The O’Neill Brothers are national independent recording artists who have released 21 CDs of piano music in their relaxing, signature style. Tim and Ryan have sold more than one million copies of their albums — without being associated with a major record label. Along the way, the brothers have written and performed music for HBO (including music for “Sex and the City”), NBC and ESPN; and performed for President George H. W. Bush. In February and May of 2005, their 3-CD set of romantic songs, From the Heart, hit Billboard magazine’s Top Pop Catalog Album chart. Where it all began...

Who would have guessed that these pudgy little fingers would go on to perform for presidents, record nearly 20 albums, and sell more than a million CDs?

         
Tim O'Neill was born at 5:38 PM on July 3, 1972. He was a hefty 9 lbs. 7 ounces and was 22". His mother described him as a "pre-fourth" of July firecracker and "bubbly, always with a smile on his face." With the arrival of the fourth of the five O'Neills, Dad was once again a proud father.

 


At 10:23 am, November 25, 1974, the last of the O'Neill children, Ryan Robert, the youngest and wittiest, was born. Described by his father as "a very peaceful, happy baby," Ryan weighed 9 lbs. 13 ounces. Ryan loved the sound of his mother's lullaby voice before bedtime.

Tim and Ryan each began taking piano lessons at age 5. Each of the five O’Neill children took their turn practicing each day, with Mom setting an egg timer to ensure that each one received an equal amount of time to polish their skills.

The O'Neill Brothers occasionally shared the bench throughout elementary, junior high, and high school, often performing at family gatherings. While attending the University of Notre Dame, they quickly discovered the appeal of two brothers playing on two pianos.

 When Tim spent a year of college in Europe, his mother encouraged him to record and make copies of his music so his friends and family could listen to it while he was away. When he returned, O’Neill was amazed at the number of recordings his mother had distributed, and he decided to plunge full-time into the business of writing, playing, recording and selling his music to a growing audience.

In 1995, Tim played a regular schedule of holiday-themed performances at Minnesota grocery and department stores and quickly found an audience of people who bought hundreds of his CDs after hearing him play. He teamed with his younger brother Ryan in 1997, and the two started their own independent record label, Shamrock-n-Roll, Inc.

Sidestepping traditional music retailers, the young entrepreneurs decided early on to concentrate on distributing their CDs through retailers that cater to their key audience: women age 35 and older. To be in several places at once, the brothers first used computer modules to convert in-store pianos into player pianos, then created high-tech audio kiosks to play entire selections from their albums. “People walked into stores and heard our music, either coming from a kiosk or a real piano,” Ryan says. “It turned out to be a close second to being there in person, and the customers loved it.” 

 
On August 13, 1998, Tim and Ryan celebrated the sale of their 100,000^th CD with 150 friends, family, and fans aboard a riverboat cruise on the St. Croix River. Governor Arne Carlson proclaimed the date “Tim and Ryan O’Neill Day” in Minnesota. They were able to mingle with all those who have helped make their success possible. By the following August, they were celebrating on the St. Croix again as sales surpassed 250,000 CDs. 

 
In addition to reaching hundreds of thousands of fans, they’ve accomplished things they barely even dreamed were possible along the way. In 2000 they began the first of several annual Holiday Concert Tours, which grew to as many as nine cities as it gained in popularity over the years. In March of 2002, Tim and Ryan were invited to play for the Points of Light Foundation Awards Banquet in New York City. President George H.W. Bush was in the audience that night.

Throughout their career, the brothers have written and performed music for television, including HBO (“Sex and the City”), PBS (“Irish Pianos with The O’Neill Brothers”), NBC and ESPN. They arranged and performed the music featured in a public service announcement for Notre Dame starring Regis Philbin.

In the spring of 2004, Tim and Ryan performed for the first time on QVC, the popular national home shopping channel. They quickly reached their goal of selling out their entire inventory of CDs – doing it in just minutes. Subsequent appearances with many different CDs from their library of albums also proved successful among QVC viewers. On July 25, 2004, while performing selections from their popular 3 CD Box Set of holiday tunes, Tim and Ryan sold their 1,000,000^th CD.

 
Unbeknownst to them until almost a week later, this landmark event propelled them to yet another milestone in their career. In the August 19, 2004 issue of Billboard magazine, the 3-CD Holiday Collection debuted on the Comprehensive Album chart at number 95 – just above Britney Spears’ latest release. They did it again in February 2005, with the appearance of their “From the Heart” 3 CD Box Set at #30 on Billboard’s Pop Catalog chart. 

 “In many ways, selling a million CDs isn’t even the most amazing part of what we’ve experienced,” says Ryan. “We constantly have to stop along the way and remind ourselves that, as great as it’s been, it’s only really beginning. We’re grateful our fans have responded to our music so strongly, and we hope to continue recording and performing for many years to come.” In January 2005, the brothers hosted a Caribbean cruise to celebrate the million-selling milestone.

 
Today, the brothers continue to build upon the momentum of each career highlight. Their enthusiastic fans have made successes of the O’Neill Brothers’ 18 albums, including the holiday-themed Coming Home, Spirit of the Season and Spirit of the Season Volume II; The Meeting of the Waters, a collection of traditional Irish songs; the classic and original love songs of Look Within, Love Always, Hands of Time and P.S., I Love You; Sweet Dreams, a collection of lullabies; One; A Notre Dame Experience; Here Come the Irish; Inspiration; a collection of eight decades of movie themes, Through the Years; On Broadway; a collection of wedding songs, A Day to Remember (which has become the top-selling wedding CD on theknot.com and weddingchannel.com); and their most recent release, The Journey, a collection of familiar inspirational songs.

Critics and fans agree that Tim and Ryan bring a "refreshing style to piano music" and love the "enthusiasm and charming character" of the two brothers in concert. Publications such as the Los Angeles Times, Parenting Magazine, Mpls./St. Paul Magazine, and Minneapolis Star Tribune concur, describing The O'Neill Brothers' music as "reflective, soothing and stimulating" and rave about their “keyboard artistry.”

 “It’s been such a great journey to get here,” says Tim. “We’ve been fortunate not only to truly be able to enjoy what we do for a living, but to have people all over the country tell us, ‘We really appreciate what you do, too.’ It’s really gratifying. And being able to say we did it all ourselves is icing on the cake.”