Man-about-MySpace: Clan Neville
Most of the time, the Man About MySpace is at your service to find great new bands for the sampling. Today’s blog, however, offers a tip of the cap to a phenomenal fan site, Neville Tracks.
See, few families in America have put out solid music output for as many decades as the Nevilles, starting with keyboardist Art in the 1950s when New Orleans R&B was a national phenomenon. One could argue for Clan Cole (Nat & Natalie) or the Jacksons or (most legimiately) the Nevilles’ New Orleanian colleagues the Marsalises (patron Ellis teaches at Tulane and still records, and sons Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo and Jason have all released good and sometimes great recordings for the better part of 30 years), but the Nevilles pop up everywhere, from the pop to the soul to the rock to the world music charts.
And there’s not just the brothers Art, Aaron, Cyril and Charles. There’s Aaron’s son Ivan, a veteran who played with Keith Richards and the Stones, a member of the current Neville Brothers band, and leader of the edgy funk band Dumpstaphunk. There’s Charmaine, Charles’ daughter, whose jazzy world-beat club act is a party wherever it alights.
If you enjoy the Bros., try dipping into the next generation.
But wait, there’s more: Art’s group The Meters added a great Big Easy vibe to straight up funk and whose early-’70s records set the blueprint for the Neville Brothers sound as well as a thousand jam-band acolytes. The Meters’ grooves, today, still sound fresh and creative. Can’t say that about a lot of the dinosaurs from funk’s heyday, enjoyable as they are to spin.
Neville Tracks does its best to track the family’s in-print recordings as well as tour dates. Not an easy job after Katrina forced scattered the family throughout several states. But they persist, and so do the superfans who power this MySpace.
Posted in: Get to Know



Hey, Doc.
I just discovered that you had reviewed my MySpace page and Website! Thanks for the kind words. As you well know, it’s always nice when your “labor of love” is appreciated by others!
Unfortunately, there is a fair amount of information that I was asked to leave off the site (particularly any references to unauthorized CDs.) In the Nevilles’ case, the vast majority of their earliest recordings ARE available, but only on discs that are considered unauthorized by the band. The site would grow significantly if not for that restriction, but I feel it’s always best to comply with the band’s wishes, even if I have to shortchange fans (by omitting some information) in the process.
Again, many thanks and keep up the good work!
Jon Tyler