Aaron Neville – Tell It Like It Is: My Story
288 Pages Hardcover edition
Possessing one of the most distinctive voices of all time, Aaron Neville has captivated listeners over six decades. His falsetto tones have been at the center of numerous hit records, starting with his 1960 release “Over You,” on the Minit Records label out of New Orleans. In 1966, his classic “Tell It Like It Is” became a monster hit, earning gold record status for selling more than a million copies.
Grabbing the brass ring early in your career can be a blessing, and it seemed like that was the case for Neville, as he was able to quit his job as a longshoreman to embark on a serious musical career. But as he relates in this gripping autobiography, Neville soon was battling against a lack of record label support coupled with an array of questionable people wanting to get in on his success.
Telling his story in chronological order, Neville delves into his upbringing in New Orleans, blessed with caring parents who set solid examples for their children. His mother and older sister were strong influences on his life. But Aaron, nicknamed “Apache,” was soon chasing trouble as a teenager, smoking weed and stealing cars. Soon heroin came into the picture just as Neville fell in love with Joel Roux, his teen-aged “earth angel”. She was soon pregnant, and the couple was married over the objections of her parents. Getting caught in stolen cars eventually leads him to a six month sentence in the parish prison.
There are good times as well. His singing career got started when older brother Art Neville added him to his band, the Hawketts. Another artist, singer Larry Williams, taught Neville the ropes as they toured together in the wake of “Tell It Like It Is”. Looking for greater fame, Neville accepts Williams offer to come out to Los Angeles. But the bright lights quickly fade, the author returns to a life of crime, and soon finds himself back in jail.
Neville lays out his story in a matter-of-fact style combined with an unflinching regard for details. Upon his return to New Orleans, he begins to find his way with his wife’s support. Things come together when he joins his siblings in the Neville Brothers band, featuring Art, the master of funk on keyboards, Charles, with his cool jazz tones on saxophone, and Cyril providing plenty of fire on percussion, while Aaron’s sweet high notes bring it all together.
They quickly become a powerful representation of the New Orleans musical culture. touing around the world, and recording a classic album of New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian traditional songs with their uncle, George “Big Chief Jolly” Landry and members of his krewe, the Wild Tchoupitoulas. Their influence was so strong that they were honored with a closing slot annually on the final Sunday of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
A chance meeting at a show lead to a 1989 album for Neville with duets featuring Linda Ronstadt. Their Cry Like A Rainstorm, Howl Like The Wind was a massive success, with the song “Don’t Know Much” winning a Grammy award, while the album reached Triple Platinum sales levels. She later helped out on Neville’s 1991 release, Warm Your Heart, turning a cover of “Everybody Plays The Fool” into another mega-hit. The eight page photo section in the book has several pictures of the duo, as well as Neville with a host of celebrities including Dr. John, Keith Richards, Paul Simon, Carlos Santana, Willie Nelson, and several US Presidents. The array certainly highlights the respect that Neville has in the music community, as well as the scope of his musical interests.
While his career flourished, personal losses weigh heavy on the singer. The rock of his life, Joel, who managed to get him to rehab to kick his drug habit, passed away in 2007, sending the singer into a downward spiral. Hurricane Katrina had destroyed their home, and while he tried to return to New Orleans, the painful memories coupled with a new found fear of hurricanes and flare-ups of his asthma were too much. He was soon finding comfort in painkillers left over from Joel’s cancer battle, comfort coming in small measures.
The appearance of the fourth angel in his life occurred at a magazine photo shoot. The photographer was Sara Ann Friedman, and Neville once again fell hard for a woman at first sight. As their relationship grew, she became the stabilizing force that got the singer back on the right path, and rekindle the joy of life in his heart, sealing it with a 2010 wedding.
Aaron Neville is an undeniable national treasure, whether he is singing sweet ballads, doo-wop, funk, or New Orleans R&B. We can be thankful that he chose to tell his own story, one that revolves around one of the great musical families of New Orleans. In many ways, this a story of redemption, of a man with a God-given talent who finally finds his way, but not before many trials and tribulations. It is a engrossing saga, one that comes highly recommended!
