The early 70’s ushered in life-changing singer/songwriter albums like James Taylor’s Sweet Baby James and Simon and Garfunkel’s Bookends while centrist groups like Bread and America vied for top 40 slots with a few edgier songwriters (think Lightfoot and Dylan) and orchestrally-backed melodies written by Webb, Bacharach and similar giants.  Folks paid attention; others fed on the inspiration.  (While his friends were listening to rock, O’Reilly was listening to Alpert and buying albums based on the lyrics/poetry.)  He developed an early love for music and turned it into a one-man road show in the late 70’s, playing hotel/motel lounges in the Northwest, as a summer theater musician in Jackson Hole, and even some time in small Canadian clubs (good name for a drink).  It was during that run that he soon heard the writing on the wall and realized this approach to the music business would probably leave him up a tree without a paddle.  

So he joined the Marine Corps, leveraging a bachelor’s degree in music for a commission.   20 years zipped by and waltzed him into a post 9-11 chance to contribute to the national counterterrorism effort, but he found he was often humming to himself.  So he dusted off his music and decided to establish himself as a real musician by composing, arranging, performing, and producing the whole shootin’ match for his first solo album, Opposites, Magnets and Fools.  An all instrumental album followed, “Serious Underscore,” and album/CD number three, “The Life, O’Reilly” was released in 2017.  Nothing typical in any of these — and all from the heart.  Work continues on number four, with a release date estimated in early 2024!

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