Alexander O'Neal (born November 15, 1953) is an American R&B singer, songwriter and arranger from

Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the only city in and the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,520 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia, Louisiana, Natchez was ...

. O'Neal came to prominence in the mid-1980s as a solo artist, with eleven top 40 singles on the US R&B chart, three of which also reached the top 40 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. However, he enjoyed more mainstream success in the United Kingdom, achieving fourteen top 40 singles on the UK Singles Chart between 1985 and 1996, along with three top ten albums on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

. His solo singles, sometimes dealing with lost love, include "

If You Were Here Tonight "If You Were Here Tonight" is a song written by Monte Moir and recorded by American recording artist Alexander O'Neal. It is the second single from the singer's self-titled debut solo album, ''Alexander O'Neal'' (1985). Following the successful ch ...

", "

Fake Fake or fakes may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * The Fake (1927 film), ''The Fake'' (1927 film), a silent British drama film * The Fake (1953 film), ''The Fake'' (1953 film), a British film * Fake (2003 film), ''Fake'' (20 ...

", "

Criticize Criticize or Criticise may refer to: * Criticize, the action of criticism Criticism is the construction of a judgement about the negative or positive qualities of someone or something. Criticism can range from impromptu comments to a written d ...

", "

The Lovers The Lovers (VI) is the sixth trump (card games), trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. It is used in Tarot card games, game playing as well as in Tarot reading, divination. Interpretation According to A. E. Waite's 191 ...

", "

(What Can I Say) To Make You Love Me "(What Can I Say) To Make You Love Me" is a song written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and recorded by American recording artist Alexander O'Neal. It is the fifth single from the his second solo studio album, ''Hearsay'' (1987). The song's distincti ...

", " All True Man", " Love Makes No Sense" and " In the Middle". He is also known for duets with Tabu labelmate

Cherrelle Cheryl Anne Norton (born October 13, 1958), better known by her stage name Cherrelle, is an American R&B singer and songwriter who gained fame in the mid-1980s. Her signature hits include " I Didn't Mean to Turn You On", "Where Do I Run To", " ...

such as "

Saturday Love "Saturday Love" is a song performed by American R&B singers Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal. The song was written and produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and was released in October 1985. It peaked at No. 2 on the US R&B chart and became a mo ...

" and "

Never Knew Love Like This "Never Knew Love Like This" is a top ten US R&B hit song duetted by American R&B singers Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal; released in 1988. The song peaked at #2 in the US R&B chart, #26 in the UK and #28 in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It was th ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

described O'Neal as having a "tough voice

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

has the same grain and range as that of

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

." O'Neal released his debut album, the

eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

ous ''

Alexander O'Neal Alexander O'Neal (born November 15, 1953) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter and arranger from Natchez, Mississippi. O'Neal came to prominence in the mid-1980s as a solo artist, with eleven top 40 singles on the US R&B char ...

'', in 1985. Since then, he has released nine studio albums, six compilation albums and two live albums.

Early life

Alexander O'Neal was born November 15, 1953, in

, United States, just a few months after his father died. After graduating from high school in Natchez, he attended

Alcorn State University Alcorn State University (Alcorn State, ASU or Alcorn) is a public historically black land-grant university adjacent to Lorman, Mississippi. It was founded in 1871 and was the first black land grant college established in the United States. ...

. At the age of 20, he relocated to Minneapolis, where he performed with several bands including the Mystics and Wynd Chymes. He became a member of Enterprise for a brief period before joining

Flyte Tyme Flyte Tyme Records is the record label started by producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It was an imprint of the now-defunct Universal Records. See also * List of record labels File:Alvinoreyguitarboogie.jpg File:AmMusicBunk78.jpg File:Bingola ...

, a band which included

Monte Moir Monte Moir (born September 10, 1958) is an American songwriter, producer and musician best known as the keyboardist of Morris Day's band The Time and songwriter of many notable American artists. Biography Monte Moir is the original and curren ...

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/ pop songwriting and record production team. Their productions have received commercial success since the 1980s with var ...

. After a relationship of over thirty years, O'Neal married Cynthia in 2024.

Early career

According to

Jimmy Jam Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melattoor Ravi Varma * ''Jimmy'' (2013 f ...

