Blues Search Engine: Kenny Neal

Born October 14, 1957 into a deeply rooted multi-generational blues family from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Kenny Neal has been playing the blues since he was a small child. Kenny Neal first learned the blues from his father, harpist Raful Neal, and family friends like Buddy Guy, Lazy Lester and Slim Harpo. It was Slim Harpo who gave Kenny Neal his first harp, trying to pacify the crying three-year-old boy. It worked. Kenny Neal mastered harmonica, and quickly moved on to bass, trumpet, piano and guitar. Kenny Neal first performed at age six, playing piano at one of his father's gigs. By the time Kenny Neal 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 Guy's advice to concentrate on his guitar playing, Kenny Neal 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 Kenny Neal 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 Neal 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, Kenny Neal's albums have been blues hits and the critics have hailed him as one of the best of the younger blues generation. In 1991, Kenny Neal starred as the lead in the much-acclaimed musical, Mule Bone. His performances garnered a prestigious Theater World Award for The Most Outstanding New Talent On and Off Broadway. In 1993, Kenny Neal 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. Kenny Neal's music is deeply rooted in the Louisiana swamp blues tradition, but burns with a contemporary fire. 1998 saw the release of Blues Fallin’ Down Like Rain, his Telarc debut, and Kenny Neal began to gain the stature critics had long predicted for him. In 1999, he fronted the exceptional Homesick for the Road with fellow guitarists/vocalists Tab Benoit and Debbie Davies. His third Telarc release, What You Got, came out in April 2000. Kenny Neal once again reinvented himself. 2001 saw the release of One Step Closer. Determined to win the hearts of the video generation, look for his style to become more Pop/AC, his image more GQ, and his music smoother and even more polished.