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Thursday September 9, 2010
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plays seriously soulful, heartfelt and rockin' country music like no one else!
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. Ask any of the country music lovers who hit the dance floor every time Todd O'Neill and Big Cat Daddy crank things up on a Saturday night. In the tradition of his role models – Merle Haggard, Keith Whitley and especially Otis Redding – O'Neill is totally committed to any song he's singing. As he built his regional reputation at home, O'Neill was making regular trips to Nashville, actually moving to Music City for a year back in 2003 to get a feel for the business and to work on his songwriting. It was an invaluable experience that sent the fledgling artist back home and back to the drawing board. "Nashville really showed me how unprepared I was," O'Neill says. "At the time, I didn't realize my guns weren't loaded, but I spent a lot of time networking and finding out what the deal was." He was promoting his debut album in Nashville when he was introduced to singer/songwriter Gary Nichols, a major label veteran who inspired the O'Neill to take his music in an inspired new direction. "Gary took me to Muscle Shoals and I recorded at Fame Studios," O'Neill says. "Muscle Shoals has so much amazing history with artists like Otis Redding, Little Richard, Clarence Carter, the Allman Bros., the Stones and Waylon Jennings." With Nichols contributing songs and co-producing (along with Rick James' "Super Freak" producer Tom Swift), O'Neill dug down deep, unearthing a depth and soulfulness that came as a surprise to everyone, including the singer himself. "It just amazed me," O'Neill says. "On my first album, we were doing '90s-based country but now it's more like rock 'n' roll country soul. It is definitely more in-your-face, and I think it's going to make people laugh and cry and dance. I am super excited about this new music, and I'm ready to show the world these tunes. I think we're really on to something." Some Kind of Wonderful – Grand Funk Railroad American Band – Grand Funk Railroad Funky Music – Wild Cherry Brick House – The Commodores The Freeze – Ronnie Millsap Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd Simple Man – Lynyrd Skynyrd Keep Your Hands to Yourself – Georgia Satellites Standby Me – Ben E. King Night Moves – Bob Segar Turn the Page – Bob Segar Mustang Sally – Wilson Pickett The Stroke – Clarence Carter Use me Up – Bill Withers Ain't No Sunshine – Bill Withers Best of My Love - Eagles Seven Bridges Road – Eagles Hotel California – Eagles Hard to Handle – Black Crowes She Talks to Angels – Black Crowes Shaky Ground – Delbert McClinton Roll the Dice – Delbert McClinton Giving it Up for Your Love – Delbert McClinton Pride & Joy – Stevie Ray Vaughn Mama Tried – Merle Haggard Ramblin Fever – Merle Haggard Stay & Drink – Merle Haggard Workin Man Blues- Merle Haggard Superstition – Stevie Wonder Slow Hand – Conway Twitty Lay You Down – Conway Twitty 8 Second Ride – Jake Owen Dixie – Jake Owen Startin with Me – Jake Owen Somethin Bout a Woman – Jake Owen You'll Think of Me – Keith Urban Somebody Like You – Keith Urban Stupid Boy – Keith Urban Rainin on Sunday – Keith Urban Till Summer Comes Around - Keith Urban Who Wouldn't Want to be Me – Keith Urban Why – Jason Aldean Relentless – Jason Aldean Amarillo Sky – Jason Aldean Big Green Tractor – Jason Aldean Hick Town – Jason Aldean She's Country – Jason Aldean Born to Boogie – Hank Jr. Dinosaur – Hank Jr. Anything Goes – Randy Houser Boots On – Randy Houser Country is my Rock – Trent Tomlinson Till Next Time – Trent Tomlinson Drunker than Me – Trent Tomlinson Good Directions – Billy Currington Chicken Fried – Zac Brown Band Sweet Melissa – Allman Brothers Can't Get Off my Mind – Lenny Kravitz Rock Star – Nickelback Bright Lights – Rob Thomas Lights – Journey Faithfully – Journey Calling All Angels – Train Bad Day – Fuel If I Could Be Like That – 3 Doors Down Love Me When I'm Gone – 3 Doors Down Troubadour – George Strait Fireman – George Strait Alright Now – Free LaGrange - ZZ Top Tush – ZZ Top Lay Down Sally – Eric Clapton Old Love – Eric Clapton Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton The Dance – Garth Brooks Friends and Low Places – Garth Brooks She Wouldn't be Gone – Blake Shelton Boot Scootin Boogie – Brooks and Dunn Neon Moon – Brooks and Dunn Dock of the Bay – Otis Redding I Got a Woman – Ray Charles Good Time Charlie – Jim Reeves Wave on Wave – Pat Green Hillbillies – Hot Apple Pie Some Days You Gotta Dance – The Ranch Summer of 69 – Bryan Adams Why Georgia Why – John Mayer Angel Eyes – Jeff Healey Band Chevy Van – Sammy Johns Be With You – Mr. Big Joker – Steve Miller Band Feel Like Makin Love – Bad Company Shooting Star – Bad Company Can't Get Enough of Your Love – Bad Company What Hurts the Most – Rascal Flatts Bring it on Home to Me - Little Big Town Stuck in the Middle with You - ??? Can't You See – Marshall Tucker Band Paint Me a Birmingham – Tracy Lawrence Almost Home – Craig Morgan International Harvester – Craig Morgan Love of a Woman – Travis Tritt Here's a Quarter – Travis Tritt TROUBLE – Travis Tritt Wind Blow By – Tim McGraw Only God Knows Why – Kid Rock In Your Eyes – Peter Gabriel Long Train Runnin – Doobie Brothers Cowboy – Bon Jovi Blue on Black – Kenny Wayne Sheppard Louisiana Saturday Night – Mel McDaniel Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash Wonderwall – Oasis White Liar – Miranda Lambert In Color – Jamey Johnson Last Kiss – Wayne Cochran Feel that Fire – Dierks Bentley Margaritaville – Jimmy Buffet Dixie Land Delight – Alabama Fishin in the Dark – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Hoochie Coochie Man – Muddy Waters Big Mamou – Wayne Toups Tupelo Honey – Wayne Toups All My Friends Say – Luke Bryan
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