Alexander O'Neal

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

O'Neal released his debut album, the eponymous Alexander O'Neal, in 1985, which spawned the commercially successful singles "Innocent", "If You Were Here Tonight", "A Broken Heart Can Mend" and "What's Missing". In 1985, he collaborated with Cherrelle on the single "Saturday Love" which reached the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100. In 1987, he released his critically acclaimed second solo album Hearsay which continued his production partnership with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Hearsay was a major commercial success, peaking at number twenty-nine on the Billboard 200 and number two on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album was even more successful in the United Kingdom, peaking at number four. It was certified gold by the RIAA on October 20, 1987. In the UK, it sold more than 900,000 copies, being certified 3× Platinum by the BPI.

The late 1980s marked the peak of O'Neal's career, scoring several appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 with singles including "Fake", "Criticize" and "Never Knew Love Like This". Other commercially successful singles released during this period include "The Lovers" and "(What Can I Say) To Make You Love Me". In 1991, he released "All True Man" as the lead single from his fourth solo album of the same name. The album was a major commercial success in the United Kingdom, peaking at number two, however, in the United States fared less favourably following a peak position of forty-nine on the Billboard 200. In 1993, he released his first album without production input from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis – Love Makes No Sense. The lead single from the album missed the Billboard Hot 100 charts, but reached the top forty in the United Kingdom.

Subsequent albums Lovers Again (1996), Saga of a Married Man (2002), Alex Loves... (2008) and Five Questions: The New Journey (2010) achieved moderate success in the United Kingdom. AllMusic described O'Neal as having a "tough voice [that] has the same grain and range as that of Otis Redding."

Alexander O'Neal was born November 15, 1953, in Natchez, Mississippi, United States, just a few months after his father died. After graduating from high school in Natchez, he attended Alcorn State University. 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, a band which included Monte Moir, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

After a relationship of over 30 years, O'Neal married Cynthia in 2024.

According to Jimmy Jam, around 1980–1981, O'Neal (along with fellow members of the band Flyte Tyme) met with Prince and Morris Day at Perkins restaurant in Minneapolis to discuss forming a band that would be called The Time that would be signed to Prince under the Warner Bros. label. Following a disagreement with Prince, O'Neal was replaced as lead singer by Morris Day. It was later discovered that Prince believed that O'Neal was "too black" to be in the band, which ultimately lead to his dismal as replacing with Morris Day.

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.