FOR much of the past 60 years, the four musicians who make up The Meters have been a constant thread in New Orleans musical history. While still in their teens, all four – Art Neville (piano and organ), Zigaboo Modeliste (drums), George Porter Jr (bass) and Leo Nocentelli (guitar) – were the house band in Allen Toussaint’s studio, playing on big singles by Lee Dorsey, Ernie K-Doe, Betty Harris and Professor Longhair, and touring with Otis Redding. Initially known as Art Neville And The Sounds, they renamed themselves The Meters in 1965 and built up a following as the hottest funk band on the circuit. Paul McCartney and Led Zeppelin hired them to play private parties; The Rolling Stones enlisted them as a support act for six months; and they served as the backing band for everyone from Dr John to Robert Palmer to Labelle.
“The four of us were kinda telepathic,” says guitarist Leo Nocentelli. After they split in 1977, Nocentelli continued a lucrative session career, spending 35 years in California, but moved back to Crescent City six years ago. “Even when I lived out west, I spent a lot of time here,” he says. “I always said I slept in Burbank, but I lived in New Orleans.” Here he goes through some highlights from his and The Meters’ career.
THE METERS
THE METERS
JOSIE, 1969
The fab four’s debut, filled with wiry, spartan funk instrumentals
We recorded this at Cosimo Studios, on Camp Street, in what is now Jazz City. This was the studio run by Cosimo Matassa, the place where they recorded all those classic songs by Little Richard and Fats Domino and Ray Charles and where I’d played on loads of Lee
