HE was fired by Prince and stormed out of the Celebrity Big Brother house after a row with Perez Hilton.

But despite a habit of occasionally getting on the wrong side of people, Alexander O’Neal’s career has been one of resilience.

At the height of his powers, Alexander became the only artist to sell out six consecutive nights at Wembley Arena.

And the American R&B singer was welcomed in the UK from the start with three of his records going gold between 1985 and 1991.

Now Alexander is celebrating his staying power in the tough music business with a reworking of his classic album, Hearsay, to mark its 30th anniversary.

Currently based in Manchester collaborating with a group of songwriters called Mamma Freedom, he has also been in the studio working on a new record due for release in January.

Alexander told Weekend: “I’m very pleased and blessed to be marking 40 years in the industry.

“It’s been more than 30 years since I got my first national recording contract and 10 years before that I was just doing the Minneapolis music scene and having a ball.

“I’m just thankful to have longevity because that’s what you want in your job. And I’m thankful to be able to do something I enjoy

“I enjoy making people feel good, I enjoy the interaction with my fans and I have a real passion for performing in the UK.”

Alexander grew up in rural Mississippi in a big family with four sisters and one brother.

Most of his family enjoyed singing in church but Alexander was too shy for that and he only dared to sing publicly for a friend’s mum when he was bribed with a dime.

The 63-year-old said: “I didn’t want to do it at all so they offered me a dime and I started singing immediately for that.

“I guess you could consider that my first paid gig. It was the beginning for me in terms of realising there was something there. It was recognising I could do what other people could do because I knew great singers in the town that I was from.”

Despite that realisation Alexander still drifted in his late teens when he went to live in Chicago.

He added: “I was living there for a couple of years but then I got fed up of working in factories.

“It didn’t feel like my destiny and I was always a bit of an adventurous guy so I called my cousin in Minneapolis–Saint Paul and said I wanted to come up.

“So I called up that morning and 9pm that night I was on the Greyhound bus to Minneapolis.

“I’ve been living there on and off for 40 years now. When you’re young you’re trying to find yourself and I think that’s what brought me there.

“When I came that environment was so different to the one I’d just come out of. I just embraced it. It’s a beautiful city.”

His big break was a deal with Capitol Records in 1985 – but it could have worked out very differently.

Alexander, who was inspired by Nat King Cole and Sammy Davis Jr, said: “I went professional in 1975 and I’d made up my mind that if I didn’t have a record deal in 10 years I would go and do something else.”

His back-up plan was to train to become a truck driver in Wisconsin.

He added: “I had to get serious so I had something to raise a family on – and on the 10th year I got a record deal. That still amazes me. Stick to your dreams – you never know. I was working with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis who were basically the hottest songwriters in the business at the time.

“I had the opportunity to work for this big machine and big companies like Sony.”

But in a way Alexander’s record deal was his second shot at the industry after he was fired by Prince in 1981.

Prince saw Alexander’s potential straight away when he made him the lead singer of a band he was putting together called The Time.

Alexander, who was due to record a version of If I Was Here Tonight with Whitney Houston before her death,

He said: “Prince was a workaholic. The man recorded constantly. He basically lived in the studio and I venture to say there’s hundreds and hundreds of Prince tracks that nobody has heard.

“I was hired and fired almost in the same breath. I started asking questions about the financial aspect of that venture and I guess he thought I was going to be a problem. Consequently he fired me. I think the statement going around was I was ‘too black’. I don’t know if that was in my mannerisms or the pigmentation of my skin.

“But that’s water under the bridge. I had nothing but respect for Prince and we talked on occasions. Sometimes the media blows things out of proportion.

“I just took it that it wasn’t my time. It wasn’t my opportunity, it was the band’s opportunity so they took it and made something out of it.”

So after 40 years in the business what is Alexander’s advice to singers?

He added: “Sammy Davis Jr taught me that you should use everything you’ve got, everything in your arsenal. If you’re a good conversationalist use that, if you’re a good tap dancer use that – but use it all.

“You never know who’s in the house that night, you never know who’s reading the newspaper so you’ve got to just go for it.”

Alexander O’Neal performs at the Parr Hall with a nine-piece band on Tuesday, November 7. Call 442345 for tickets