~AARON NEVILLE~The Making of 'MY TRUE STORY'~

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Hello Everyone,

I introduced myself in the New Members thread in the Clubhouse, but will do so again. I am Eugene Pitt's [[Jive Five) PR Rep. I am a returning member to SDF, and am happy to be here again at the best soul music site on the net. It's good to be here with Ralph, old friends and music lovers.

I am working with Aaron Neville's PR team on the January release of the first of four "doo wop"/vocal group harmony albums he will do on Blue Note Records, Aaron's new label.

Aaron's debut album on Blue Note is "My True Story" titled in honor of Eugene Pitt's signature song. The album was co-produced by Don Was and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones. Don & Keith are huge "doo wop" fans themselves, and this album is something Aaron has wanted to do throughout his career. As he says, this is his favorite music and he has always put a little doo wop in every song he's done, beginning with his 1966 hit "Tell It Like It Is".

When they decided to do the album, they wanted it to be as authentic as possible. They wanted original singers of the songs to do background vocals. Keith Richards suggested Eugene Pitt and I received the call from Blue Note asking for Eugene's collaboration on the album. Eugene brought in Bobby Jay [[The Teenagers) and Dickie Harmon [[The Del-Vikings) to sing background with him. They used a live band for the recordings. Some of the best musicians available today were in the studio, and Keith Richards played guitar on the album.

"My True Story" is Number 1 on the Amazon Best Sellers List already, proving there is a new market for these classic songs. I will post several threads on this~~beginning with the making of "My True Story". I hope you all enjoy.



~~Mary~~

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

In this thread I want to include some photos from the recording sessions held last March. Everyone involved said they were the smoothest sessions they had ever worked in. They recorded 23 songs in 5 days. Almost unheard of.

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

The final track list~~

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Photos from the recording sessions at Electric Lady Studios in Manhattan~



Eugene Pitt & Aaron Neville

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

The whole gang.



Dickie Harmon, Eugene Pitt, Don Was, Aaron Neville, Bobby Jay

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Happy faces.



Eugene Pitt & Keith Richards - mutual admiration society.

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Great group photo.



Don Was, Eugene Pitt, Bobby Jay, Keith Richards, Dickie Harmon, Aaron Neville

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

The Producers



Aaron Neville, Don Was, Keith Richards

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Huuuuuuuuuuummmmm - don't know what happened to the photos??? They were there a minute ago.

[Soul Sister]

Hey Hey Hey Mary,
You know Jimmy Scott [[one of Aaron's major influences) and I are rooting for his success with this album and looking foward to hearing the whole CD soon!!

BFF Soul Sis & Jimmy
********************

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

And you know you'll be getting an autographed copy, thanks to J.R. Rich. He said Aaron was thrilled to hear Jimmy wanted an autographed copy.

~~Mary~~

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

O.K., I just re-posted the missing photos. Let's see if they stay up this time.

[misty]

They're there and they look beautiful. I downloaded this album and it's fantastic! Great concept, great execution, just stellar.

[Jerry Oz]

This looks really good. I see a lot of Clyde McPhatter/Drifters in that track listing and I'm looking forward to hearing these renditions. Great post!

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Hi Misty,

I guess the photos decided to stick around this time. I'm glad you like the album. I do as well, and it's getting great reviews everywhere. Aaron has been doing a lot of print, TV and radio media, and it's paying off.

~~Mary~~

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Hello Jerry and thank you for the compliment.

Yes, Aaron loves the Drifters, especially Clyde McPhatter. He calls Clyde "The Man". You can hear the tracks at Amazon.com and purchase the album there as well. As I mentioned above, it's already Number 1 on the Amazon Best Sellers List.

~~Mary~~

[ralpht]

Enjoying the photos, Mary. Don't know why this batch decided to stick, but grateful they are working.