, around 1980–1981, O'Neal (along with fellow members of the band Flyte Tyme) met with

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

and

Morris Day Morris E. Day (born December 13, 1957) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time. Music career Morris Day is best known as the lead singer of The Time, a group associated with Prince. Day and Pr ...

at Perkins restaurant in Minneapolis to discuss forming a band that would be called The Time that would be signed to

under the

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

label. Following a disagreement with Prince, O'Neal was replaced as lead singer by

. O'Neal subsequently formed an R&B band called Alexander and recorded a couple 12" singles, "Do You Dare/Playroom" and "Attitude" for a Chicago area independent label, based in Merrillville, Indiana, called Erect Records. In 1984, O'Neal signed a deal with

Clarence Avant Clarence Alexander Avant (February 25, 1931 – August 13, 2023) was a prominent American music executive and film producer. Originating from Climax, North Carolina, Avant began his professional journey in the 1950s, managing Teddy P's Lounge ...

Tabu Records Tabu Productions was an American record label founded by Clarence Avant in 1975. It focused on R&B and funk. History Avant founded the label after Sussex Records went out of business in June 1975. Tabu Record's flagship release, '' Stormin' ...

. He did some backing vocals for other artists on the same label, including

The S.O.S. Band The S.O.S. Band (sometimes written as S.O.S. Band; abbreviation for Sounds of Success) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B and Boogie (genre), electro-funk musical ensemble, group who gained fame in the 1980s. They are best known for the songs ...

and

1985–present: solo career

In 1985, O'Neal released his self-titled debut album under the production of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis as well as Monte Moir. It included three singles that reached the Top 20 of the

R&B Singles Chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...

. The same year, he also scored his first R&B Top 10 single with "

", a duet with

from her '' High Priority'' album. The song peaked at #2 on the R&B chart and #26 on the pop chart, while also beginning a string of UK hit singles for O'Neal by peaking at #6 on the UK Singles Chart in early 1986. This UK success continued when "

", which had previously peaked at #81, re-entered the charts to reach #13 in March 1986. In 1987, O'Neal released the album ''

Hearsay Hearsay, in a legal forum, is an out-of-court statement which is being offered in court for the truth of what was asserted. In most courts, hearsay evidence is Inadmissible evidence, inadmissible (the "hearsay evidence rule") unless an exception ...

'', which was certified gold in the US and yielded his biggest US hit in "Fake", which topped the R&B chart and reached #25 on the pop chart. The song also peaked at #7 on the Billboard dance chart. The follow-up single, "Criticize", peaked at #4 on the R&B chart and #70 on the pop chart. The third single, "Never Knew Love Like This", another duet with Cherrelle, peaked at #2 on the R&B chart and #28 on the pop chart. However, by this time O'Neal was enjoying much greater success in the UK, where ''Hearsay'' peaked at #4 on the UK Albums Chart, eventually being certified triple platinum and spawning six Top 40 hits on the UK Singles Chart. The most successful of these gave O'Neal his biggest UK hit when "Criticize" peaked at #4 on the chart in late 1987. "Fake" became a UK Top 40 hit twice, first in 1987 followed by a remix ("Fake '88") in 1988. The "Hit Mix" (a megamix of O'Neal's hits) also reached the UK Top 20 in December 1989. In December 1988, O'Neal released a Christmas album, '' My Gift to You'', featuring a cover of "

The Christmas Song "The Christmas Song" (commonly subtitled "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" or, as it was originally subtitled, "Merry Christmas to You") is a Christmas song written in 1945 by Robert Wells (songwriter), Robert Wells and Mel Tormé. The Nat K ...

" that reached the UK Top 40. In 1991, O'Neal released his fourth album, '' All True Man''. The album was certified gold in the US, with the

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...

reaching #5 on the R&B chart and #43 on the pop chart. The album became his highest charting release in the UK, reaching #2 and going gold, although it ultimately sold fewer copies than ''Hearsay''. The title track reached #18 on the UK Singles Chart. In 1992, his first greatest hits album, '' This Thing Called Love: The Greatest Hits of Alexander O'Neal'', became another Top 5 success in the UK. In 1993, O'Neal's final album with the Tabu label, '' Love Makes No Sense'', was released. This was the first album made without production from Jam and Lewis. Although it reached the UK Top 20 and two singles from the album reached the UK Top 40, sales were not as strong as his earlier releases. After leaving Tabu O'Neal signed for

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

, but no singles or albums were released. In 1995, another greatest hits compilation, ''The Best of Alexander O'Neal'', was released. A year later the compilation was re-released with three added tracks from O'Neal's short period with Motown. In 1996, his first album with One World Records, '' Lovers Again'', was released. The album did not chart in the UK, though the single "Let's Get Together" reached the UK Top 40. In 2001, he released an album on

Eagle Records Eagle Records is a British record label, a division of Eagle Rock Entertainment, itself a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. In the United Kingdom, the label's managing director is Lindsay Brown, former manager of Van Halen, while in the ...

