The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family,
Art (1937–2019),
Charles (1938–2018),
Aaron (b. 1941), and
Cyril (b. 1948) came together to take part in the recording session of
the Wild Tchoupitoulas, a
Mardi Gras Indian group led by the Nevilles' uncle, George Landry ("Big Chief Jolly"). Their debut album
The Neville Brothers was released in 1978 on
Capitol Records. In 1987, the group released
Uptown on the
EMI label, featuring guests including
Branford Marsalis,
Keith Richards, and
Carlos Santana. The following year saw the release of
Yellow Moon from
A&M Records produced by
Daniel Lanois. The track "Healing Chant" from that album won the
Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance at the 1990
Grammy ceremony. In 1990, the Neville Brothers contributed "
In the Still of the Night" to the AIDS benefit album
Red Hot + Blue produced by the
Red Hot Organization. Also in 1990, they appeared on the bill at that year's
Glastonbury Festival. Due to Art Neville devoting more time to his other act,
The Meters, the band kept a low profile in the late 1990s onto the early 2000s. They made a comeback in 2004, however, with the album, ''Walkin' in the Shadow of Life'', on Back Porch Records, their first newly recorded effort in five years. All brothers except Charles, a Massachusetts resident, had been living in New Orleans, but following
Hurricane Katrina in
2005 Cyril and Aaron moved out of the city. Aaron moved to Austin briefly at the invitation on his friend, the late blues club impresario,
Clifford Antone. They had not been performing in New Orleans since Katrina hit the city; however, they finally returned to perform there at the
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2008, being given the closing spot which had been reserved for them for years. Infrequently, Aaron's son
Ivan Neville (
keyboards) and Art's son Ian Neville (
electric guitar), both of the band
Dumpstaphunk, have played with the Neville Brothers. The Neville Brothers appear in performance footage in the 2005 documentary film
Make It Funky!, which presents a history of
New Orleans music and its influence on
rhythm and blues,
rock and roll,
funk and
jazz. In the film, they perform "Fire on the Bayou" with guests Ivan and Ian Neville. The group formally disbanded in 2012 but reunited in 2015 for a farewell concert in New Orleans. Charles Neville died of pancreatic cancer on April 26, 2018, at the age of 79. Art Neville died on July 22, 2019, at the age of 81. A cause of death was not provided. ==Discography==