The Meters | |
|---|---|
 The Meters performing in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as |
|
| Origin | New Orleans,Louisiana, U.S. |
| Genres | Funk |
| Years active | 1965–1977, 1989–2018, 2020–present |
| Labels | Josie,Reprise,Mardi Gras, Virgo,Warner Bros.,Rounder,Charly,Rhino,Lakeside,Sundazed, Too Funky |
| Members |
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| Past members | |
The Meters (laterThe Funky Meters) are an Americanfunk band formed in 1965 inNew Orleans byZigaboo Modeliste (drums),George Porter Jr. (bass),Leo Nocentelli (guitar) andArt Neville (keyboards). The band performed and recorded their own music from the late 1960s until 1977 and played an influential role as backing musicians for other artists, includingLee Dorsey,Robert Palmer,Dr. John, andAllen Toussaint. Their original songs "Cissy Strut" and "Look-Ka Py Py" are considered funk classics.[1]
While they rarely enjoyed significant mainstream success, they are considered originators offunk along with artists likeJames Brown, and their work is influential on many other bands, both their contemporaries and modern musicians.[2][3] Their sound is defined by a combination of tight melodic grooves and syncopated New Orleans "second line" rhythms under highly charged guitar and keyboard riffing.[4][5] The band has been nominated four times for induction into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame, most recently in 2017.[6] In 2018 the band was presented with theGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[7]
Art Neville, the group'sfrontman, 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 of keyboardist and vocalist Art Neville, guitaristLeo Nocentelli, bassistGeorge Porter Jr. and drummerJoseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste. They were joined later by percussionist-vocalistCyril Neville. The Meters became the house band forAllen Toussaint and hisrecord label, Sansu Enterprises.[8]
In 1969 the Meters released "Sophisticated Cissy" and "Cissy Strut", both majorR&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 withDr. John,Paul McCartney,King Biscuit Boy,Labelle,Robert Palmer, and others.[4]
In 1975 Paul McCartney invited the Meters to play at the release party for hisVenus and Mars album aboard theQueen Mary inLong Beach, California.Mick Jagger ofThe Rolling Stones was in attendance at the event and was greatly taken with the Meters and their sound.[2]: 166 [9] The Rolling Stones invited the band to open for them on theirTour of the Americas '75 andTour of Europe '76.[4] In the same year the Meters recorded one of their most successful albums,Fire on the Bayou. From 1976 to 1977, they played inThe Wild Tchoupitoulas with George and Amos Landry andThe Neville Brothers.
Art and Cyril Neville left the band in early 1977, but The Meters still appeared onSaturday Night Live on March 19, 1977, during theshow's second season. After the Nevilles' departure, David Batiste Sr. joined on keyboards and Willie West became the band's lead singer. Porter left the group later that year and by 1980 The Meters had officially broken up.
After the break-up, Neville continued his career as part ofThe Neville Brothers. Modeliste toured withKeith Richards andRon Wood, while Nocentelli and Porter "became in-demand session players and formed new bands."[10]
In 1989 Art Neville, George Porter Jr., and Leo Nocentelli reunited as The Meters, adding drummerRussell Batiste Jr. to replace Zigaboo Modeliste. Nocentelli left the group in 1994 and was replaced with guitarist Brian Stoltz, formerly of The Neville Brothers. The band was renamedThe Funky Meters. They were referred to as "the Funky Meters" as early as 1989. They were billed as such when playing in a tiny venue called Benny's Bar at Valence and Camp streets in New Orleans.[11]
The Funky Meters continued to play into the 2000s with Stoltz being replaced by Art Neville's son, Ian Neville, from 2007 to 2011 while Stoltz pursued a solo career. Stoltz returned to the band permanently in 2011.[12]
In 2000 a large offer enticed all four original Meters to reunite for a one-night stand at theWarfield Theatre in San Francisco; by this time Modeliste wanted to make the reunion a permanent one, but the other members and their management teams objected.[10] It wasn't untilQuint Davis, producer and director of theNew Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, got them to "put aside their differences and hammer out the details" and perform at the Festival in 2005.[13]
In June 2011 The Original Meters along with Allen Toussaint and Dr. John played theBonnaroo Music and Arts Festival inManchester, Tennessee. The six men performed songs from Dr. John's albumDesitively Bonnaroo which was originally recorded with the Meters, to a sold-out crowd. The Original Meters also played a set at the 2011Voodoo Experience in New Orleans. On May 5, 2012 The Meters returned to New Orleans for a performance to a sold-out crowd at the Howlin' Wolf.
