Jim O’Neal is known as co-founder of the Living Blues Magazine in 1970 and of Rooster Blues Records. He also was the co-writer of the book “The Voice of the Blues” and helped all world wide companies if they need help with the blues business (addresses and phone numbers of musicians, blues festivals,…). He also wrote a columne named Blues Esoterica in the Living Blues Magazine. Jim O’Neal was married to Amy Van Singel (1970-1987). They both got into “the blues hall of fame” of the Blues Foundation in Memphis.
Jim and Amy O’Neal with Wolf Records International
I got my first contact to Jim when I ask him to send me the address and phone number of the legendary Honeyboy Edwards. My friends and I founded some years ago the Vienna Blues Fan Club which had the task of bringing american blues musicians to Europe and make this genre more popular. Some of the most famous blues musicians came from Chicago and Mississippi to Europe (mostly to Austria, Netherlands and Sweden) to represent the blues music: Honeyboy Edwards, J.B. Hutto and the Houserockers, Homesick James, Snooky Pryor, Eddie Taylor and Louis Myers, Detroit Jr., Houston Stackhouse and Henry Townsend.
Jim made the arrangements with the musicians (timetable for the tour, contracts and most of all he guarantees that the musicians came on time to the Chicago airport). As soon as the Vienna Blues Fan Club stopped his activities, four members founded Wolf Records International. Jim helped me to arrange our first record session with the legendary Houserockers (Brewer Phillips and Ted Harvey) in 1982. The last cooperation with him was, when he made the liner notes for the new Howlin Wolf CD. He never wants money for all of his work, because he made it for the blues music. We really hope for many more years of a cooperation together with Jim O’Neal.
Hannes Folterbauer