NEELY | en

Joel McNeely was born in Madison (Wisconsin, USA) in 1959. During his childhood, he studied piano, saxophone and flute (partly because his parents were both musicians). In his youth, he played saxophone in some bands and joined the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, then the University of Florida where he learned jazz and finally the Eastman School of Music where he applied for a masters degree as a writing major. After establishing contact with great names such as Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg, George Lucas became interested in Joel McNeely too in the early 90’s, when he engaged Joel for...

Blake Neely (born 1969 in Paris, Texas) is a composer, arranger, orchestrator, conductor, and author. His father was a rancher and his brother Tom Neely is an artist in Los Angeles. Neely has contributed to and been credited on dozens of film and TV projects over the years such as: Everwood (which earned him a 2003 Emmy Award nomination for the theme), all three Pirates of the Caribbean films, King Kong, The Last Samurai and many more. Other film projects in which he is the sole composer are Elvis and Anabelle, Starter for 10, and The Wedding Date. In addition,...

Big Jay McNeely (Cecil James McNeely, April 29, 1927) is an American rhythm and blues tenor saxophonist. Born in Watts, Los Angeles, California, McNeely was inspired by Illinois Jacquet and Lester Young, he teamed with his older brother Robert McNeely, who played baritone saxophone, and made his first recordings with drummer Johnny Otis, who ran the Barrelhouse Club that stood only a few blocks from McNeely's home. Shortly after he performed on Otis's "Barrel House Stomp", Ralph Bass, A&R man for Savoy Records, promptly signed him to a recording contract. Bass's boss, Herman Lubinsky, suggested the stage name Big Jay...

Brad Neely is a comic book artist from Fort Smith, Arkansas who now resides in Austin, Texas. You can find most of his work on SuperDeluxe.com. He is also responsible for the comic series "Creased Comics" and the unauthorized spoof of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone entitled Wizard People, Dear Reader. The latter consists of an alternate soundtrack of narration in the style of a book on tape, which viewers can play over the muted movie. http://creasedcomics.com .