SEE JOHNNY’S PORTRAYAL OF ART TATUM IN THE NEW BIOPIC “RAY”! "Music is my mistress," says native Detroiter pianist/vocalist Johnny O'Neal, "and I'm just living for the music." Johnny's enormous musical gifts were immediately apparent to jazz icon Ray Brown and led to his 1983 debut album "Coming Out". Stints with Ray Brown, Milt Jackson and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers soon followed. Johnny has been tapped for appearances by Clark Terry, Buddy de Franco, Buddy Tate, Anita O'Day, Lionel Hampton, Kenny Burrell, Sonny Stitt and Eddie"Lockjaw"Davis among others. Performances on the festival circuits in Europe, Australia, Japan and a recent tour of South Africa have gained Johnny an international following. "Johnny is outstanding in his ability to interpret a wide range of material with ease and sensitivity." according to Parkwood Records Hugh Leal. This versatility was showcased on his debut recording for Justin Time, "On the Montreal Scene", which soulfully interweaves gospel, blues and mainstream jazz. Jim Little who writes regularly for the Montreal weekly Hour proffered, "O'Neal offers up a serving of the blues and gospel ingredients that help make him such a tasty player." Astonishingly, he is largely self-taught. His playing evokes the influences imbued in him by his idols Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum, and he has reshaped these elements into his own very swinging and melodic approach. In live performances, he is apt to catch his audience off-guard with his soulfully rendered yet unpretentious vocalizations. Johnny admits to loving to shout the blues but calls himself a piano player first. There have been two notable events in Johnny's career that continue to inspire him: an appearance at the renowned Carnegie Hall early in his career, and his recent induction into the Jazz Hall of Fame. "I just want to play and preserve the style of the jazz masters," emphasizes Johnny. Dedication to that mission statement is evident in his innovative interpretations of the jazz classics, and in his own lyrical compositions. Although a seasoned veteran, his playing is distinguished by its ingenuous flavor, and reveals a boisterous and enthusiastic optimism that leaves audiences spellbound.