Kenny Neal

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guitar, vocals, harmonica, bass, trumpet, piano
born: October 14, 1957 in New Orleans, Louisiana
son of Raful Neal

Kenny Neal - Yak Yak Yak (Live in 1993)

Kenny Neal stands tall among the younger generation of blues players. His individual brand of blues, featuring a combination of Louisiana swamp blues, funky rhythms and soul-deep vocals, powered by his slashing guitar playing and loping harmonica, puts him at the forefront of contemporary blues players.

Born October 14, 1957 into a deeply rooted multi-generational blues family from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he's been playing the blues since he was a small child. He first learned the blues from his father, harpist Raful Neal, and family friends like Buddy Guy, Lazy Lester and Slim Harpo. It was Slim who gave Kenny his first harp, trying to pacify the crying three-year-old boy. It worked. Kenny mastered harmonica, and quickly moved on to bass, trumpet, piano and guitar. He first performed at age six, playing piano at one of his father's gigs. By the time he was 13, he officially joined his father's band as a bass player, before being recruited as Buddy Guy's bassist at 17. Following Buddy's advice to concentrate on his guitar playing, Kenny relocated to Toronto, and - along with his brothers Raful, Jr., Noel, Larry and Ronnie - formed the Neal Brothers Band, regularly backing visiting blues stars. Later he fronted Canada's Downchild Blues band before returning to Baton Rouge to begin his solo career.

Teaming with producer/bassist/horn arranger Bob Greenlee, Kenny cut a series of albums featuring not only his laid-back, Baton Rouge blues, but also funky contemporary gems with a taste of rock and R&B. Since joining Alligator in 1988, his albums have been blues hits and the critics have hailed him as one of the best of the younger blues generation. Musician calls him, "an all American bluesman ... he lays into the blues like nothing can stop him, or tame him."

In 1991, he starred in a Broadway musical, "Mule Bone," with music by Taj Mahal, and won a Theatre World Award for his performance. In 1993, he toured Africa for the U.S. government, performing in seven countries. He's played with major blues stars from B.B. King to Buddy Guy, and has emerged as one of the few names on the short list of future blues greats. His music is deeply rooted in the Louisiana swamp blues tradition, but burns with a contemporary fire. "One of a mere handful of truly inventive young contemporary guitarists," announced the Chicago Tribune, "Neal has something fresh to say and the chops with which to say it." Copyright © Alligator Records (used with permission)

Essential Kenny Neal album: Deluxe Edition

Albums:
- Bio on the Bayou [King Snake 005, 1987]
- Big News from Baton Rouge!! [Alligator 4764, September 1988] with Ernie Lancaster, Lucky Peterson
- Devil Child [Alligator 4774, June 1989] with Lucky Peterson, Edgar Winter
- Walking on Fire [Alligator 4795, July 1991] with Ernie Lancaster, Maceo Parker, Lucky Peterson, Fred Wesley
- Bayou Blood [Alligator 4809, October 1992] with Lucky Peterson
- Hoodoo Moon [Alligator 4825, October 1994] with Lucky Peterson
- Deluxe Edition [Alligator 5604, October 1997] compilation album
- Blues Fallin' Down Like Rain [Telarc 83435, June 1998] with Richard Bell, Christine Ohlman
- What You Got [Telarc 83467, April 2000] with Little Anthony Geraci
- One Step Closer [Telarc 83523, May 2001]
- A Tribute to Slim Harpo and Raful Neal [True Life Entertainment 0021, August 2005] with Jimmy Johnson, Raful Neal

Tab Benoit / Debbie Davies / Kenny Neal:
- Homesick for the Road [Telarc 83454, March 1999] with Bruce Katz, Raful Neal

Kenny Neal / Billy Branch:
- Easy Meeting [Isabel 649801, April 2003]
- Double Take [Alligator 4894, January 2004]

He appears on the following albums:
Lazy Lester - Harp & Soul [Alligator 4768, 1988]
Rufus Thomas - That Woman Is Poison! [Alligator 4769, 1988]
Various Artists - Genuine Houserockin' Music III [Alligator 103, 1988]
Raful Neal - Louisiana Legend [Alligator 4783, 1990]
Various Artists - Genuine Houserockin' Music IV [Alligator 104, August 1990]
Various Artists - The Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Collection [Alligator 105, July 1991] 2 CD set
Various Artists - The Alligator Records Christmas Collection [Alligator XMAS 9201, October 1992]
Noble "Thin Man" Watts - King of The Boogie Sax [Wild Dog 9102, April 1993]
Various Artists - Genuine Houserockin' Music V [Alligator 109, October 1993]
Jackie Neal - The Blues Won't Let You Go [Cititrax 4001, October 1995]
Various Artists - Heaven's Prisoners (Original Soundtrack) [Code Blue 82848, October 1995]
Sonny Rhodes - Out of Control [King Snake 31, March 1996]
Various Artists - The Alligator Records 25th Anniversary Collection [Alligator 110, March 1996] 2 CD set
Various Artists - Essential Blues Harmonica [House Of Blues 161300, August 1997] 2 CD set
Eddie Kirkland - Lonely Street [Telarc 83424, November 1997]
Various Artists - Wolf Tracks: A Tribute to Howlin' Wolf [Telarc 83427, May 1998]
Various Artists - The Songs Of Willy Dixon [Telarc 83452, August 1999]
Various Artists - Telarc's Got More Blues [Telarc 83503, May 2000]
Big Gilson & Blues Dynamite - Cab Driver Blues [Topcat 1002, June 2000]
Various Artists - Blues for a Rotten Afternoon [Telarc 83508, July 2000]
Various Artists - Rollin' into Memphis: Songs of John Hiatt [Telarc 83505, August 2000]
Various Artists - Dealin' With the Devil: Songs of Robert Johnson [Cannonball 29117, September 2000]
Various Artists - A Salute to the Chicago Blues Masters [Telarc 83492, November 2000] 3 CD Box set
Various Artists - Preachin' The Blues: The Music Of Mississippi Fred McDowell - [Telarc 83536, January 2002]
Various Artists - The Blues White Album [Telarc 83553, January 2002]
Various Artists - Black and Blue, Vol. 2 [Fremeaux & Associes 31, February 2002]
Jackie Neal - Money Can't Buy Me Love [Backstreet 5879, March 2002]
James Cotton - 35th Anniversary Jam of the James Cotton Blues Band [Telarc 83550, May 2002]
Michael Coleman / Eddie Lusk - Chicago Blues Festival 1991 [Black & Blue 735, July 2002]
Various Artists - A Salute to the Delta Blues Masters [Telarc 83575, October 2002] 3 CD Box set
Various Artists - From Matrimony to Alimony: Blues for Good Love Gone Bad [Telarc 83565, November 2002]
Various Artists - Bar Room Blues: A 12-Track Program [Telarc 83594, January 2004]

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Books:
- Children of the Blues: 40 Musicians Shaping a New Generation of Blues Tradition - Art Tipaldi [February 2002]

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