Celebrating the Birthday of Charles Neville
John Dunlop
R&B and jazz Saxophonist and vocalist Charles Neville was born in New Orleans on December 27, 1938, and was part of the Grammy Award winning Neville Brothers band. Known as “Charlie the horn man”, he was the second oldest of the four Neville brothers, including Art, Aaron and Cyril, he left home when he was 15 to play saxophone with the Rabbit’s Foot Minstrel Show. After serving in the Navy, he toured with B.B. King and Bobby (Blue) Bland, later joining the band of fellow New Orleanian Larry Williams. Struggles with addiction resulted in trouble with the law, landing him in jail and later in Louisiana State Prison for three and a half years for possession of marijuana. After his release in the mid-1960s, he moved to New York City and explored modern jazz. In 1976, he returned to New Orleans to record with his brothers and their uncle George “Big Chief Jolly” Landry’s Mardi Gras Indian group, blending traditional and funk music on the iconic “The Wild Tchoupitoulas” album.
Shortly afterward, the four brothers formed The Neville Brothers and recorded over a dozen albums and built a following all over the world. Charles's saxophone playing was especially notable on the title track of their best-selling album, Yellow Moon. He moved to rural Massachusetts in the 1990s with his wife, Kristin, and children and continued to perform and record with family members and a wide variety of musicians for the rest of his life. Sadly, he passed away from pancreatic cancer on April 26, 2018. On his birthday today, we celebrate the life of Charles Neville with great appreciation for how his music has enriched our lives.
Photo: https://www.flickr.com/people/30595457@N00