In late 2012, Zigaboo Modeliste, Leo Nocentelli, and George Porter Jr. played concerts withPhish keyboardistPage McConnell under the nameThe Meter Men.[14] During his time off from Phish, McConnell has continued to play with Porter Jr., Nocentelli, and Modeliste under the moniker of The Meter Men since those shows in 2012. The Meter Men had performed 16 shows together as of spring 2015, with their third annual appearance as a late night act during New Orleans' Jazz and Heritage Festival.[15][16] In 2014, during The Meter Men's second appearance as a late night act during Jazzfest, the band performed at The Republic on April 26, 2014, after McConnell had headlined the NOLA Jazzfest at the New Orleans Fairgrounds with Phish earlier that day.[17][18] The Meter Men had also played the previous night at The Republic.[19] As of spring 2015 The Meter Men appeared in Massachusetts, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Colorado, and Vermont. They also had a performance in Washington, D.C.[20][21][22]
As of 2017, The Funky Meters toured consistently, performing songs by The Meters, while The Meters performed sporadically. The lineup of Neville, Porter, Nocentelli, and Modeliste typically billed themselves as The Original Meters to avoid confusion with The Funky Meters. When not performing with The Original Meters, guitarist Leo Nocentelli leads his own group,The Meters Experience, which also performs the music of The Meters.[23]
The last performance of the original Meters (with all four of the founding members) was at the Arroyo Seco Festival inPasadena, California on June 25, 2017.
Art Neville announced his retirement from music on December 18, 2018.[24] Neville died on July 22, 2019.
According to Brian Knight ofThe Vermont Review, "In a sense, the Meters defined the basic characteristics of the groove. WhileFunkadelic,Cameo,James Brown andSly Stone are synonymous with funk, these artists look to the Meters for the basic-down to earthy and raw sound."[25] Music criticRobert Christgau called the band "totally original" and placed the compilation albumFunkify Your Life: The Meters Anthology on his list of top six New Orleans classics.[26][27]
The Meters' music has been sampled by musicians around the world, including rap artistsHeavy D,LL Cool J andQueen Latifah,Musiq,Big Daddy Kane,Run-DMC,N.W.A,Ice Cube,Scarface,Cypress Hill,EPMD,Public Enemy,A Tribe Called Quest,Beastie Boys,Naughty by Nature, andTweet.[28]
Red Hot Chili Peppers covered the Meters' song "Africa", renamed "Hollywood (Africa)", on their 1985 albumFreaky Styley.The eclectic jazz-fusion guitaristOz Noy has recorded his version of "Cissy Strut" twice.Primus covered the Meters' song "Tippi Toes" on their 1992 EPMiscellaneous Debris.
Bands such as theGrateful Dead,[29]KVHW,Steve Kimock Band,Widespread Panic,[30]Rebirth Brass Band,Galactic,Jaco Pastorius, andThe String Cheese Incident[31] have performed songs by The Meters in their concert rotations.
The song "They All Ask'd for You" from the 1975 albumFire on the Bayou remains popular in the New Orleans region and is the unofficial theme song of theAudubon Zoo.[32]
Current
Former
Original studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop [45] | US R&B [45] | ||||
| 1969 | The Meters | 108 | 23 | Josie JOS-4010 | |
| Look-Ka Py Py | 198 | 23 | Josie JOS-4011 | ||
| 1970 | Struttin' | 200 | 32 | Josie JOS-4012 | |
| 1972 | Cabbage Alley | — | 48 | Reprise MS-2076 | |
| 1974 | Rejuvenation | — | — | Reprise MS-2200 | |
| 1975 | Fire on the Bayou | 179 | 41 | Reprise MS-2228 | |
| 1976 | Trick Bag | — | — | Reprise MS-2252 | |
| 1977 | New Directions | — | — | Warner Bros. BS-3042 | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
Compilation albums
Live albums
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop [45] | US R&B [45] | ||||
| 1968 | "Sophisticated Cissy" | 34 | 7 | ||
| 1969 | "Cissy Strut" | 23 | 4 | ||
| "Ease Back" | 61 | 20 | |||
| "Dry Spell" | — | 39 | |||
| 1970 | "Look-Ka Py Py" | 56 | 11 | ||
| "Chicken Strut" | 50 | 11 | |||
| "Hand Clapping Song" | 89 | 26 | |||
| "A Message from the Meters" | ― | 21 | |||
| 1971 | "Stretch Your Rubber Band" | ― | 42 | ||
| "Doodle-Oop (The World Is a Little Bit Under the Weather)" | ― | 47 | |||
| "Good Old Funky Music" | ― | — | |||
| 1972 | "Do the Dirt" | ― | ― | ||
| "Cabbage Alley" | ― | — | |||
| "Chug Chug Chug-A-Log (Push N' Shove)" | ― | — | |||
| 1974 | "Hey Pocky A-Way" | ― | 31 | ||
| "People Say" | ― | 52 | |||
| 1975 | "They All Ask'd for You" | ― | — | ||
| 1976 | "Disco Is the Thing Today" | ― | 87 | ||
| "Trick Bag" | ― | — | |||
| 1977 | "People Say" | 78 | 78 | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
the meters and award.
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |