The Corrs are an Irish family band consisting of siblings Andrea (lead vocals, tin whistle, mandolin, ukulele), Sharon (violin, keyboards, vocals), Caroline (drums, percussion, piano, bodhrán, vocals) and Jim (guitar, piano, keyboards, vocals). Their music combines pop rock with traditional Irish themes. They are from Dundalk in County Louth, Ireland.
The Corrs have released seven studio albums and numerous singles that have reached Platinum in many countries. They have sold 40 million albums worldwide.World Chart Positions. acharts.us. Retrieved 13 July 2007. Talk on Corners, their most successful album to date, reached multi-Platinum status in Australia. In the UK, it was the highest selling album of the year. The band is one of a small number of acts who have held the top two positions simultaneously in the UK album charts, with Talk on Corners at number one and Forgiven, Not Forgotten at number two. Talk on Corners was the year's third highest selling album in Australia. The band's third studio album, In Blue, went to number one in seventeen countries.UK Searchable Charts Database. everyhit.com. Retrieved 13 July 2007.
The Corrs have received two Grammy Award nominations, one BRIT Award, and were awarded honorary MBEs in 2005 for their contributions to music and charity. They have been actively involved in philanthropic activities and have performed in numerous charity concerts, such as The Prince's Trust event in 2004 and Live 8 in 2005.
The band was inactive for almost ten years because Jim and Caroline were raising families and Andrea and Sharon were pursuing solo careers while raising families of their own. According to Sharon, it was uncertain if or when the Corrs would reunite. Rumours of a reunion appeared in early 2015, and in a radio interview with Chris Evans in June 2015, Andrea confirmed that the Corrs were working on a new album and would play that year's BBC Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park festival. Their sixth studio album, White Light, was released on 27 November 2015, and was accompanied by a European tour. After two years, their seventh studio album, Jupiter Calling, was released on 10 November 2017.
History
1990–1994: Early commercial success The Corrs are from Dundalk, County Louth, in Ireland. Jim and Sharon initially began playing as a duo, often at McManus's, their aunt's pub. While their younger sisters Caroline and Andrea were still attending school, Jim and Sharon added them in 1990 to form a quartet. Their career took off in 1991 when they auditioned for the film The Commitments. Jim, Sharon and Caroline each had small parts as musicians, while Andrea had a speaking part as Sharon Rabbitte. John Hughes noticed them when they auditioned for the film and agreed to become their manager.
In 1994, the USA ambassador to Ireland, Jean Kennedy Smith, invited them to perform at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in Boston after seeing them play a gig at Whelan's Music Bar in Dublin. After an appearance at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States, The Corrs joined Celine Dion's worldwide Falling into You Around the World Tour as a supporting act.
1995–1999: International fame Jason Flom, Atlantic Records's head of A&R, recommended that they meet David Foster, a Canadian musician, producer, composer and arranger. The Corrs played live for Foster and he agreed to sign them to Atlantic Records. They extended their stay in the US for over five months to record their debut album, Forgiven, Not Forgotten. It featured six instrumental selections among its Celtic-influenced tracks. The album sold well in Ireland, Australia, Canada, Japan, Norway and Spain. Major success in the US and the UK, however, was not immediately forthcoming. Eventually, the album reached Platinum status in the UKForgiven, Not Forgotten UK Certification . The BPI. 15 January 1999. Retrieved 14 July 2007. and Australia,Forgiven, Not Forgotten Australian Certification. ARIA. Retrieved 14 July 2007. and 4× Platinum in Ireland, making it one of the most successful debuts by an Irish group.
The Corrs' next album, 1997's Talk on Corners, was produced by Glen Ballard, who was respected for his collaboration with Alanis Morissette."Transcript: Profiles of Alanis Morissette, Margaret Cho". CNN People in the News. 4 January 2003. The Corrs also collaborated with Carole Bayer Sager, Oliver Leiber, Rick Nowels and Billy Steinberg. It was successful in Ireland and the UK and entered the Australian album charts at number 3.
After the band recorded a version of "Dreams" for a Fleetwood Mac tribute album, they re-released Talk on Corners, with new remixes of "What Can I Do?", "So Young" and "Runaway". The special edition topped the charts worldwide and again reached multi-Platinum status in the UKTalk on Corners UK Certification . The BPI. 1 April 1999. Retrieved 14 July 2007. and Australia.Talk on Corners Australian Certification. ARIA. Retrieved 14 July 2007.
In June 1998, the Corrs participated in the Pavarotti and Friends for the Children of Liberia charity concert. The concert was held in Modena, Italy and was hosted by Luciano Pavarotti. The concert aimed to raise money to build the Pavarotti and Friends Liberian Children's Village, to provide refuge for children in Liberia.
The following year, the Corrs received a BRIT Award for Best International Band. They performed live on MTV's Unplugged on 5 October 1999 at Ardmore Studios, County Wicklow, Ireland. The resulting CD and DVD sold 2.7 million copies and featured live performances of previously released songs, plus a new song, "Radio", later featured on their third album, In Blue.
