Cyril Neville, one of the four Neville Brothers was born January 10, 1948 in New Orleans, LA. Cyril was influenced by his parents and older brothers early in life. However, it wasn’t until 1967, when he began to sing professionally. He formed the Neville Sounds with his brothers Art and Aaron, and played the New Orleans club circuit regularly. Soon after, Aaron and Cyril left the group to form another outfit, Soul Machine. 1970 saw the debut single by Cyril, “Gossip”, b/w “Tell Me what’s on Your Mind” which featured backing music from brother Art’s new band, the Meters. Soul Machine moved to Nashville and then New York but neither of these moves helped the group to rise to the top. The Meters were looking for a new lineup and Cyril was asked to sing and play congas. This happened as the Meters performed on a sold out 1974 U.S. tour. Cyril fell in love with reggae music just as the Meters disintegrated in 1976. The four Neville siblings founded the Neville Brothers group and subsequently released numerous recordings. Cyril was also a member of the Neville Brothers and has been a part of several other bands, such as the Endangered Species Band (in 1983) and the Uptown Allstars Band (in 1984). He also launched his own record label Endangered Species. Cyril also co-founded the New Orleans Musicians Organized, which provides business advice to musicians. Cyril Neville has released several solo albums over the years. These include 1995’s The Fire This Time and a pair of albums in 2000, New Orleans Cookin’ and Soulo. He has also appeared on many other artists’ recordings, including those by Edie Brickell and Jimmy Buffett. Allmusic
