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Here's the wiki stuff, liberally commented on by moi:
"The Meters are an American funk band based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Meters performed and recorded their own music from the late 1960s until 1977. The band played an influential role as backing musicians for other artists, including Lee Dorsey, Robert Palmer, and Dr John.
While The Meters rarely enjoyed significant mainstream success, they are considered, along with artists like James Brown, one of the progenitors of funk music and their work is highly influential on many other bands, both their contemporaries and modern musicians working in the funk idiom.
The Meters' sound is defined by an earthy combination of tight melodic grooves and highly syncopated New Orleans "second-line" rhythms under highly charged guitar and keyboard riffing. Their songs "Cissy Strut" and "Look-Ka Py Py" are considered funk classics.
Art Neville, the group's frontman, launched a solo career around the New Orleans area in the mid-1950s while still in high school.(the Hawketts - Mardi Gras Mambo, Art also recorded for Specialty and Imperial) The Meters formed in 1965 with a line-up of keyboardist and vocalist Art Neville, guitarist Leo Nocentelli, bassist George Porter Jr. and drummer Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste. They were later joined by percussionist/vocalist Cyril Neville. The Meters became the house band for Allen Toussaint and his record label, Sansu Enterprises. (The early band rarely featured vocals, they were primarily instrumental, a New Orleans Booker T and the MG's, they also occasionally included sax player Gary Brown)In 1969 the Meters released "Sophisticated Cissy" and "Cissy Strut", both major R&B chart hits. "Look-Ka Py Py" and "Chicken Strut" were their hits the following year. After a label shift in 1972, the Meters had difficulty returning to the charts, but they worked with Dr. John, Paul McCartney, King Biscuit Boy, Labelle, Robert Palmer and others.
In 1975 Paul McCartney invited the Meters to play at the release party for his Venus and Mars album aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California; Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones was in attendance at the event and was greatly taken with the Meters and their sound. (In fact, his statement was that The Meters were the best f___ing band in the world.) The Rolling Stones invited the band to open for them on their Tour of the Americas '75 and Tour of Europe '76. (that didn't work out so well, The Meters kept stealing the show!) That same year, the Meters recorded one of their most successful albums, Fire On The Bayou. From 1976 to '77 they played in The Wild Tchoupitoulas with George & Amos Landry and the Neville Brothers. (and released their last two albums, Trick Bag and New Directions)
They appeared on Saturday Night Live on March 19, 1977, during the show's second season. The band broke up later that year. (Okay, this part they got wrong, the band really fell apart on the plane going to the Saturday Night Live gig, Art got off the plane and went home and they played without him on the show. They played a few more times together in 77, 78 and 79 but for the most part they played using other keyboard players.)
After the break-up, Neville gained fame as part of The Neville Brothers, Modeliste toured with Keith Richards and Ron Wood, while Nocentelli and Porter "became in-demand session players and formed new bands."
(also Zig moved to Oakland, Leo to L.A.)
When Hip hop and rap emerged it created a need for sampling. Their music has been sampled by musicians around the world, including rap artists Heavy D, LL Cool J and Queen Latifah, Musiq, Big Daddy Kane, Run DMC, NWA, Ice Cube, Salt N’ Pepa, Cypress Hill, EPMD, Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, Beastie Boys, Naughty by Nature, and Tweet. The Red Hot Chili Peppers pay homage to them in one of their hit songs, and bands such as the Grateful Dead, KVHW, Steve Kimock Band, Widespread Panic, Rebirth Brass Band, Galactic and String Cheese perform The Meters in their concert rotations. The Meters songs have also graced such movies as “Two Can Play That Game,” “Jackie Brown,” “Drum Line,” “8 Mile,” “Hancock,” and "Red".
In 2000, a "big offer" enticed all four original Meters to reunite for a one-night stand at the Warfield in San Francisco (an epic night); by this time Modeliste wanted to make the reunion a permanent one, but the other members and their management teams objected. It wasn't until Quint Davis, producer and director of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, got them to "put aside their differences and hammer out the details" and headline the Festival in 2005 (another great show). The original Meters continue to perform at various one-off concerts such as the 2011 Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in San Francisco, California.
5 comments:
In the late 1960s and early 1970s our introduction in Boston to New Orleans music beyond jazz came through Boston's "underground" and college radio stations. We heard the Meters and Dr. John when he was still the Night-tripper - not an extensive coverage of New Orleans music but enough to whet the appetite and provoke further exploration. Then I met a friend from Chicago who was already saavy about the Meters and so many other New Orleans bands and enhanced my knowledge a wee bit more. And, of course, now your blog fulfills that role. But forty-plus years later the Meters still sound great and so fresh to me and take me back to that time when their music was so new and exciting. Despite the late-won acclaim and recognition from other musicians, they are still not recognized sufficiently by the public for their music and contribution to today's music. Sometimes there ain't no justice in America.
Well Feilimid, they are being considered for the RNR Hall Of Fame if that's any consolation. They certainly deserve recognition. Check out the list of nominees here... http://rockhall.com/inductees/
I'm super pumped to see this here KC, this is my favorite group from the NOLA scene to be sure.
Of course I have this album - One of my fav Bands ! Recorded in 1975 it has it's failings ( Cyril's vocal mike too low for instance) But this is the Meters live ! (Their first) and it's funky ! And for guitar freaks you'll hear some tasty lead from Leo - Art's vocals to me are the essence of Naw'lins - Make sure you get this !
As a teenager in the mid 90's, this was my introduction to the Meters, since it was tough to get my hands on any of their Josie or Reprise stuff (which had yet to be legimately reissued -- I remember finally springing for a dodgy Charly collection eventually). Man, did this cd do a number on me! Classic stuff.
Just re-reading some of the comments and nick reminded me that back then it was impossible to get these Meters LPs after initial release - I had to tape them from a pal and waited years before the CD versions were forthcoming - But now I have them all (with extra tracks)- So get these while you can
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