Jamie O’Neal

About Jamie:

Grammy nominated and platinum-selling country star Jamie O’Neal is back with her first new album in five years with music that is ETERNAL.

Produced by O’Neal and her engineer/musician husband Rodney Good, ETERNAL is an 11-song collection that infuses great country classics with fresh energy — featuring O’Neal’s own unique take on iconic tunes such as “Leavin’ on your Mind” (Patsy Cline), “The Sweetest Thing” (Juice Newton) “Help Me Make It Through The Night” (Kris Kristofferson), “I’ve Done Enough Dying Today” (The Gatlin Brothers), and the George Jones and Tammy Wynette classic duet, “Golden Ring,” which features O’Neal with Andy Griggs.

The bonus track on the new disc being released by Shanachie Entertainment, is titled “Wide Awake,” the only original song included on the album. O’Neal co-wrote the tune with her dad, Jimmy Murphy, and says it’s an “ode to all women who have to sleep beside a snoring moose every night.”

“ETERNAL is a little different for me,” says O’Neal. “I grew up listening and looking up to all these incredible artists who helped pave the way for singers like me. These songs helped shaped me into who I became as a performer. I was already singing some of these songs in my show and just loved the way I could wail on them. Those traditional, big emotional ballads are hard to come by these days, which is why it was such an honor and a challenge to record such great music.”

“Just like going to the Grand Ole Opry is a special experience and takes us back to our roots of Country music, I hope my new album will take people back to that era and also introduce new fans who may never have heard these songs,” adds O’Neal.

O’Neal became a household name in 2000 with her back to back No. 1 singles, “There Is No Arizona” and “When I Think About Angels.” With multiple hits that followed like “Shiver,” “Tryin’ To Find Atlantis” and “Somebody’s Hero,” O’Neal’s path to stardom was on fire, earning numerous career accolades, including four Grammy nominations, winning ACM and Billboard Awards, and appeared on numerous national television shows such as Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with David Letterman and many others.

A seasoned entertainer, O’Neal pretty much grew up with a mic in her hands. She has been performing on stage with her family since she was 8 years old, opening for many of her idols such as Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Barbara Mandrell and The Oak Ridge Boys just to name a few.

“I always knew from the moment I first stepped on stage that country music was in my blood and that I would make my way to Nashville, come hell or high water,” says O’Neal.

While she has penned most of the songs for her own albums, O’Neal has also penned hits for such notable artists as Reba, Martina McBride, Leann Rimes, Cece Winans and others. And, when the music supervisors needed a vocal range powerful enough to cover Celine Dion’s version of “All By Myself” for the movie Bridget Jones’ Diary, they chose O’Neal to perform the song.

In recent years, O’Neal has ventured into new territory with the launch of her new independent record label, Momentum Label Group, of which she serves as the label head and produces music for some of the label’s roster, including flagship artist, Rachele Lynae.

“There’s so much undiscovered talent out there, and the major labels in town are getting smaller and smaller,” notes O’Neal. “There are so many more advantages to what a small independent label can do for the artist these days, like allowing them to have more creative input and to retain ownership of their recordings.”

While she humbly says she is learning as she goes, O’Neal has been leaning on her own career and businesswoman expertise to guide her along in this new chapter.

“Things have changed so much since I moved back to Nashville in ’96 and got my record deal,” confides O’Neal. “It’s so easy to discover new music and new artists on the web and that’s exciting because you can build a real fan base and connect with your fans so much easier now. It’s no longer exclusively based on whether radio plays you or not.”

Whether she’s writing hit songs, running a record label, producing or performing on stage for thousands of fans, O’Neal feels grateful for the journey she’s been on, as well as what’s ahead.

“All of these opportunities have come to light because of the “musical path God put me on,” believes O’Neal. “I am so fortunate to be able to do what I love, which is making music and sharing it with anyone who will listen.”