Tim & Ryan O'Neill, nationally known recording artists from New Prague, MN, have released over 35 CDs of piano music in their relaxing, signature style. The O’Neill Brothers have sold over two million CDs and currently sell over 250,000 song downloads every month. Tim and Ryan have performed for several governors, US Presidents and have toured with pop superstar Deborah Gibson, as well as Katie McMahon, the original voice of Riverdance. The O’Neill Brothers have provided music for NBC, CBS, ESPN, PBS, HBO and have performed over 100 times on QVC TV. Their most recent PBS concert special, “Piano for Someone You Love,” was nominated for an Emmy award, and several of their CDs have topped the Billboard charts. Their wedding CD 'A Day to Remember' is the #1 selling wedding CD in the USA.

Watch this 3 minute video: More About The O'Neill Brothers

Tim & Ryan have played the piano since a young age, but found the appeal of two brothers playing two pianos while attending Notre Dame. In 1997, they started their own independent record label, Shamrock-n-Roll, Inc.

Publications such as the Los Angeles Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Southern Bride, Parenting magazine, and Mpls./St. Paul magazine agree, describing their music as “reflective, soothing, soulful, and stimulating”. They rave about their “keyboard artistry” and love the "enthusiasm and charming character" of the two brothers in concert.

Enthusiastic fans have made successes of the O’Neill Brothers’ albums, including collections of holiday favorites, Irish songs, classic and original love songs, lullabies, movie and Broadway songs, wedding music, familiar inspirational songs, and patriotic music.

Where it all began... 

Who would have guessed that these pudgy little fingers would go on to perform for presidents, record over 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.

In February of 2006, Tim and Ryan returned to the road for a Midwestern concert tour featuring celebrity guest vocalist, Deborah Gibson. Gibson, an 80s pop sensation and current Broadway star, collaborated with the brothers on a new recording of love songs entitled "Someone You Love." The CD featured a new original song performed by Ms. Gibson and an acoustic remake of her hit "Lost In Your Eyes."

Today, the brothers continue to build upon the momentum of each career highlight. Their enthusiastic fans have made successes of the O’Neill Brothers’ 24 albums, including the holiday-themed Coming Home, Spirit of the Season, Spirit of the Season Volume II, and Holiday Home; 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, P.S., I Love You and Someone You Love (featuring the vocals of Deborah Gibson); Sweet Dreams, a collection of lullabies; Notre Dame favorites A Notre Dame Experience and Here Come the Irish; Inspiration; a collection of eight decades of movie themes, Through the Years; On Broadway; three collections of wedding songs, A Day to Remember (which has become the top-selling wedding CD on theknot.com and weddingchannel.com), A Day to Remember Volume II, and A Day to Remember: Music for your Beach Wedding; Celebrate America, a 2-CD collection of patriotic favorites, and inspirational releases, One and The Journey.

 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.”