The Neville Brothers Trivia Quiz

Answer: New Orleans

The Neville Brothers consist of four brothers: Aaron, Art, Charles, and Cyril. The group was founded in 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana and is known for New Orleans jazz, among other genres. The four brothers got together to participate in the recording session for a Mardi Gras Indian group called the Wild Tchoupitoulas, which was led by their uncle, George Landry (also known as "Big Chief Jolly").

The Neville Brothers released their first self-titled album, "The Neville Brothers" in 1978.

Answer: Brother's Keeper

"Now Cain said to his brother Abel, 'Let's go out to the field.' While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, 'Where is your brother Abel?' 'I don't know,' he replied. 'Am I my brother's keeper?'" (Genesis 4:8-9, NIV).

"Brother's Keeper" was the fifth studio album of the Neville Brothers and was released in 1990. It contained such songs as "Mystery Train," "Bird on a Wire," "Witness," and "Jah Love."

Answer: Aaron Neville

Aaron Neville's first studio album, "Tell It Like It Is," was released in 1966. His single from that album, "Tell It Like It Is," peaked at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1966. His 1991 album, "Warm Your Heart," and his 1993 albums "The Grand Tour" and "Aaron Neville's Soulful Christmas" were all certified platinum in the U.S.

Answer: Bob Dylan

The Neville Brothers recorded the song on their 1989 album "Yellow Moon." Although it did not enter the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at 26 on the Irish Singles Chart. The Neville Brothers' version of the song omits the verse about World War II:

"The Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And then we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now, too
Have God on their side."

Answer: Art and Cyril Neville

Keyboardist Art Neville was a founding member of The Meters, which he helped found in 1965. Percussionist-vocalist Cyril Neville, the youngest of the Neville brothers, later joined him in the band. The Meters released eight studio albums between 1969 and 1977, including "Cabbage Alley" and "New Directions." The band has also backed Robert Palmer, Dr. John, Lee Dorsey, and Allen Toussaint. They are perhaps best known for their funk classic "Cissy Strut."
Cyril Neville has also played with The Soul Machine, The Endangered Species Band, The Uptown Allstars, Tribe 13, Galactic, and Royal Southern Brotherhood. In 2013, he released a solo album, "Magic Honey," for which he won a Blues Music Award in the Contemporary Blues Album of the Year category.

Billy and Daryl are made up. There is an Ian and Ivan Neville, however. At times, Aaron's son Ivan has played keyboards for the band, while Art's son Ian had played electric guitar.

Answer: Washable Ink

The song begins:

"Little girl playin' with the moonlight
Shine it on me, shine it on me
There's a cloud over my light and its troubling me, troubling me."

This song was released as a single, along with "Speed of Light," from The Neville Brothers' self-titled 1978 debut album. It was written by John Hiatt. Hiatt told "Salon" magazine, "the Neville Brothers, when they did 'Washable Ink,' you know, they put it in a whole different light for me."

Answer: Charles Neville

In addition to his work with The Neville Brothers, Charles Neville released the albums "Charles Neville & Diversity" with Diversity in 1990 and "Safe in Buddha's Palm" in 2008. His saxophone-playing skills helped the Neville Brothers win a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance at the 1989 Grammy Awards for the song "Healing Chant" from the album "Yellow Moon." He died of pancreatic cancer in 2018 at the age of 79.

Answer: A Change Is Gonna Come

"Change Gonna Come" first appeared on Sam Cooke's 1964 album "Ain't that Good News." The song was inspired by personal events, including being turned away at a whites-only motel in Louisiana. It peaked at 31 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The Neville Brothers' version was recorded on their album "Yellow Moon." The song has also been covered by Otis Redding and was selected for preservation in The Library of Congress.

Answer: Sister Rosa

"Sister Rosa" was recorded on the album "Yellow Moon" and also released as a single. It pays tribute to Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks:

"Thank you Miss Rosa, you are the spark
You started our freedom movement
Thank you Sister Rosa Parks."

The Neville Brothers also have a song called "Brother John" which was recorded on their album "Fiyo On The Bayou."

Answer: Fly Like an Eagle

The Neville Brothers covered the song on their album "Family Grove," and it was released as a single from the album. It was written by Steve Miller and first recorded on his 1976 album "Fly Like an Eagle." The Steve Miller version peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Steve Miller played some guitar parts on the Neville Brothers' version of the song.

Answer: Bono

"Jah love - old folks dying in the heat
Jah love - young men dying in the street
Cities of concrete and glass
All will turn to sand
None of them will last but Jah love
Jah love - Jah love - Jah love."

Paul David Hewson and Willie Green also contributed to the song. Jah is a shortened name for God taken from YHWH or Jehovah. It is most commonly used in the Rastafarian movement. The song "Jah Love" was recorded on "Brother's Keeper" and Bono of U2 co-wrote the song with Cyril Neville.

Answer: Sons and Daughters

"Pro choice - no choice
We're sending our sons and daughters to their slaughter
Pro choice - no choice
Slogans mean nothing to a young man facing 352 years hard labor in Angola
For a crime he did not commit
It's freedom of speech - as long as you don't say too much.
You can't stop running water
You can't kill the fire that burns inside
Don't deny our flesh and blood
And don't forsake our sons and daughters."

The song "Sons and Daughters" was recorded on the album "Brother's Keeper." It was written by Art Neville, Lorraine Neville, Arthel Neville, Ian Neville, and Malcolm Burn.

Answer: Virginia

Here, "Virginia" is sung so as to rhyme with "in ya." The lyrics come from the song "Witness" on the album "Brother's Keeper," which begins:

"I ain't never ever really, felt this way before
My whole life is changin', I could not ask for more
I was down so long, I thought I'd never get up
But my prayers were heard and they were answered
And now the Lord is filling my cup."

The song was written by Cyril Neville, Hack Bartholomew, and Willie Green.

Answer: Drift Away

The Neville Brothers' version of the song was released as a single and included on the 1991 compilation album "Treacherous Too!: A History of the Neville Brothers, Vol. 2 (1955-1987)." Written by Mentor Williams in 1970 and originally recorded on John Henry Kurtz's 1972 album "Reunion," the song "Drift Away" has been covered by such disparate musicians AS Uncle Kracker, Waylon Jennings, Ray Charles, Michael Bolton, Jon Bon Jovi, and Bruce Springsteen.

Answer: Walkin' in the Shadow of Life

"The Neville Brothers" (1978) was their first studio album. "Yellow Moon" 1989 was their fourth, and "Brother's Keeper" (1990) was their fifth. Then they released three more albums before releasing their ninth and final studio album, "Walkin' in the Shadow of Life," in 2004. While the band continued to play live, they formally disbanded in 2012. However, they reunited in 2015 for a farewell concert held in New Orleans.