Cranberries Biography

The Cranberries are an Irish rock and roll band that arose to mainstream popularity in the 1990s. They disbanded in 2004.
The band members (from left to right: Noel Hogan, Mike Hogan, Dolores O'Riordan and Fergal LowlerMichael (Mike) Hogan (born April 29, 1973) is the bass guitar player.
Noel Anthony Hogan (born December 25, 1971), Mike's brother, is the guitarist.
Fergal Patrick Lawler was born in Parteen (near Limerick), Ireland on March 4, 1971. Since April 16, 1997 he has been married to Laurie Guerin.
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Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan Burton (born September 6, 1971) is the vocalist, keyboardist and backing guitarist for the band. She is married to Don Burton and has three children: Taylor, Molly and Dakota Rain.

Noel and Mike Hogan, two brothers from Limerick, formed the band with drummer Fergal Lawler in 1990. The band was originally named The Cranberry Saw Us, a pun on cranberry sauce. Dolores O'Riordan auditioned for and won the role of lead singer, writing the lyrics for "Linger". Her voice, which ranges from keening, to powerful to lilting, is the distinctive element of the band's sound.

Their homemade demo tape did well locally, and the band soon recorded a demo tape that earned much popular and critical interest. After a major-label bidding war, The Cranberries signed with Island Records. After an unsuccessful first single, they ditched their manager. Their second single, "Linger," and debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, became a huge hit first in the the United States and later in the United Kingdom. The single "Dreams" also became a hit, reaching #14 on the US charts.

Mid-90s

In 1994, O'Riordan married Don Burton, the band's tour manager. O'Riordan's status as frontwoman was causing tensions within the group as they recorded No Need to Argue, another hit album that included "Zombie", a protest about the violence between Protestant and Catholic extremists in Northern Ireland in the time of The Troubles [1]. The album gained the band immense popularity throughout Europe and the US.

Amidst rumors of O'Riordan's imminent departure, the band released To the Faithful Departed, which sold well despite poor reviews, though not nearly as well as the previous album. During the next few years, the band cancelled a large tour and rumors of a breakup were widespread. They released Bury the Hatchet to mixed reviews in 1999.

In 2001 they released Wake Up and Smell the Coffee to rave reviews of "The magic is back." The album debuted at number 46 in the U.S. charts. The band seemed to be back on track.

A greatest-hits compilation entitled Stars - The Best of 1992 - 2002 was released in 2002, along with a DVD of groundbreaking music videos.

Time for a Break

However, in 2004, The Cranberries announced they were taking some time to pursue individual careers. Earlier that year, O'Riordan had sung the title track to the movie The Passion of the Christ, "Ave Maria". She plans to record a solo album (to be released in early 2006). Noel Hogan's new project is the Mono Band.

The Cranberries decided to put the next album on hold. After more than a dozen years of relentless touring and promotion, which had seen them clocking up album sales in excess of 38 million and playing to hundreds of thousands of fans around the globe, the band decided it was time for a break.

CRANBERRIES PICTURES

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CRANBERRIES BIOGRAPHY