The Crescent City Loses Another Titan: Art Neville
In 1972, a fraternity brother of mine who had been turning me on to a succession of soul and R&B albums placed a copy of Cabbage Alley in my hands and said, “You need to check this out.” Truer words have seldom been spoken. From the first notes of “You’ve Got to Change (You’ve Got to Reform) to the last notes of the title track, this album by The Meters worked its way deep into my brain. I don’t think I had heard “Cissy Strut” or any of the other Josie classics by The Meters before they switched over to Warner Brothers/Reprise Records.
And now Art Neville, one of the original members of The Meters (and its frontman), has left The Crescent City — and millions of fans — to join Dr. John, Professor Longhair, and the other New Orleans luminaries. He was, of course, also a member of The Neville Brothers, a constellation of NOLA stars.
The Meters were Art Neville, keyboards; Leo Nocentelli, guitar; George Porter, Jr., bass; and Joseph ‘Zigaboo’ Modeliste, drums. Cyrille Neville joined some time later. They have a number of great albums but perhaps none more amazing than 1974’s Rejuvenation. And their profile skyrocketed when The Rolling Stones had them open on the Tour of the Americas ’75 and Tour of Europe ’76.
Separately, I had seen Porter, Nocentelli, and Modeliste perform, but we we incredibly lucky to see The Meters on Jam Cruise 15 (2017). As good fortune would have it, at lunch at the Positive Legacy day in Jamaica, this happened:
During lunch, Donna and I sat down to eat with Roosevelt Collier. There were two women also at the table, and as the conversation progressed, we were thrilled to discover that the lady next to me was Art Neville’s wife and Ian Neville’s mom, Lorraine!
Later, back on board that night:
We were gearing up for — head exploding — The Meters on the pool deck. The Original Meters: Art Neville, Leo Nocentelli, George Porter, Jr., and Zigaboo Modeliste. It was a magical experience hearing them play “Little Walter Rides Again,” “Cissy Strut” and so much more. Nocentelli was amazing all night, especially on “People Say.” Ivan Neville was in the background on keyboards to add to Art Neville’s Hammond B3. Porter sang an electrifying “Come Together” with Cyril Neville joining in. HELL YES.
Neville, 81, died Monday, July 22, 2019, of complications from declining health. His 60+ years in the music world have left an indelible mark that we will remember forever.
