THE METERS

Biography

The Meters are an American funk band formed in 1965 in New Orleans by Zigaboo Modeliste (drums), George Porter Jr. (bass), Leo Nocentelli (guitar), and Art Neville (keyboards). The group emerged from the New Orleans club scene, performing sequential house-band gigs at The Night Cap on Washington Avenue and the Ivanhoe in the French Quarter, which brought them to the attention of producer Allen Toussaint. They became the house band for Toussaint's label, Sansu Enterprises, and played on numerous classic recordings by artists including Lee Dorsey, Dr. John, Robert Palmer, Labelle, and Paul McCartney. Their 1969 hits "Cissy Strut" and "Sophisticated Cissy" became major R&B chart successes, followed by "Look-Ka Py Py" and "Chicken Strut" in 1970.

The Meters are considered originators of funk alongside James Brown, defined by their combination of tight melodic grooves and syncopated New Orleans "second line" rhythms under highly charged guitar and keyboard riffing. Despite never achieving mainstream commercial success, they were greatly admired by cognoscenti and their influence extended far beyond their chart performance. In 1975, Paul McCartney invited them to play at his Venus and Mars album release party aboard the Queen Mary, where Mick Jagger became captivated by their sound, leading to invitations to open for The Rolling Stones on their 1975 and 1976 tours. The band released one of their most successful albums, Fire on the Bayou, in 1975, and their 1974 album Rejuvenation included the Mardi Gras favorite "Hey Pocky A-Way," a chant that Art Neville remembered from his childhood in the Calliope housing development.

The original lineup disbanded in 1977 after Allen Toussaint claimed the rights to the band's name, with Art and Cyril Neville leaving early that year. The band reformed in 1989 as The Funky Meters following an informal jam during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and continued in various incarnations through the 2000s and 2010s. The Meters received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 and were nominated four times for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Their final performance was at the 2017 Arroyo Seco Festival in Pasadena, California. Art Neville, who passed away in 2019, characterized the band's approach: "The Meters had a kind of organized freedom I'd never felt before in a band. I liked how we never rehearsed and never practiced. It was good to get back to all that spontaneous combustion."

Fun Facts

• The Meters never rehearsed or practiced, with Art Neville describing their approach as 'organized freedom' and 'spontaneous combustion,' yet they became one of the most influential funk bands in history.
• Art Neville sang lead on the Hawketts' 'Mardi Gras Mambo' in 1954 while still in high school, which remains a beloved Carnival-season anthem in New Orleans over 60 years later.
• The song 'Hey Pocky A-Way' from their 1974 album Rejuvenation originated from a chant Art Neville heard echoing through the Calliope housing projects during his childhood, where he and his brother Charles would bang out the beat on cigar boxes in the window.
• When The Meters recorded backing tracks for Allen Toussaint, they often had no idea what the songs were called or who would be singing on them—Lee Dorsey would come in to add his vocals later, sometimes days after the instrumental tracks were recorded.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Allen Toussaint - Producer, pianist, songwriter who hired The Meters as his house band and A-list studio musicians (Lee Dorsey recordings including 'Yes We Can' (1970) and 'Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further' (1970)) [1965-1977]
• Professor Longhair - Stylistic influence on Art Neville's early work, particularly the Afro-Caribbean tradition (Art Neville's 'Mardi Gras Mambo' with the Hawketts followed Longhair's tradition) [1950s]

Key Collaborators

• Lee Dorsey - Vocalist for whom The Meters served as backing band and studio musicians ('Yes We Can' (1970), 'Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further' (1970)) [1970s]
• Dr. John - New Orleans artist for whom The Meters served as backing musicians (Various recordings) [1970s]
• Paul McCartney - Collaborated with The Meters and invited them to his Venus and Mars album release party (Session work and Venus and Mars release event (1975)) [1970s]
• Robert Palmer - Artist for whom The Meters provided backing music (Various recordings) [1970s]
• Labelle - Group for whom The Meters served as backing musicians (Various recordings) [1970s]
• The Rolling Stones - The Meters opened for The Rolling Stones on major tours after Mick Jagger became captivated by their sound (Tour of the Americas '75 and Tour of Europe '76) [1975-1976]
• The Wild Tchoupitoulas - Collaborative project featuring The Meters with George and Amos Landry and The Neville Brothers (The Wild Tchoupitoulas recordings) [1976-1977]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Cissy Strut (The Meters)
2. Just Kissed My Baby (Rejuvenation)
3. Cissy Strut (Funkify Your Life: The Meters Anthology)
4. Hey Pocky A-Way - 2002 Remaster (Rejuvenation)
5. Fire on the Bayou (Fire on the Bayou)
6. Hand Clapping Song (Struttin')
7. Stormy (The Meters)
8. People Say (Rejuvenation)
9. It Ain't No Use (Rejuvenation)
10. They All Ask'd for You (Fire on the Bayou)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia