Here is the start of AllMusic’s profile of The Neville Brothers, one of the most important of the many great bands and performers to come out of New Orleans:
Throughout their long careers as both solo performers and as members of the group that bore their family name, the Neville Brothers proudly carried the torch of their native New Orleans’ rich R&B legacy. Although the four siblings — Arthur, Charles, Aaron, and Cyril — did not officially unite under the Neville Brothers aegis until 1977, all had crossed musical paths in the past, while also enjoying success with other unrelated projects: Eldest brother Art was the first to tackle a recording career, when in 1954 his high school band the Hawketts cut “Mardi Gras Mambo,” a song that later became the annual carnival’s unofficial anthem. Both Aaron and Charles later joined the Hawketts as well, and when Art joined the Navy in 1958, he handed Aaron the group’s vocal reins. (Read More…)
Above is Fire on the Bayou and below is the band’s version of the Professor Longhair song Big Chief.
Note: I’ve been told by a commenter at Daily Kos–where I cross post–that the top video may be The Meters, which featured Art and Cyril Neville.
