard R&B charts on lockdown in the top position five consecutive weeks (and reached #2 on Billboards Hot 100) —  other hits have included “Everybody Plays the Fool“, his 1991 cover of the 1972 Main Ingredient song, that reached #8 on the Hot 100; “Don’t Take Away My Heaven”, “Hercules” and “Can’t Stop My Heart From Loving You (The Rain Song).”

Yet Neville’s biggest solo successes have been on the Adult Contemporary chart, where “Don’t Know Much,” “All My Life,” and “Everybody Plays the Fool” all reached Number One in 8 European countries.

Neville has been through some stuff. The whole drug scene, spent time in jail in his youth, etc. etc. But the hardest of which (I would only guess) was in the year 2005, when he lost all of his possessions (moreso,historic family  artifacts because homes can be replaced) in the wrath of Katrina.

He lost the love of his life, Joel, to whom he had been married for 48 years, to cancer, in 2007 and went back to New Orleans to fulfill her wishes to be buried there.

I recall an interview where Neville said he cried. And cried. And cried for a long time after her passing.

But that which hurts us the most, also makes us stronger.

And if there was ever a comeuppance from a hard time, Neville met it in the spring of 2008 when PEOPLE magazine brought in a photographer named Sarah Friedman, who would become his wife in 2010.

We spoke briefly about Sarah.

“No, she doesn’t do that anymore,” he told me when I asked if she still does photography. Friedman has been assigned to photograph The Neville Brothers at an event, when she and Aaron exchanged a glance that would change both their lives.

“She takes care of me. She even grows our vegetables.” I can hear him chuckling as he speaks of how Sara has grown watermelon, tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables on the fire escape (remember, we’re talking New York) of their Greenwich Village residence.

I get especially excited to hear that they are looking forward to purchasing a farm, I believe in upper New York, very soon. And I ask what kind of animals they will have.

He said he’s not sure.

Aaron Neville (L), Don Was (C), Keith Richards (R), courtesy Sarah A. Friedman
Aaron Neville (L), Don Was (C), Keith Richards (R), courtesy Sarah A. Friedman

“My True Self” is a collection of twelve classic doo-wop numbers, performed in his utterly inimitable vocal style, and co-produced by Blue Note President Don Was and Rolling Stones guitarist, Keith Richards.

The album was recorded at Electric Ladyland Studios (founded by the late Jimi Hendrix) in Greenwich Village, and co-produced by Don Was and  Keith Richards.

The Aaron Neville Quintet performs at The Eli & Edythe Broad Stage, 1310 11th St. Santa Monica CA 90401, Friday, February 12 at 7:30p and Saturday, February 13 at 7:30p 

Parking is free.

Tickets are priced from $65 to $105 and are available online at www.thebroadstage.com or by calling 310-434-3200, and in person at the theatre’s box office, located at 1310 11th St. Santa Monica CA 90401 (three hours prior to performance).

Go out and see this Mardi Gras-themed show. It promises a good time for all!

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