2000–2002: Mainstream success In 2000, the Corrs returned to mainstream success with their third album. Unlike their previous albums, In Blue moved towards mainstream pop. In Blue hit number one in its first sales week in, Ireland, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the UK and debuted at No. 2 in France and Norway. It climbed to the top spot during its second week in Sweden and Spain.
The Corrs worked with Alejandro Sanz on In Blue, recording "Una Noche (One Night)", a duet between Sanz and Andrea Corr; Sanz played Andrea's love interest in the music video. In return, the Corrs performed "Me Iré (The Hardest Day)" with him on his album, El Alma Al Aire. The Corrs collaborated with Robert Lange to produce a mainstream hit single, "Breathless", which reached number 20 in the Billboard Hot 100,[ U.S. Singles Charts]. AllMusic. Retrieved 14 July 2007. number seven in Australia,Australian Chart Positions. australian-charts.com. Retrieved 13 July 2007. number three in IrelandIrish Singles Chart Searchable Database. The Irish Charts: All There is to Know. Retrieved 15 July 2007. and New Zealand,New Zealand Chart Positions. charts.org.na. Retrieved 13 July 2007. and topped the charts in the UK, and earned the band a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards. The album went straight to number one in the Irish Albums Chart, the third highest single-week sales in the history of the charts, behind U2's The Best of 1980–1990 and Oasis' Be Here Now. In Blue achieved Platinum sales in the US,RIAA Searchable Database . RIAA. Retrieved 14 July 2007. double platinum in the UK,In Blue UK Certification . The BPI. 17 November 2000. Retrieved 14 July 2007. and 4× Platinum in Australia.In Blue Australian Certification. ARIA. Retrieved 14 July 2007.
During the production of the album, the Corrs' mother, Jean, died while waiting for a lung transplant. She was buried at St. Patrick's cemetery in Dundalk. "No More Cry", written by Andrea and Caroline Corr for the album, was written to help their father get over his grief.
In 2001, the Corrs released their first compilation album, Best of The Corrs. The album featured previously released songs and new tracks, such as the singles "Would You Be Happier?", "Make You Mine" and "Lifting Me". The album did not chart highly in Ireland but reached Platinum status in Australia.Best of The Corrs Australian Certification. ARIA. Retrieved 14 July 2007. The Corrs collaborated with Josh Groban, recording "Canto Alla Vita", for his eponymous debut album.
When the band returned to Ireland, they hosted another live concert at Ardmore Studios, where they previously performed for the MTV's Unplugged series. Guest performers included Bono from U2 and Ronnie Wood from The Rolling Stones. During the concert, Bono joined Andrea Corr for a duet of Nancy Sinatra's "Summer Wine" and a performance of Ryan Adams' "When the Stars Go Blue". Ronnie Wood joined the band onstage to play guitar on their version of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" and the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday". These performances were recorded and compiled on a live album, VH1 Presents: The Corrs, Live in Dublin, which was released in the UK.
2003–2005: Later years
In 2003, Andrea Corr recorded "Time Enough for Tears", written by Bono and Gavin Friday for the film In America. This track was featured on the Corrs' 2004 album, Borrowed Heaven. Recorded over an 18-month period in Dublin and Los Angeles, Borrowed Heaven was produced by Olle Romo, who previously worked with Melanie C and Kelly Clarkson. The album marked the Corrs' return to the folk rock genre with a slightly heavier emphasis on guitars. Nevertheless, the album was not as successful as their predecessors, but at least successful enough to enter at No.2 in both the UK and Germany and reach silver status in the UK as well as gold in Germany.Borrowed Heaven UK Certification . The BPI. 4 June 2004. Retrieved 14 July 2007. Jason Duffy temporarily joined the band as drummer, filling in for Caroline while she was pregnant with her second child and unable to tour. Borrowed Heaven was dedicated to the band's parents.
The band also dedicated their 2005 album Home to their late mother. It is regarded as a traditional Irish album as the band covered traditional Irish songs taken from their mother's songbook to commemorate their 15 years as a band. The album was produced by Mitchell Froom and featured the BBC Radio 2 Orchestra. The songs on Home spanned the history of Irish music. It also included two songs in Irish, "Bríd Óg Ní Mháille (Brigid O'Malley)" and "Buachaill Ón Éirne (Boy from Lough Erne)". Home had success in Ireland, France (reaching No. 5) and Germany (reaching No. 12) and was certified silver in the UK.Home UK Certification . The BPI. 7 October 2005. Retrieved 14 July 2007.
2006–2014: Solo projects and retrospective releases The Corrs went on an extended hiatus starting in 2006, raising their own families and pursuing solo careers.
Andrea released her first solo album, Ten Feet High, on 25 June 2007. It was produced by Nellee Hooper, who has worked with Björk, Gwen Stefani and Madonna; Bono was an executive producer. The first single released from the album was "Shame on You (to Keep My Love from Me)". On 30 May 2011, Andrea released her second album, Lifelines, an album of cover songs, with The Blue Nile's "Tinseltown in the Rain" as the first single. Sharon started pursuing a solo career in 2009, her single "It's Not a Dream" was released on 29 August 2009. On 10 September 2010 her debut album Dream of You was released, with her cover of "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime" by The Korgis as the first single. Sharon finished writing her second album in March 2012. The album that emerged was called The Same Sun.