True-Blood.net Radio Features Johnny Neel

Be sure to join us tomorrow morning for our weekly radio broadcast. Tomorrow we are featuring singer/songwriter Johnny Neel, who’s songs were heard in both season one and two of True Blood. We will air a pre-recorded interview we did with Johnny and fellow singer/songwriter, Doug Jones.

In season one, we heard Johnny’s “Not This Time” in episode 4, and in this last season, we heard “Willin’ to Crawl” in episode 3, when Eggs tells Tara how Maryann gave him a guitar.

Johnny Neel cut his first single at the age of twelve, as Johnny Neel and The Shapes Of Soul. As an adult, the Johnny Neel Band had a strong following up and down the East Coast and released two well-received independent albums. Neel moved to Nashville, the premiere song writing city, in 1984. Where he immediately became recognized a session “A” studio player. Others began to notice Neel’s songwriting talent and decided to take advantage by recording his songs on their albums.

Performing with various bands in area clubs drew the attention of former Nashville resident Dickie Betts, who asked Neel to join his road band, and begin working on Dickie’s solo LP for Epic Records. That relationship led to seven cuts on the “Pattern Disruptive” LP including the Top 10 AOR hit, “Rock Bottom.” Neel’s talented keyboard and harp playing on that album convinced Gregg Allman to ask Neel to tour with his road band.

Neel decided to join the reunited Allman Brothers Band, immersing himself in a successful tour, which led to a number one AOR smash hit during the summer of 1990. Car radios all across America blasted “Good Clean Fun”, from the Seven Turns Album, co-written by Neel with Allman and Betts. The chart topping hit provided the reunited Allmans with their highest charting single since “Ramblin’ Man” fifteen years prior.

Following that tour, Neel released “Late Night Breakfast”, which was recorded at his studio, Straight Up Sound Studio, with the members of his band, “The Last Word”, and special guests such as Shane Theriot (The Neville Brothers), Rick Vito (Fleetwood Mac) and Wayne Jackson (The Memphis Horns). This record was released on Neel’s label, Breakin’ Records, which showcased his pleading vocals as well as brilliant piano, B-3 and harp work.

During that same period of time the recordings were made, Neel also became a member of Blue Floyd, a premiere jam band with variations on the material of Pink Floyd. In addition to Neel, the band is comprised of Marc Ford (Black Crowes), Matt Abts (Gov’t Mule), Berry Oakley Jr. (OKB Band) and until his recent and unfortunate demise, Allen Woody (Gov’t Mule). Neel and Abts went into the Straight Up Sound Studio and record the X2 project which was graciously received by fans and the media.

More recently, cuts have been recorded by Travis Tritt, Montgomery Gentry and Delbert Mc Clinton. Neel is excited about his latest release on Breakin’ Records titled Gun Metal Blue. As a man with boundless energy, Neel still manages to juggle studio work, local club gigs, road work and hit song writing, and somehow between the chaos maintains his sanity

“They say that you can’t do it all; Hell, I’m trying to prove ‘em wrong.” – Johnny Neel

Show Times:

10 a.m. Central
11 a.m. Eastern
8 a.m. Pacific