, '' Saga of a Married Man''. The album was produced by former Prince drummer, Bobby Z. In 2005, he recorded his first live album, ''Alexander O'Neal Live at Hammersmith Apollo'', featuring songs from throughout his career. In 2008, O'Neal released '' Alex Loves...'', his first studio album in six years. The album peaked at #49 in the UK, and was his first charting album of new material in 15 years. In 2014, O'Neal signed a new management deal wit
Howard Perl Management
(Beverly Hills), which awarded him extensive tours and a cast member o
Celebrity Big Brother
In June 2016, O'Neal collaborated with

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

-based funk band, Mamma Freedom, on the single, "Fake", a re-recording of his 1987 single of the same name. The single was released shortly before O'Neal embarked upon a UK tour, with Mamma Freedom providing support. In 2017, O'Neal collaborated with

-based funk band Mamma Freedom on the album "Hearsay30", a re-recording of his 1987 album. The album was released on December 1, 2017. In 2019, O'Neal made an appearance alongside

at the

Soul Train Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards ceremony which honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the production company of '' Soul Train'', the program from which it takes its name, and ...

to pay tribute to long-time collaborators

. In 2021, O'Neal made an appearance alongside Whyso, O'Mega Red, and J Dore of The High Children on "Say His Name," a song dedicated to the memory of

George Floyd George Perry Floyd Jr. (October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020) was an African-American man who was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest made after a store clerk suspected Floyd had used a counterfeit tw ...

Television

In 2006 O'Neal appeared on the ''

Weakest Link ''Weakest Link'' (also known as ''The Weakest Link'') is a television game show which first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and originally ended on 31 March 2012 when its host Anne Robinson completed her contract. ...

, All Singing All Dancing Edition'', where he was the 5th contestant voted off the show. In 2006 and 2007, O'Neal participated on the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

reality singing contest show '' Just the Two of Us''. In 2008 O'Neal took part in a '' Wife Swap'' UK special, swapping his wife Cynthia with broadcaster and TV personality Jilly Goolden. The programme included an in-depth interview with O'Neal by noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning magazine ''

Blues & Soul ''Blues & Soul'' is a British music magazine, established in 1967 by John Abbey. ''The Independent'' has noted ''Blues & Soul'' as being the equal of magazines such as ''NME'' and '' Q''. ''Billboard'' magazine has called ''Blues & Soul'' "a r ...

''. The interview was featured in full in the August 2008 issue of the magazine. In 2011 the TV One series '' Unsung'' profiled O'Neal's rise to fame, along with the story of Cherrelle. In 2015, O'Neal took part in the Channel 5 reality series ''

Celebrity Big Brother ''Celebrity Big Brother'' or ''Big Brother VIP'' is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, t ...

''. On Day 12, O'Neal decided to leave the show.

Honors and awards

O'Neal was honored with a star on the outside mural of the

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

nightclub First Avenue, recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue. Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.

Discography

Studio albums * ''

'' (1985) * ''

'' (1987) * '' My Gift to You'' (1988) * '' All True Man'' (1991) * '' Love Makes No Sense'' (1993) * '' Lovers Again'' (1996) * '' Saga of a Married Man'' (2002) * '' Alex Loves...'' (2008) * '' Five Questions: The New Journey'' (2010) * ''Hearsay 30'' (2017)

Tours

* ''30 Years of Hearsay Tour'' (2017) * ''A Time To Say Goodbye Tour'' (2023)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oneal, Alexander 1953 births Living people Alcorn State University alumni American emigrants to England American funk singers American soul musicians EMI Records artists Singers from Minneapolis Musicians from Natchez, Mississippi The S.O.S. Band American contemporary R&B singers African-American male singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century African-American male singers 21st-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from Mississippi Singer-songwriters from Minnesota