The Meters

For the band's debut album, see The Meters (album). For other uses, see Meter (disambiguation).

The Meters
The Meters performing in 2011
The Meters performing in 2011
Background information
Also known as
  • The Original Meters
  • The Funky Meters
  • The Meter Men
OriginNew Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
GenresFunk
Years active1965–1977, 1989–2018, 2020–present
LabelsJosie, Reprise, Mardi Gras, Virgo, Warner Bros., Rounder, Charly, Rhino, Lakeside, Sundazed, Too Funky
Members
Past members

The Meters (later The Funky Meters) are an American funk band formed in 1965 in New Orleans by Zigaboo Modeliste (drums), George Porter Jr. (bass), Leo Nocentelli (guitar) and Art Neville (keyboards). The band performed and recorded their own music from the late 1960s until 1977 and played an influential role as backing musicians for other artists, including Lee Dorsey, Robert Palmer, Dr. John, and Allen Toussaint. Their original songs "Cissy Strut" and "Look-Ka Py Py" are considered funk classics.[1]

While they rarely enjoyed significant mainstream success, they are considered originators of funk along with artists like James Brown, and their work is influential on many other bands, both their contemporaries and modern musicians.[2][3] Their sound is defined by a combination of tight melodic grooves and syncopated New Orleans "second line" rhythms under highly charged guitar and keyboard riffing.[4][5] The band has been nominated four times for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, most recently in 2017.[6] In 2018 the band was presented with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[7]

  1. ^ "The Meters Honored With Jazz Fest Postal Cachet". www.jazzandheritage.org. New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. April 13, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference tm-funk-third ear was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference tm-musical gumbo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference tm-am-meters-bio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference tm-am-modeliste-bio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference tm-cnn-2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ “Queen, Tina Turner to Receive Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award”. Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 8, 2018