John Joseph O'Neill (born 26 August 1957) is a musician who is the rhythm guitarist and principal songwriter of the punk rock/new wave band the Undertones.[1] O'Neill, along with his younger brother Vincent and friends Feargal Sharkey, Michael Bradley and Billy Doherty, founded the Undertones in 1975, but Vincent O'Neill was replaced the following year with his younger brother Damian O'Neill, who became the band's lead guitarist.[2]
John Joseph O'Neill | |
|---|---|
 O'Neill in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Joseph O'Neill |
| Also known as | Sean O'Neill |
| Born | 26 August 1957 Derry, Northern Ireland |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Rhythm guitar |
| Years active | 1976–1994, 1999–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | The Undertones |
| Formerly of | That Petrol Emotion |
John O'Neill wrote the majority of the band's singles and a number of album tracks[3] (occasionally collaborating with his brother Damian or Michael Bradley). Undertones songs written by John O'Neill include the singles "Teenage Kicks", "Jimmy Jimmy", "Here Comes the Summer" and "You've Got My Number", and such notable album tracks as "When Saturday Comes", "I Gotta Getta", "Girls That Don't Talk" and "You're Welcome".
After releasing four albums and 13 singles, the Undertones disbanded in 1983;[4] they reformed in November 1999. Since then, the band (who have a new lead singer, fellow Derry native Paul McLoone who also serves as a radio presenter for the Irish national and independent radio station Today FM) have released two more albums and performed a number of gigs in both the UK, Ireland, Europe and North America.[5]
In 1985, the O'Neill brothers formed That Petrol Emotion, an acclaimed rock act that disbanded in 1994.[6]
In the 1990s, he formed a trip hop group named Rare under the stage name Seán Ó'Néill with vocalist Mary Gallagher. Despite some positive reviews in the music press, they only had one notable chart appearance and disbanded shortly after the release of their only album in 1998.
References
edit- ^ Heibutzki, Ralph. "Biography: The Undertones". All Media Guide. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ Teenage Kicks: My Life as an Undertone ISBN 978-1-78558-180-9 pp. 19-20
- ^ "One Old 'Journal' Photograph, Two Future Stars and The Rest is History". Derry Journal. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ Teenage Kicks: My Life as an Undertone ISBN 978-1-78558-180-9 p. 217
- ^ "Shows 1976-1983". Theundertones.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ The Rough Guide to Rock ISBN 978-1-858-28457-6 p. 1121
Further reading
edit- Bradley, Michael (2016). Teenage Kicks: My Life as an Undertone. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-78558-180-9
External links
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