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Thank you, Ralph. I'm glad they are sticking for now, too. I have lots more photos and videos to post in various threads, so I hope I learn to do it correctly.

~~~Mary~~~

[smooth]

Jive Five Mary G...

WOW... I can't believe those photos!

I would sing standing on my head to work with that team of PROFESSIONALS.[[SMILE)!!!!!!
Congratulations on your #1 status on Amazon Best Seller List.
Please keep us posted on the project.

Abraham Smooth Wilson

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Hi Smooth,

Thank you for the kind words. The congratulations goes to Aaron Neville and his team. The album was a labor of love for all involved. They bought together singers and musicians who know and love the music. That's why they were able to record 23 songs in 5 days.

It's been fun and an honor for me to be a small part of this. The producers wanted the best of the vocal group harmony lead singers, and they got him - my boss Eugene Pitt. He brought his pals Bobby Jay and Dickie Harmon in to sing background vocals with him. Bobby and Dickie also sang background vocals on Eugene's solo album. Eugene loved working on this because he never set out to be a lead singer. He told Aaron he was grateful Aaron made his dream come true to sing background on all the songs, including his own.

As a PR person, it's been a blast for me to work with the head PR person for EMI. Blue Note Records is under their umbrella. They have all the right connections and the $$$ to make this the success it is.

I will keep you posted. There's a PBS Special coming up in March they taped at the Brooklyn Bowl. I'll be putting up a thread about that soon.

~~Mary~~

[ralpht]

Looking forward to the special, Mary.

[Soul Sister]

Mary,
Glad to see your photo's held up, they look great!!!

S.S.
***

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

The special is something else, Ralph. Gene called me throughout the taping. I'll be putting up a thread with the trailer from it and a few photos. There were lots of young people in attendance, which is a good thing.

~~Mary~~

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Thank you BFF S.S. I hope we're getting the hang of the new format.

~~Mary~~

[ralpht]

Looking forward to the thread, Mary.

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

O. K., I might as well put it up now, Ralph. Since I'm just back on the forum, I didn't want to throw too many threads up all at once. The PBS Special goes along with this one.

~~Mary~~

[nosey]

Mary, Mary! Great to see you and Jeanie back! I'm in Georgia now.

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Hi Nosey!!!!! I'm so glad to see you here again. I heard you had moved to Georgia and I hope you love it there. So good to be back in the fold and reunite with good friends like you. BIG HUGZ and lots of love always.

~~Mary~~

[ralpht]

Go for it, Mary.

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

I posted the thread, Ralph.

~~Mary~~

[Vonnie Eli]

Wow these pictures are great Mary! I am so happy to see that all is well with the Jive Five. I'm elated that Eugene has added his great vocals to Aaron Nevlle's new CD project.

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Thank you so much for the kind words, Vonnie.

I am so thrilled for Gene. He's getting some long overdue recognition for his work on the project. He's always been well known among his peers and I get so excited about the fact Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones is the one who brought him in. Keith said in an interview he was playing "My True Story" on a 24 hour loop while he and The Stones were recording "Voodo Lounge". I had known prior to this Mick Jagger & Keith are big fans of The Jive Five. This is cool beans in my book.

~~Mary~~

[ralpht]

I think this is fantastic news. Keep us tuned in, Mary.

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

It will be my pleasure, Ralph.

~~Mary~~

[heikki]

Congratulations, Mary!

Heikki

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Thank you, Heikki!!

Good to see you here. Gene and I really enjoyed working with you on the wonderful profile you did on him & The Jive Five for 'Soulful Express.'. Your article is one of the most accurate and complete pieces ever done on the group. I've heard many positive remarks about it.

~~Mary~~

[heikki]

Dear Mary!

Thank you for your kind words. Your help was an essential part in compiling that article, which, by the way, still is available at
http://www.soulexpress.net/jivefive.htm

Best regards
Heikki

[motony]

Wow, cool pix. I will be getting this CD & looking forward to the PBS special.Thanks for posting.

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Hi Heikki,

It was my pleasure to work with you. There are so many inaccurate things written on the net. Your work is always comprehensive and truthful. I've posted the link to the article many times. It's well worth reading and it captures Eugene's personality and gives a good history of the group. I keep it in my favorites.

~~Mary~~

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Hello motony,

That's good to hear!! I know you won't be disappointed and the PBS Special is excellent from all reports.

~~Mary~~

[heikki]

Dear Mary!

Thank you very much. I hope to be able to meet you and Eugene next year. We're planning a soulful trip to the U.S. with a couple of my music friends, but that's all in the idea stages so far.
Best regards
Heikki

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Hi Heikki,

That would be wonderful. You never know where Eugene will be, but keep me informed. It would be a pleasure to meet you.

~~Mary~~

[Soul Sister]

The pics look great, Mary!
Anyone who loves old school music should love Aaron's CD & PBS Special. I am looking foward to it!!!

S.S.
***

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Thank you, S.S..

I couldn't agree with you more. I'm so happy the album is selling well. The PBS Special will be well worth watching. I just hope my local affiliate shows it here.

~~Mary~~

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

I've decided to include the trailer for the March PBS Special in this thread since it's getting the most response. It was taped at the Brooklyn Bowl, very appropriate since so many great vocal group harmony groups came from there. Gene Pitt called me throughout the rehearsals and taping. From his account, it is excellent and everyone had a blast. I was mpressed to see all the young people in the audience. You can see a tidbit here:



Enjoy!

~~Mary~~

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

CONGRATULATIONS AARON NEVILLE, EUGENE PITT & all who recorded "MY TRUE STORY". Just got the news this is the HIGHEST CHARTING ALBUM of Aaron's 5 decade career!!!!

http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/video-g...200701493.html

So proud of all of you.

~~~Mary~~~

[ralpht]

This is the kind of news I like on SD. Congratulations to all involved.

[nosey]

Hi Dream, oops Mary [[that's going to be hard getting used to) but any who, you know I'm a huge Jive 5 fan and I'm happy for Aaron's success.

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Thank you, Ralph.

I am so pleased and proud of all of them. As I mentioned above, they recorded 23 songs in 5 days. Aaron has stated he will make 3 more "doo wop" albums after this one. They talked about hundreds of songs they all loved before they narrowed it down to 23. They're 1 song short of the second album already.

To me, it's proving there's a market out there for this music, and it doesn't hurt they have spent oodles on promotion, and have done it right. As we all know, you can have the best album out there, but if no one hears it, you can kiss it goodbye.

I'm most pleased that it is bringing attention to the original songs and the artists who sang them. Aaron Neville has done a wonderful service by bringing these songs back to the forefront of popular music. These early r&b/ vocal group harmony artists provided the basis for rock and roll and soul music. They deserve all the accolades they can get IMHO.

~~Mary~~

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

Hey Nosey,

You can call me anything you want. lol I really appreciate your comments, and I know you're a huge Jive Five fan. We've always had that in common. I'm happy for all involved. It's very exciting for me to watch all this unfold.

Hope you're loving your new home in Georgia and it's great being back at SDF where I can communicate with you again.

~~Mary/aka/dream~~