The Meters
were an American funk band based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Meters performed and recorded their own music from the late 1960s until 1977 and also played an influential role as backing musicians for other artists such as Lee Dorsey and Dr John. While the band never enjoyed significant mainstream success, they are considered one of the progenitors of funk music, and their work influenced many other bands, both contemporary to their work, and after their heyday.
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THE METERS TICKETS
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The 1970s
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 Meters formed in 1965, with a line-up that included
keyboardist and
vocalist Art Neville,
guitarist Leo Nocentelli,
bassist George Porter Jr. and drummer
Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste later joined by percussionist/vocalist
Cyril Neville. They became the house band for
Allen Toussaint and his
record label,
Sansu Enterprises.
In 1969, the Meters released "Sophisticated Cissy" and "Cissy Strut", both major
R&B chart hits. "Look-Ka Py Py" and "Chicken Strut" were also hits the following year. After a label shift in 1972, the Meters had difficulty returning to the charts, but they played on several important records, working with
Dr. John,
Ernie K. Doe,
Paul McCartney,
King Biscuit Boy,
Labelle and
Robert Palmer, among others.
In 1974 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 he was greatly taken with The Meters and their sound. The Rolling Stones invited the Meters to open for them on their Tour of America in 1975. That same year, the Meters recorded one of their most beloved and successful albums,
Fire On The Bayou
. From 1976-77 they played in
The Wild Tchoupitoulas with
George &
Amos Landry and the
Neville Brothers. The band broke up in 1977. Toussaint claimed the rights to the name "The Meters", so they played under various other names and in various combinations for the rest of the decade.
They appeared on
Saturday Night Live
on
March 19,
1977.
Reunions
In 1989, the members of The Meters appeared at the
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in an informal
jam session, and decided to reform. Zigaboo Modeliste was replaced with
David Russell Batiste, Jr., a longtime collaborator with Allen Toussaint who had also worked with
Robbie Robertson and
Harry Connick, Jr.
In 1994, the departure of Leo Nocentelli led to them inviting old friend
Brian Stoltz into the fold as guitarist. Stoltz had been the guitarist for The
Neville Brothers during the
'80s, and during the
'90s had done session work on records with
Bob Dylan,
Edie Brickell,
Dr. John and
Linda Ronstadt, to name a few. Under this new line up, the band was renamed to
the Funky Meters
.
The original members of the Meters (including Modeliste and Nocentelli) also have been reforming for shows from time to time. To differentiate from the Funky Meters, this version of the band is usually referred to as
the Original Meters
.
Discography
- The Meters
(1969), Sundazed
- Look-Ka Py Py
(1970), Josie
- Struttin'
(1970), Sundazed
- Cabbage Alley
(1972), Sundazed
- Rejuvenation
(1974), Sundazed
- Fire On The Bayou
(1975), Sundazed
- The Best of The Meters
(1975), Mardi Gras
- Trick Bag
(1976), Sundazed
- New Directions
(1977), Sundazed
- Uptown Rulers: The Meters live on the Queen Mary
(1992), Rhino
- Funkify Your Life: The Meters Anthology
(1995), Rhino
- Kickback
(2001), Sundazed - rare and unreleased material
- Fiyo at the Fillmore, Vol. 1
(2003), Too Funky - by the Funky Meters