Down in Louisiana, when they're cooking up something in the kitchen, they tend to throw a little bit of everything in the pot. Applying that same homegrown creative philosophy to his life and to his music, singer/songwriter Todd O'Neill has concocted his own recipe for some seriously soulful, heartfelt and rockin' country music. With a critically acclaimed debut album already under his belt and fresh off the road from his year-long stint as a featured cast member in the hit production, Conway Twitty: The Man, The Myth, The Legend … The Musical, O'Neill is re-energized, refocused and more than ready to take his music to the next level.
"I look at everything in my career as a stepping stone and the Conway Twitty show was my biggest stepping stone yet," O'Neill says. "Learning all those guitar and vocal harmony parts, you really come to respect the guys playing behind the artists. I was also honored to sing Sam Moore's part on he and Conway's duet, 'Rainy Night in Georgia.'"
Perfected in countless honky tonks and dancehalls in the region around his hometown of Hammond, just north of New Orleans, O'Neill's all-inclusive country music vision embraces everything from tear-in-your-beer ballads to flat-out country rock anthems, wrapped up in a tall, good-looking package and delivered in a pure-country voice. Growing up in a musical melting pot, O'Neill was surrounded by a dizzying array of musical styles.
"My mom listened to country, my brother listened to rock 'n' roll, my sister liked pop music and my dad, oldies," O'Neill says with a laugh. "Everybody listened to something different. So when I was little, I really didn't have a favorite genre."
While he was absorbing all of his musical influences – from the eclectic sounds around his house to the rhythms of the Big Easy to the south – O'Neill was busy being a typical kid, concentrating on everything but music. But, while his singing may have been restricted to the shower and "the typical karaoke stuff kids do," O'Neill invariably found other ways to express his creative soul. A self-avowed "ham," he was known among friends to break out in a particularly inspired dance when the spirit(s) moved him. Hitting the dance floor one night at a hometown club, his "Napoleon Dynamite" moves caught the attention of guitarist Scott Feske, who was onstage with his band, Big Cat Daddy.
"Scott asked me where I'd ever learned to dance like that, and all my friends said, 'You ought to hear him sing!'" O'Neill recalls. "This was just a little club in Hammond on a Friday night. I got up and sang Travis Tritt's 'Here's a Quarter,' and I blew them away. That was the first time I was onstage, and I loved it. It was like an addiction.""
For O'Neill, that initial performance was the beginning of some important friendships, and, though he didn't quite know it at the time, the beginning a great career in country music. Feske invited the young singer back, and O'Neill eventually joined the group on the road. Armed with the 110-proof power of their new singer's one-of-a-kind country voice and heartthrob appeal, Big Cat Daddy quickly morphed into Todd O'Neill and Big Cat Daddy, before the singer finally earned top billing as a solo artist.... READ MORE HERE>
I’ve been a music journalist for more than 10 years. Over the years, many artists and managers have asked me what the best way to break into the European music market is.
Here are some things you can do:
Publish artist press releases, news, and tour dates to the CountryHome Forum on MySpace, http://groups.myspace.com/CountryHomeMagazine , CountryHome Forum is part of CountryHome, http://www.CountryHome.de , Germany's Premier Country Music Online Magazine. Everything you publish to the CountryHome Forum will be published in my weekly Newsletter which has over 80,000 readers.
Send me CDs and DVDs for review and set up an artist interview with me. All reviews and interviews will be submitted to the magazines I'm writing for. More information for which magazines I'm writing can be found at http://www.MySpace.com/ChristianLamitschka
Upload artist videos to http://www.MyVideo.de and http://www.ClipFish.de . Both websites are like http://www.YouTube.com and uploading videos is free. The websites are completely in German. If you don’t speak German and need assistance, I will help you open an account and upload a video for 25 Euro. Each additional video upload for the same artist name and at the same video website is 10 Euro.
If you have more questions about the European music market or about any of the information I send to you today, please contact me at Ch.Lamitschka@t-online.de too.
Editor & Journalist for Country Music Christian Lamitschka An der Pfingstweide 28 61118 Bad Vilbel Germany
It seems that Christmas time is here once again, and it is time again to bring in the New Year. We wish the merriest of Christmas to you and your loved ones, and we wish you happiness and prosperity in the year ahead. Yola
Happy Hollidays.. NEW SONG ON MY SITE Join the Jeffrey Allen Edwards Fan Club Go to or click on the link below and I will see you there soon. NEW CHAT ROOM ADDED
hey todd,i'm excited to see you are going to be at zachary walmart sunday for the toys for tot thing.I will definatly be there.so what will you be doing exactly?
Hey, If you get a minute please go to www.countryweekly.com/freemusic and download your FREE copy of C'mon DJ by Mustang Sally!! If you dig country music with an edge you'll love it & every download goes to help us get a FEATURE ARTICLE! Thanks so much & God Bless!
Hey Todd. Just stopped by to let you know that participating with the Toys For Tots Events is honorable. Keep up the good works and call me soon. God Bless, Benny G.
Dear Todd O'Neill, It's after Halloween and the busy holidays are approaching. Take a break and drop by to listen to my featured songs. You may find my music to be just the calm you need during this hectic time of the year. I appreciate your friendship and I hope you enjoy the music. I wish you much joy and peace.
Online Now!
