The Corrs are a truly unique phenomenon in the global music industry, the band is comprised of three sisters and their one brother, all in their 20s. Their music blends traditional Irish folk styles with 90s studio production and each member of the band is involved in the writing, playing and, even, singing of their tremendously successful brand of pop.
The band - Andrea (lead vocals, tin whistle), Caroline (drums, bodhran, vocals), Sharon (violin, vocals), and Jim (keyboards, guitars, vocals) - grew up in Dundalk in Ireland's County Louth, which sits right on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
They got their first big break shortly after forming, when they were spotted in a small Dublin club by U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy who was so impressed that he invited them to America to play at the World Cup celebration in Boston. This trip to the US gave the unsigned band an opportunity to court major record labels and following a string of private showcases they joined the roster of the Atlantic Group.
The deal led to the band's debut album 'Forgiven, Not Forgotten' which was released in 1995, and has since sold over 2,000,000 copies in Australia, New Zealand, the UK. The key to the Corrs' success has been the reworking of their traditional sound by producers from the world of electronic dance music.
Two tracks in particular, reworked by Tin Tin Out, 'What Can I Do?' and 'Runaway', along with Todd Terry's mix of 'Dreams' found the right kind of commercial appeal and these new mixes ensured that the songs reappeared on the band's second album.
'Talk On Corners', was released in 1997 and, like the band's debut, was produced in part by fourteen-time Grammy Award-winning producer David Foster. The album has enjoyed phenomenal success in the UK and seemed to dominate the top 10 from April 1998 for an incredibly long time, hitting the number 1 spot on four separate occasions.
Its immense success led to a surge in sales of 'Forgiven, Not Forgotten' which returned again to the top 5 - giving the group the rare distinction of having both of its albums simultaneously at the top of the charts.
In 1999 the band were Brit Award nominated in the Best International Band category, where they stood alongside Air, the Beastie Boys, Fun Lovin' Criminals, and R.E.M. Their renowned stage show has been broadcast on numerous television networks around the world and even entertained the traditionally rock-orientated audience of the Glastonbury Festival 1999. Sharon explains that live performance is the band's first priority, "It's where you really reach your audience, where you really communicate with them."
Andrea Corr has also found time to develop a movie career which began with her role in Alan Parker's film 'The Commitments' and was followed by a small part alongside Madonna in the same director's film, Evita: "It was brilliant with Madonna, she was fantastic. I was nervous, but I just did my bit."
Following the bombing of Omagh in Northern Ireland, the band set up a benefit project for the victims and memorably performed R.E.M. classic, 'Everybody Hurts' for a specially broadcast concert. They then featured on the album, 'Across The Bridge Of Hope', alongside U2, the Divine Comedy, Van Morrison and Sinead O'Connor, the proceeds from which were donated to the Omagh Memorial Fund. In 1999 they returned to headline another memorial concert for the Omagh victims, watched by equally rapturous crowds around the world.
They also recorded an 'Unplugged' set for MTV, which was released on album and video as well as working on their first studio album for three years. Further concert appearances included spots at Party In The Park and NetAid. The new year saw recording interrupted by gigs at the Concert For Peace and a headline slot at London's celebration of all things Irish, the Fleadh.
The first taster from their new album, 'Breathless', was released in July 2000 and became their first Number 1 single, with their new album 'In Blue' also becoming a huge hit. They played a massive UK arena tour over the Christmas and New Year period, although due to Andrea developing a serious ear infection they had to reschedule the last week of dates for April. |
