‘Raful Neal Obituary’ – by Keith Woods, from Tales From The Woods
Blues harmonica player and singer Raful Neal died on 1st September 2004 aged 68 at his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he had spent his entire life. Born on 6th July 1936 in Baton Rouge, Raful was a talented although cruelly underrecorded musician who was perhaps best known as the patriarch of a family of blues performers. His eldest son Kenny Neal has recorded around ten albums under his own name and has toured Europe many times, fronting a band featuring Darnell and Graylon. Raful’s daughter Jackie is a singer and Raful Junior is both guitarist and singer. Another son Ronnie who was also a musician died in the early months of 2004.
Raful first recorded for the Peacock label in 1958. He resisted all temptations to leave the south and head north to Chicago like so many blues musicians from the southern states, preferring to stick around Baton Rouge and raise his family. Despite regular gigs, recording opportunities were few. It was not until 1987 that the blues world at large took notice when his recording of ‘Man, Watch Your Woman’ was released on the Fantastic label and was nominated for a W C Handy award. For a few years he was indeed on a roll with the release of his first album ‘Louisiana Legend’ (1988) with follow ups ‘I Been Mistreated’ (1991) and ‘Old Friends’ (1998). I got the opportunity to witness the man in action on a couple of occasions performing at the Heritage Festival in New Orleans with his own band and guesting with his son Kenny.
Keith Woods
Wikipedia entry:
Raful Neal (June 6, 1936 – September 1, 2004) was a Louisiana blues singer, harmonicist and songwriter from the United States.
Neal was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and reared by his aunt and uncle on a tenant farm in Chamberlin, West Baton Rouge Parish. He began playing the harmonica at age 14. He played with Buddy Guy in a band called the Clouds. His first record, “Sunny Side of Love” (1958) on Peacock Records, was not successful.
Neal’s first album, called Louisiana Legend, was initially issued by King Snake Records and later by Alligator Records in 1990. His 1991 album I Been Mistreated was released on Ichiban Records. Neal toured globally. In 1997 his harmonica playing was featured on the album Live: Swampland Jam by Tab Benoit. Neal’s album Old Friends was issued in 1998.
Neal died of cancer in Baton Rouge in September 2004. Nine of his ten children are also blues musicians, and several performed with him on his later releases on the Alligator label.