Raful Neal

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Raful Neal (born 6 June 1936, Baton Rouge, Louisiana - died 1 September 2004^[1]) was a blues singer, harmonicist and songwriter.

Neal took up the blues harp at age 14, tutored by a local player named Ike Brown and influenced by Little Walter. Neal's first band, the Clouds, also included the guitarist, Buddy Guy. Neal debuted on vinyl in 1958 with a single for Don Robey's Houston, Texas based Peacock Records. But "Sunny Side of Love" was not successful.^[1]

Neal's debut album, Louisiana Legend, first emerged on King Snake Records and was picked up by Alligator Records in 1990. I Been Mistreated, Neal's follow-up, was released on Ichiban Records the following year. Neal toured around the world and in 1997 he contributed harp to a couple of tracks on Tab Benoit's Live: Swampland Jam record. Neal's next long-player, Old Friends, appeared in 1998. After a long bout with cancer, Raful Neal died in September 2004.^[1]

Nine of his eleven children are also blues musicians, and several performed with him on his later releases on the Alligator label.