alexanderoneal.net

Alexander O'Neal (born November 15, 1953 in Natchez, Mississippi, is an American singer. O'Neal sings in the retro-style of soul in both dance-pop numbers and modern, urban ballads.

O'Neal was born in Natchez, Mississippi, but moved to Minneapolis when he was 20. He joined a group called "The Mystics" and played the local coverband circuit. O'Neal spent a short time in a group "Enterprise" before being recruited into "Flyte Tyme", a band that included Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Monte Moir. Later signed by Prince to the Warner Bros. label with their name changed to The Time, a disagreement with Prince led to O'Neal leaving the band and being replaced as lead singer by Morris Day. Allmusic profiler John Floyd asserts that O'Neal was ousted for "looking 'too black'").

O'Neal immediately formed a rock and roll band called "Alexander", and recorded a 12" single "Playroom" for a Chicago-based independent label. Three years later in 1984, O'Neal signed a deal with Clarence Avant's Tabu Records. He did some backing vocals for other artists on the same label, including:

• The SOS Band - can be heard on one their most famous hits "The Finest"
• Cherrelle - numerous duets, including hits "Saturday Love" and "Never Knew Love Like This"

 In 1985, O'Neal released his self-titled album, filled with streamlined grooves, including the funk jam, "Innocent". The song was a funky Jam/Lewis groove, featuring The Secret - (Monte Moir, Cherrelle, Jellybean Johnson, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis). The song lasts nearly 10 minutes and consists of some exceptional guitar and keyboard solos, which also features the funk intermission of "Alex 9000".

Alex's 1987 release, titled Hearsay, includes the smash hit "Fake". "Fake" is arguably one of the best songs ever made to feature the "Minneapolis Funk" sound, the song was also nominated for a Soul Train Music Award for Single of the Year (Male). The biggest single from the album was "Criticize" which was his biggest hit in the UK peaking at number four in the singles charts. Hearsay sold over 700,000 copies in the UK alone.

The 1988 album, My Gift to You, was a successful holiday release, with the track "Our First Christmas" still popular during present day holidays.

In 1989, Hearsay was released once again but in the form of a remix album Alex All Mixed Up.

Page 1- The Early Years 2            Page 2- The 1900's          Page 3 - The Recent Years