Performer’s blues nothing if not authentic

By Jerry Fink (contact)

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 | 2 a.m.

PAT JOHNSON / COURTESY PHOTO

Kenny Neal

The last five years have been tough for Louisiana bluesman Kenny Neal.

His brother, percussionist Ronnie Neal, died of hepatitis C in 2004. Months later, his father, harmonica player Raful Neal, died of cancer. The next year, his sister Jackie Neal, a vocalist known for “Right Thang, Wrong Man,” was shot and killed by a former boyfriend. Soon after that his drummer and close friend Kennard Johnson died of complications from diabetes.

Finally, Kenny Neal contracted hepatitis C and spent 58 weeks in treatment.

“I’m back on track,” Neal, 51, says during a recent phone interview from Chicago. “My health is back 100 percent.”

His latest album, “Let Life Flow,” reflects that experience, he says. “With all the tragedy and darkness I’ve been through in the past few years, I’m finally seeing the light.”

He’s touring in Europe to support of the album and performed in the Midwest before making his way to Las Vegas. He plays Thursday at Boulder Station and Friday at Texas Station.

While he was in Chicago, he dropped by several blues clubs to jam.

“I usually do that,” the guitarist and harmonica player says. “That’s what I did last night. I wanted to get over my jet lag so I had a guy drive me around. We went to maybe five or six clubs, little blues joints that a lot of people don’t know about, but because I lived here when I played with Buddy Guy, I know these guys from years ago. I had a great time. I sat in and played with different guys. I think that’s important to keep that touch, keep in touch with everybody.”

Neal was born to the blues, the eldest of 10 children, most of whom are or were musicians.

He was raised in Baton Rouge, La., where Slim Harpo (“Scratch on My Back”) gave him his first harmonica and where guitarist Guy performed in Raful Neal’s band.

“Buddy was dad’s guitar player in ‘57, ‘58 and then left Baton Rouge in ‘59,” Kenny Neal says.

When he was 19, Kenny Neal became Guy’s bassist. “Until then I’d only played around Baton Rouge with my dad,” Neal said.

His five years touring the world with Guy “opened my head up to want to broaden my horizon,” Neal says.

When he was ready to form his own band in 1981, Neal turned to his family for backup.

“The last 20 something years it’s been good having my younger brothers working for me because we keep it real,” Neal says. “Sometimes we were about to get kicked out of hotels because they were up in the room cooking soul food, Louisiana food, you know. We’re in the Hyatt somewhere and they are cooking smothered chicken and rice.”

Brothers Darnell (bass) and Frederick (keys) remain the heart of Kenny’s band. He rarely works with musicians outside the family.

“Maybe a drummer, but throughout my career it’s been family,” Neal says. “Family is very important to us. We’re like the first family tree — my father and my mother both were adopted so we’re the first family tree.”

Blues isn’t dead, Neal says, and he’s doing his part to keep it alive, through his music and through a Internet show, “Neal’s Place,” broadcast from his Palo Alto home. The program consists Neal chatting with musical guests from around the world and allowing them to perform unplugged.

“What’s confusing about blues today is that the blues is real, real strong, stronger than a lot of people think,” Neal says. “The night before last I played before 15,000, the night before that 10,000. But commercially, blues is not really popular. But in the blues circuit there are blues festivals all over the world, across the globe.”