User:Bill ONeal

Bill O’Neal is an American professional musician/bassist who currently plays and tours with the legendary Rock and a Roll Hall of Fame Motown group “The Miracles.”

He was born in Marlton, NJ in 1959 before moving to Southern California in 1972. Originally an accomplished clarinetist, Bill took up the bass as a high school sophomore. During this time he studied with legendary session bassist Max Bennett. As a high school senior he was selected by jazz bass legend Ray Drummond as the bassist for the Monterey Jazz Festival High School All-Star Band. As a young musician Bill played with such greats as Chad Wackerman, Eric Marienthal, Brendan Fields, Doug Webb, Ron Stout and many other great musicians in the Orange County area. He had also played with jazz greats such as George Duke, Benny Golson and Clark Terry. He is a 1984 graduate of the Berklee College of Music. While in Boston he studied with Miroslav Vitous, a founding member of Weather Report, and Charlie Banacos.

Bill has done hundreds of recording sessions for radio and television and is also a licensed entertainment attorney and was a financial partner in the Grammy Nominated record label F Squared Entertainment/Finer Arts Records, whose artists Willie Nelson, Roy Clark, Sister Sledge, Sam Harris and Peter Cetera.