The Corrs
The Corrs are a multi-platinum
folk rock band from Ireland, consisting of three sisters and one brother from the Corr family;
Sharon,
Caroline,
Andrea and
Jim Corr. The band rose to prominence in the late 1990s. They have sold over 60 million albums worldwide, and have had numerous number one singles and albums in Europe and North America .
The Corrs were formed to audition for the 1991 film
The Commitments. Jim, Sharon, and Caroline had a small part as musicians, while Andrea got a speaking part as Sharon Rabbitte, sister of the main character. While auditioning for the movie they were noticed by their future manager,
John Hughes. Their music has been released through
Atlantic Records, part of the
Warner Music Group.
The band was relatively unknown outside of
Ireland until 1994 when American ambassador to the country
Jean Kennedy Smith invited the group to perform at the 1994
World Cup in
Boston. This performance also led to the band becoming the supporting act for
Celine Dion on her 1996 world tour.
Their first album,
Forgiven, Not Forgotten, had its greatest success in
Australia,
Sweden,
Spain and
Ireland, gaining later success in the
UK and in
Canada. In 1998 they released
Talk On Corners, which was primarily popular in
Ireland and
Britain, but then successfully spread across the globe. Both have been certified
gold in the
United States, and
In Blue has been certified
platinum by the
RIAA. In 2004, they released
Borrowed Heaven, which has been very popular globally.
According to the
Irish Recorded Music Association, The Corrs have sold over 50 million albums worldwide, not including singles. In January of 2006, the
Irish Singles Chart released statments claiming that the band had sold closer to 60 million albums worldwide.
They also recorded
Canto Alla Vita with
Josh Groban for his self-titled album, and also been involved with a number of collaborations including with
Rod Stewart,
Alejandro Sanz,
Ron Wood from
The Rolling Stones,
Sheryl Crow on
C'mon, C'mon and
Bono from
U2.
In 2005 the band returned with
Home, a traditional Irish album celebrating their roots, many of the songs coming from their late mother's songbook including two songs in the
Irish language. In October 2005 the band released
All The Way Home an up-to-date documentary on the band along with a live concert from their
Borrowed Heaven tour in
Geneva recorded in 2004.
The band became the second
Irish band to sell over a million albums in
Ireland.
The four core Corrs were born in
Dundalk,
Ireland, the children of Gerry and Jean Corr, two musicians. The group contains all the Corr siblings, three sisters and their brother.
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Jim Corr (born James Steven Ignatius Corr, on
July 31 1964) is the oldest member of the band. He mainly plays the
guitar, but is also proficient on the
keyboards and the
piano.
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Sharon Corr (born Sharon Helga Corr, on
March 24 1970) plays the
violin and performs backing vocals.
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Caroline Corr (born Caroline Georgina Corr, on
March 17 1973) plays
drums,
percussion,
bodhrán,
piano, backing vocals, and
tambourine.
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Andrea Corr (born Andrea Jane Corr, on
May 17 1974) sings lead vocals, backing vocals, and plays the
tin whistle.
All members can also play the
piano which was taught to them by their father Gerry Corr.
All four siblings were made Honorary Members of the
Order of the British Empire in 2005 for their outstanding contribution to music and charity work. This was met with some discontent by some in the Republic of Ireland as the Order is, obviously, a British award headed by
Queen Elizabeth II. Confusion about the award was widespread in the
United States as is the meaning of terms such as
British Isles or
United Kingdom. The Corrs are from a part of Ireland which is no longer in the
United Kingdom or the
Commonwealth although many there acknowledge the country's past and present links with the UK. [
1]
Support
The band's usual support musicians are Anto Drennan (
lead guitar) and Keith Duffy (
bass guitar). From 2004, Duffy's brother Jason Duffy joined on percussion, with Kieran Kiely on
accordion and
keyboards. The band excel in their live shows and have been called by
U2's
Bono "the loudest whisper in pop".
