In 1972 they appeared as backup singers on "It's All Over Now" by Little Richard (1972). Their debut single, "Tell It Like It Is", peaked at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. In 1974 Aaron recorded an album with his brother Bill as a duo, but it failed to chart.
In 1975 Aaron chose to go solo and relocated to Los Angeles, where he made two albums: "Aaron Neville" (1975) and "The Seeker" (1976).
Both albums proved unsuccessful, but their singles helped him gain a following. He was offered a record deal with Epic Records subsidiary Homestead Records; his first solo album for that label, "Album for Solo Flute", was released in 1978. Once again it failed to chart.
In 1980 Aaron signed with Elektra Records, who distributed his 1980 release "Aaron Neville", an album of duets, associates from earlier sessions being Conway Twitty, Bonnie Raitt, Steven Stills, Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys and Jim Belushi. However, it failed to register on any charts except the Adult Contemporary Tracks chart where it reached #3 behind Lionel Richie's "Dancing on the Ceiling" (#1) and The Temptations' "Just My Imagination" (#2).
In 1981 he found success as a solo artist by performing duets with Kris Kristofferson on Kristofferson's 1982 LP "Kristofferson". The pair would subsequently hit it off musically as well as personally, beginning a friendship which would last decades.
In 1982 Neville sang lead vocals on four tracks on Tony Orlando's album "Rama Lama Ding Dong". In 1983 he sang duets with Jack Jones on Jones's album "Foolin' Around". In 1984 he sang duets with Willie Nelson on Nelson's LP "Always On My Mind".
The same year he sang duets with Waylon Jennings on Jennings's LP "It Sure Was Good". Also in 1984 he sang duets with Merle Haggard on Haggard's LP "US Bluegrass", which became one