Cassandra O'Neal facts for kids

Cassandra O'Neal (born Cassandra Louise O'Neal on January 17, 1973) is an American musician and composer. She is well known for playing keyboards with the famous artist Prince and his band, The New Power Generation, from 2009 to 2016. Cassandra has worked with many major artists in gospel, pop, and funk music for over 25 years.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Cassandra O'Neal was born in Copiague, New York. She is the youngest child of Rev. Ernest A. O'Neal and Janet Pricilla O'Neal. Cassandra showed a natural talent for music from a very young age.

She started playing the piano by ear when she was just three years old. This means she could play songs just by listening to them. She also had "perfect pitch," which means she could identify musical notes exactly. As she grew up, she continued to develop her skills. She took formal classical piano lessons. She also played music in church and listened to many different types of music. These included new wave, rock, gospel, and pop. In junior and senior high school, she played for school choirs and music groups.

Starting a Music Career

In 1991, Cassandra moved to Los Angeles, California. Soon after, she got her first big chance in the music world. She went on tour with gospel singer Daryl Coley. After that, O'Neal became a musician at the West Angeles Church of God in Christ.

She later released a special DVD called "Wheatworks Productions Presents…West Coast Piano: The Ultimate Gospel Piano Master Class Featuring Cassandra O'Neal." This DVD taught others how to play gospel piano. Cassandra also worked on the music for the 1997 movie The 6th Man. She added keyboards and vocals to the song "Deeper Than Blood." This song was performed by Sovory and became popular on the Billboard Top R&B/HipHop Albums chart.

Working with Famous Artists

Cassandra O'Neal has worked with many big names in R&B, Pop, and Gospel music. In 2002, she toured with Pink on her Party Tour. She has also worked with groups like 98 Degrees and artists such as Kurt Carr & the Kurt Carr Singers, Helen Baylor, Avant, and Chanté Moore.

In 2005, she toured with Yolanda Adams, Martha Munizzi, and Sheila E. on the Sisters in the Spirit Tour. From 2004 to 2007, she was the Musical Director for Macy Gray. This meant she was in charge of the music for Macy Gray's performances. In 2006, O'Neal joined Sy Smith's band as a keyboardist and singer. She also played keyboards on the Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture Deluxe Edition Soundtrack.

In 2008, she joined Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z on their Heart of the City Tour. Cassandra was also part of an all-female band called COED (Chronicles Of Every Diva), which included Sheila E.. She has performed on many TV shows. These include The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. She also played at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards and the 36th NAACP Image Awards. O'Neal helped write several songs for Macy Gray's album, BIG.

Performing with Prince

In 2009, Cassandra O'Neal joined Prince's famous band, The New Power Generation (NPG). She played alongside longtime band members Morris Hayes and John Blackwell. Her first shows with the NPG were in France in October 2009.

She continued to perform with Prince on many tours. These included the 20Ten Tour and the Welcome 2 America Tour. On these tours, she played with special guests like Larry Graham, Maceo Parker, Chaka Kahn, and Janelle Monáe. She also performed at the 2011 Montreal Jazz Festival. O'Neal continued playing with Prince until 2014. Her last performance with The New Power Generation was at the 2016 Official Prince Tribute Concert in Minneapolis, Minnesota. There, she sang a duet called "The Ladder" with Andre Cymone.

Cassandra O'Neal uses Yamaha Motif keyboards, Hammond organs, and Quik Lok Stands for her music.

Releases

• West Coast Piano Instructional DVD