Aaron Neville

Aaron Neville (born January 24, 1941 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American ^{United States} soul ^{soul music} and R&B ^{Rhythm and blues} singer and musician. He made his debut in 1966 with the hit single "Tell It Like It Is", a Number One hit on the Billboard R&B charts. Neville did not chart again, however, until 1989, when he collaborated with Linda Ronstadt on three consecutive duets: "Don't Know Much", "All My Life ^{All My Life (Linda Ronstadt song)} ", and "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby", of which the first two reached Number One on the Adult Contemporary charts. Neville has released more than 20 singles, including three Number Ones on the Adult Contemporary format, and a fourth on the R&B format.

  Aaron Neville has had a career as a solo artist and as one of The Neville Brothers. Of mixed African American and Native American ^{Native Americans in the United States} heritage, his music also features Cajun and Creole ^{Louisiana Creole people} influences.

Neville first came to public recognition with "Tell It Like It Is" which topped Billboard ^{Billboard magazine} 's R&B chart for five weeks in 1967. It also reached #2 on the Hot 100. A remake of the song was a Top 10 Pop hit for the Rock group Heart ^{Heart (band)} featuring Ann ^{Ann Wilson} and Nancy Wilson ^{Nancy Wilson (rock musician)} in 1981.

In 1989 Neville teamed up with Linda Ronstadt on the album Cry Like A Rainstorm - Howl Like The Wind. Among the duets recorded for the disc were the #1 Grammy-winning hits "Don't Know Much" and "All My Life". "Don't Know Much" was certified Gold ^{Gold record} while the album was certified Triple Platinum for US sales of more than 3 million.

His other hits have included "Everybody Plays the Fool", his successful 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)." 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 August 2005 his home in Eastern New Orleans was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina; he evacuated to Memphis, Tennessee before the hurricane hit. He moved to Nashville ^{Nashville, Tennessee} after the storm, and had yet to return to the city as of early 2008, causing the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival to temporarily change its tradition of having the Neville Brothers close the festival. However, the Neville Brothers, including Aaron, returned for the 2008 Jazzfest, which returned to its traditional seven-day format for the first time since Katrina. He sang "Stand By Me ^{Stand By Me (song)} " and "Ain't No Sunshine", from his new album, Bring It on Home…The Soul Classics. In 2008 Aaron released Gold, which includes two CDs of his hits.

Neville's oldest son Ivan ^{Ivan Neville} is also a musician and released an album, If My Ancestors Could See Me Now, in 1988, which yielded a Top 40 hit with "Not Just Another Girl." Ivan has also performed with the Rolling Stones and Bonnie Raitt, and played bass for Keith Richards on his first solo tour. Ivan then assembled his own band (Ivan Neville's Dumpstphunk)which tours and frequently appears in New Orleans.

Aaron's third son, Jason, is a vocalist and rap artist who has performed with his father and with the Neville Brothers, notably at the 2009 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Aaron Neville is an inductee of the Delta Music Museum Hall of Fame in Ferriday ^{Ferriday, Louisiana} .

In 2009, Aaron Neville, along with the Mt. Zion Mass Choir, released a version of the song “A Change Is Gonna Come” on the compilation album Oh Happy Day ^{Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration} .Neville is a Roman Catholic ^{Catholic Church} with a devotion to St. Jude ^{Jude the Apostle} , to whom he has credited his success and survival. He wears a St. Jude Medal as a left earring.
Studio albums




Singles



*^A "It's All Right" peaked at #12 on Hot Contemporary Jazz Songs.


Guest singles




Compilations

*Love Songs (2003)
*Gold(2008)