“Great lyrics, very clever… he has a lovely voice” – Steve Lillywhite, Grammy Award-winning producer (U2, the Rolling Stones)
“I would dream of having a voice like that” – Owen Paul
What would you do if Johnny Cash himself asked you to join him on stage? For Anthony O’Neill, there was no real decision to be made. Of course, at the time he didn’t realise just how big a deal that was, but he was emboldened by Johnny’s opening words to the band: “Ah’m so honoured you boys are doing my music”.
Many years, recordings and bands later, Anthony is now doing his own take on country music, alongside his fluid cast of musicians, The Murder. But the influence of Johnny and his ilk isn’t hard to detect; while this is unmistakeably the darker side of country, there’s some dry wit and gallows humour to be found.
Clearly, it resonates with listeners: the group earned nominations in two categories in the 2024 UK Country Music Awards – UK Country Artist of the Year and UK Country Group of the Year.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Anthony followed up his debut EP All That’s Left to Rust with a double A-side comprised of The L&N Don’t Stop Here and Muddy Waters before changing gears entirely with an upbeat and uplifting Christmas single Waterloo Sunset (Christmas Morning).
In the spring of 2025, Anthony O’Neill and the Murder released the single The Endless Plain of Fortune.
The song tells of the South Africa gold rush of the early 1900s, in the time between the collapse of the empire and the Great War. People from every walk of life sought their fortune and, when the gold and gems ran dry, so did the dreams.
Anthony said: “While recording the album, we pretty much banged this out during a break. Some orchestral musicians from the opposite studio stuck their heads around the door and offered their services, so I sat down and scored out parts for cello, trumpet and timpani, and voilà – a new track in the can.”
An album is due in 2025 – with some unexpected collaborators coming along for the ride – along with a series of gigs. Expect the unexpected.
