No one else sounds like Aaron Neville. His falsetto is instantly recognizable, whether in the second line jazz and funk of his beloved New Orleans as one of the Neville Brothers, or in his GRAMMY-winning duets with Linda Ronstadt. “He’s the most soulful of singers, maybe in all of recorded history,” said avowed fan Bob Dylan. “If angels sing, they must sing in that voice.” Fifty years after his breakout single, the soul classic Tell It Like It Is, he is an essential American artist.
To kick off Duke Performances’ 2016/17 season, Aaron Neville comes to Durham with longtime pianist Michael Goods for an evening of songs and stories. Neville will sing his favorite classics from rhythm and blues, soul, and even the street-corner doo-wop of his youth. This stripped-down encounter in the intimate setting of Baldwin Auditorium will show off both the songs he loves and his famously expressive voice, an unmatched instrument in American music.