The Evolution of Alexander O'Neal
Snapshots of R&B's all-true man.
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On Time - After moving to Minneapolis from Natchez, Mississippi, in his early 20s, Alexander O’Neal was a member of several bands before being recruited to sing lead for an up-and-coming ensemble named Flyte Tyme. With members that included Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Monte Moir, the band would eventually change its name to The Time. (Photo: Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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Princely Split - The Time signed to Warner Bros. through R&B wunderkind Prince. Following a disagreement O’Neal had with the Purple One, he left the band and was replaced by The Time’s current lead vocalist, Morris Day. (Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)
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The New Wave - In the early ‘80s O’Neal formed the funky new wave band Alexander and released two singles, “Playroom” and “Attitude,” on indie labels. While the singles didn’t do well on the charts, his talent garnered him a side gig that landed him his big break. Doing background vocals for artists on Clarence Avant’s Tabu Records like The S.O.S. Band and Cherrelle, O’Neal was signed to the label. (Photo: TABU Records)
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His Own Man - In 1985, O’Neal released his self-titled debut album. While the album received little fanfare in the U.S., it did extremely well in the U.K. That same year, he scored a hit singing on Cherrelle’s “Saturday Love.” Cherrelle and O’Neal are such a perfect match, vocally, they become the ‘80s version of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. (Photo: Tabu Records)
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The Hearsay - O’Neal released his sophomore LP, Hearsay, in 1987. The gold-selling album, produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, is a mixture of funky dance jams like “Fake” and “Criticize” and smoothed-out love tunes like “Never Knew Love Like The” (with Charrelle). O’Neal’s crooning style, which mixes a bit of edgy urban swag, is a precursor to Guy’s Aaron Hall and R. Kelly. (Photo: Tabu Records)
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A Yuletide Gift - For his third album O’Neal caught the Christmas spirit by putting out My Gift to You in 1988. The Yuletide disc includes covers of classics like “This Christmas” and “The Little Drummer Boy.” (Photo: Virgin Records)
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True Man - In 1991, O’Neal had another gold-selling LP when he releases All True Man. Along with the title track, other hit songs off the album are “Shame on Me,” “What Is This Thing Called Love” and “Sentimental.” (Photo: Tabu Records)
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Departing Tabu - For his last LP on Tabu Records, O’Neal released Love Makes No Sense in 1993. It was his first album made without production from Jam and Lewis. Notable tracks from the project include "Aphrodisia" and "In the Middle.” (Photo: Tabu Records)
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Greatest Hits - Two years later, a greatest hits compilation — The Best of Alexander O’Neal — was released. (Photo: Tabu Records)
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Back in the World - Signing to One World Records, O’Neal put out his sixth disc, Lovers Again, in 1996. With tunes like “Baby Come to Me” (with Cherrelle) and “Let’s Get Together” the album, while not a hit in the U.S., landed on the charts in the U.K. (Photo: EMI)
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The Saga of… - O'Neal released his 2001 album, Saga of a Married Man, with Eagle Records. Produced by former Prince drummer Bobby Z, the album yielded the single “You’re Gonna Miss Me.” (Photo: Eagle Records)
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A Greater Love - In 2005, O'Neal recorded Alexander O'Neal Live at Hammersmith Apollo, his first live album. It is a collection of his many hits. In 2008, he released Alex Loves, his first studio album in six years. (Photo: EMI)
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O’Neal’s United Kingdom - Alexander O’Neal has always received love from music fans, but none more consistently than the ones in the United Kingdom, where his music has always charted throughout his career. In fact, O’Neal holds the record as the only African-American performer to sell out six straight nights at Wembley Arena, one of England’s premiere performance spaces. (Photo: Sal Idriss/Redferns)