Aaron Neville, a legendary figure in his native city of New Orleans, showcased his tremulous vibrato on his debut hit single, Tell It Like It Is, in 1966.
Is this the most sublime vocal performance ever recorded? There are other contenders (Sam Cooke, Al Greene, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye) but surely Aaron Neville is up there with the greatest. Especially on this song from 1966.
His tremulous vibrato, coming from a man with the physique of a heavyweight boxer, is so surprising that if he was a footballer, people would say he has “a good touch for a big man.”
That soaring voice seems to come from some ethereal place up among the angels, rather than from this giant of a man – almost an instrument in its own right.
The song itself is classic Southern soul, with that immensely powerful vocal taking centre stage and the romantic lyric underlined by gently swelling horns.
It’s a thing of wonder that I only discovered in the late Eighties when The Neville Brothers released their album Yellow Moon, produced by the great Daniel Lanois.
Little did I realise they had formed a decade earlier when Art (keyboards) and Cyril (percussion) left The Meters, pioneers of New Orleans funk, and joined forces with their brothers Charles (sax) and Aaron (vocals).
Even more unbeknown to me, the brothers had all been making records since the 1950s, when they started a group called The Hawkettes, and Art had been making solo records and playing keyboards on numerous hits since then.
This was Aaron’s first solo hit in 1966. It sold a million copies and was only kept off the top of the US charts by The Monkees’ I’m A Believer.
How it didn’t turn him into a superstar I don’t know – but he’s a legend in his native New Orleans, where he was born and raised just a couple of blocks from Benny’s Bar, where I discovered Walter “Wolfman” Washington.
Sadly, Aaron never really reaped the benefit of this song’s vast sales, most of the royalties ending up in his management’s pockets.
He had other personal problems – drug addiction and a couple of jail terms – before his siblings put the band back together as The Neville Brothers.
And it’s a joy to learn that he’s still going strong today, at the age of 80.