Ivan Neville didn’t start thinking seriously about a career in music until he was 15.

That’s pretty surprising, since he’s the son of music superstar Aaron Neville, and his entire family — including R&B legends The Neville Brothers — is considered musical royalty in his native New Orleans.

He must have at least sung a little bit, right?

“Oh yeah, we all sang and played and I was surrounded by music all the time. But I guess I didn’t really take to it until I was about 15,” said Neville, now 51. “I knew there were a lot of special things going on, and that my family was a little more involved in music than most.”

But Neville did take to it, and has been making his living at it for some 30 years now. He’ll be performing tonight at Port City Music Hall in Portland with his band, Dumpstaphunk.

The band consists of an all-star lineup of New Orleans musicians whose collective resumes include stints with The Neville Brothers, New Orleans Social Club, Dave Matthews and Friends, Keith Richards and The X-Pensive Winos, and backing for everyone from Jewel and Trey Anastasio to Emmylou Harris and Etta James.

Dumpstaphunk was formed in 2002 and is headed by Neville, a multi-instrumentalist and singer. His cousin, Ian Neville, a guitar player, is also in the group. Both had previously played with The Neville Brothers.

The band’s original music is a mix of rock, jazz, funk and anything else played in New Orleans.

“We just play, you know, funky grooves. It’s not a sit-down show; it’s a stand-up-and-shake-your-booty show,” said Neville. “And it’s right around Mardi Gras time, so we’ll incorporate some of that, too.”

Neville’s father, Aaron, first tasted musical success in 1966 with the hit single “Tell it Like it Is.” He scored hits again more than 20 years later on duets in the late 1980s with Linda Ronstadt — “Don’t Know Much” and “All My Life.”

When not performing as a solo act, Aaron Neville has been a member of The Neville Brothers band, which has also included sons and nephews.

Although he’s from a famous musical family, Ivan Neville has also done a lot on his own. He played keyboards on two Rolling Stones’ albums, “Dirty Work” in 1986 and “Voodoo Lounge” in 1994. He was also a member of Keith Richards’ band for a time and has played on recordings by Don Henley, Bonnie Raitt, Robbie Robertson, Paula Abdul, John Mayer and The Spin Doctors. He’s also recorded for films, including the tune “Why Can’t I Fall in Love?” for the 1990 movie “Pump Up the Volume.”

And he’s active in the Tipitina’s Foundation, which involves New Orleans musicians performing to raise money for various charities aimed at helping victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Neville himself lost his uptown New Orleans home in that storm, and is currently based in Austin, Texas. He “commutes” to New Orleans, where he still plays quite a bit, as well as playing gigs all over the country.

“I’ve been doing this a long time, and I still love doing it,” he said.

Staff Writer Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at:

rrouthier@pressherald.com

 

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