The future of the band is currently unknown. However, they have stated innumerable times that they never see themselves quitting. They are currently taking a break to raise their families and explore new options in their careers. They are not breaking up.
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Andrea Corr is currently undertaking some new projects in acting, and just finished filming a new movie called
Broken Thread alongside
Linus Roache and
Saffron Burrows. The film is said to be an exciting psychological thriller being compared to
The Sixth Sense. She is also working on her first solo album with (among others)
Nellee Hooper. The album is expected to be called
Present and expected to be released in the early Autumn of 2006.
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Sharon Corr recently gave birth to her first child with husband Gavin Bonnar in March of 2006 and presumably will be taking time off to look after her new family.
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Caroline Corr, busy with her two children, also will be taking time off.
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Jim Corr announced his engagement to his girlfriend late last year, former
Miss Northern Ireland Gayle Williamson, who just gave birth to the couple's first child in May 2006. A wedding date has not been announced.
For a complete discography, see The Corrs discography.Albums
Forgiven, Not Forgotten - (September 1995)
Talk On Corners - (1997)
The Corrs Unplugged - (October 1999)
In Blue - (June 2000)
The Best Of The Corrs - (October 2001)
VH1 Presents: The Corrs, Live In Dublin - (March 2002)
Borrowed Heaven - (May 2004)
Home - (September 2005)
Singles
| Year | Title | Ireland | UK | US | US AC | US AC Top 40 | | 1995 | "Runaway" | 7 | 49 | 68 | 20 | - |
| 1996 | "Forgiven, Not Forgotten" | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| 1996 | "The Right Time" | 3 | - | - | - | 37 |
| 1996 | "Love to Love You" | 39 | 62 | - | - | - |
| 1997 | "Only When I Sleep" | 1 | 58 | - | - | - |
| 1997 | "I Never Loved You Anyway" | 1 | 43 | - | - | - |
| 1998 | "What Can I Do" | 21 | 53 | - | - | - |
| 1998 | "Dreams" | 1 | 6 | - | - | - |
| 1998 | "What Can I Do (Tin Tin Out Remix)" | 2 | 3 | - | - | - |
| 1998 | "So Young (K-Klass Remix)" | 1 | 6 | - | - | - |
| 1999 | "Runaway (Tin Tin Out Remix)" | 1 | 2 | - | - | - |
| 1999 | "Radio" | 11 | 18 | - | - | - |
| 2000 | "Breathless" | 1 | 1 | 34 | 14 | 7 |
| 2000 | "Irresistible" | 5 | 20 | - | - | - |
| 2001 | "Give Me a Reason" | 14 | 27 | - | - | - |
| 2001 | "All The Love In The World" | - | - | - | 21 | - |
| 2001 | "Would You Be Happier?" | 5 | 14 | - | - | - |
| 2002 | "When The Stars Go Blue" | - | - | - | 20 | - |
| 2004 | "Summer Sunshine" | 2 | 6 | - | 29 | 18 |
| 2004 | "Angel" | 3 | 16 | - | - | - |
| 2004 | "Long Night" | 1 | 31 | - | - | - |
| 2005 | "Old Town"/"Heart Like A Wheel" | 24 | 68 | - | - | - |
*Japanese pop star
Tomiko Van ranks The Corrs as one of her favourite bands
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Music of Ireland*
1990s music groups*
2000s music groups*
List of Pepsi spokespersons*
List of artists who reached number one in Ireland*
List of Number 1 albums from the 1990s (UK)*
List of number-one albums from the 2000s (UK)*
List of number-one singles from the 2000s (UK)*
List of celebrities who have been awarded the Order of the British Empire*
The Corrs Official Website*
The Corrs Online, fan website
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Disfruta Los Corrs, Official Spanish Fanclub
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The Corrs Club, fan website
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The Corrs Infopage, fan website
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ukCorrs, fan website
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¦¦corrShore, polish fansite
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