In House With Aaron Neville: Keith Richards, the Projects, Hurricanes & Recording for His Late Wife

Aaron Neville was made for doo-wop. The singing legend's latest project My True Story hinged upon signing with Blue Note records, under the direction of producer extraordinaire Don Was and Keith Richards. Thanks to their partnership, we get to hear this son of New Orleans sing pop standards like an old style crooner in a new 12-song collection.

My True Story surveys a wide range of doo-wop artists from Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters to the risqué work of Hank Ballard & the Midnighters. We had the pleasure of welcoming the stoic Neville into Spinner's New York office last month and he had us mesmerized. This guy can tell stories for days about any one person in the music business. Check out our conversation below, and if you're not already an Aaron Neville fan -- you will be.

You worked with Keith Richards on this record. How long have you know him?

Like I always say, Keith's the most down-to-earth guy I know. He's just Keith, man. He's cool. We toured with them him in '81. And my son used to play in his Expensive Winos, played bass and little keyboard. We've crossed paths a lot along the way and every time we see each other it's like old friends. When we were in the studio we were talking about the songs and it's like we grew up in the same neighborhood. Same thing with Paul Simon. When he and I get together, it's like we listened to the same stuff, it's in our head.

What was your approach to Little Anthony's "Tears on My Pillow"? He has such a curious voice.

Oh no doubt. I took a picture with him last year at the Jazz Fest. I just respect the song and respect the singing. I just put my own inflections in it. I don't try to go away from it because I definitely respect him.

What was the most difficult part of making this record?

Nothing was difficult, man. I was like a wild horse let go, and I was running through the plains, you know. Everything was like a labor of love.

Doo-wop has such a wonderful history. So many bands just had one hit, and that was their legacy. Then they'd disappear.

A lot of them, I thought, would be living on the hill somewhere. I got to be friends with Pookie Hudson, of the Spaniards. You know, "Goodnight Sweetheart." And he was telling stories ... he had me crying, man.

He had records out, and he's sleeping on a park bench out in Central Park covered up in newspaper. But you know how it was back in those days. If you made a penny a record, you know, you would ... [laughs]. But the love of it ... I didn't care what I was getting' paid, I just wanted to sing and record.

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You experienced Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Did you have any flashbacks during Superstorm Sandy here in New York?

I knew I was safe where I was, but there was a lot of people in harm's way and I felt for them. We just lost power, and I had to walk up about 14 flights, but that was cool. And we had to stash water in the bathtub to flush toilets and stuff. But those people lost houses and lives. Same thing with New Orleans.

I lost a house, but ... I was cool. I was on the road when Katrina came to New Orleans and I got my family to meet me in Memphis. We had been doing that for so long -- bring three day's of clothes, and we'll be back [in New Orleans] in three days. We looked at the TV that Monday and said "we goin' home today." And the water came. We ain't goin' home. And I never went back to that house. It had about 15 feet of water in it. And for so many days, it had all that stuff in the water -- mold and mildew. I just ... looked the other way.

But it's coming back, right?

Oh yeah, it's coming back. They're resilient. Especially the musicians in New Orleans, we never let nothing bug us. The only thing about it was, when things happen the cavalry usually come. The cavalry didn't come for New Orleans. I said, "Damn, man. Where the cavalry at?" And they didn't come. They called New Orleans the city that care forgot, and I said "Man, they forgot to care."

I think your voice was made for doo-wop. You have this high tenor, velvety lead. But you could hit the low notes too.

When I was going to school I had a doo-wop group and our favorite place to sing was in the boy's bathroom with the good acoustics. Oh yeah! Definitely sounded like the Flamingos, with the echo. And the teacher would come and say, "You boys better get to class," and I'd say, "I am in class!"

I even did a doo-wop version of "The Mickey Mouse March." Oh yeah, it was for an album tribute to Walt Disney. I'm doing all the vocals and Dr. John's playing the keyboard. He and I did some stuff together. My first wife died of lung cancer in 2007, and it was a hard time, and we were in the studio and put some stuff down. It never came out, but it's possibly that it will one day. He and I grew up together. The first time I ever went into the studio, it was with him doing some background for a guy named Rolling Stone. So we go way back.

What's a big part of your true story?

It began in 1941 in the Calliope Projects of New Orleans. From '41 to about '52, that was my innocence. In '52, that's when one of the songs "Ting a Ling" came out. That's when I started thinking I was a man then, a workin' man. I don't wanna say I was rebellious, but we wanted that music. So we had to go to the sweet shop where they had it on the jukebox. And you start stealing your dad's cigarette butts [laughs]. Next thing you know, you're walking down the street with your boys, puffin' until your mama came around the corner with the ironing cord. And I see one of them guys, they ask, "Aaron what happened to that cigarette?" And I'd say "I swallowed it." [Laughs] But that was the beginning of my true story.

My brother Art had a doo-wop group, and they would sit on park bench in the project. They would run me away at first until they thought I could hold a note and let me do some harmonies and all. It was just fascinating. I can do all of them -- I can do the bass, I can do the harmonies, the high part. Just not at once -- but I'm workin' on it.