from=March 1998
The Band
Andrea Corr - lead vocals & tin whistles
Sharon Corr - Violin & vocals
Caroline Corr - Drums & Bodhran
Jim Corr - Guitar, keyboards & vocals
Keith Duffy - Bass
Conor Brady - Guitar
John Hughes - Manager
Emma Hill - Management assistant
The Crew
Henry McGroggan - Tour manager
Aiden Lee - Production Manager
Liam McCarthy - Lighting Designer
Max Bisgrove - Sound Engineer
Paul 'Mini' Moore - Monitor Engineer
Declan Hogan - Drum Technician
John Parsons - Guitar Technician
Oisin Murray - Midi Technician
Agents
International - John Giddings at Solo ITG
Ireland - Barry Gaster
The tradition of successful family partnerships in pop is long, rich and varied. From the Jacksons and the Judds, through to the Carpenters and the Kinks, up to Sister Sledge and Oasis, brothers and sisters have been teaming up in every genre of popular music for many years. Couple that old-fashion family bond with Eire's rich arts heritage and it's people's fiery passion for song and dance and the result could be perfectly summed up by the multi-platinum-selling, award-winning Irish band The Corrs. Four twenty somethings from Dundalk in County Louth - a tiny, town about fifty miles north of Dublin, close to the Ulster border - The Corrs comprise three sisters and a brother, who all sing and play a variety of instruments. More importantly, however, the group, who already have a devoted fanbase which stretches right around the world, have also succeeded in progressing traditional Irish music, taking it into the realms of contemporary pop and introducing it to a new generation for the first time. In short, The Corrs currently occupy a unique place in Irish music.
Fronted by lead vocalist Andrea Corr, who additionally contributes tin whistle to her band's beautiful, soothing songs. The Corrs have more in common with regular rock and pop bands than they do with archetypical showbiz families. The foursome - which also includes drummer Caroline, violinist Sharon and Jim, the sole male member, who plays guitar and keyboards - were not brought up performing together like the ultra-Celtic Clannad or the more dance-orientated Kelly Family. Consequently, they have a broader range of tastes, experience and influences than their more traditional peers, which probably explains why their music appeals to such an assortment of fans of all ages.
I think that when we started out, we did suffer from peoples preconceptions about family bands," says Sharon. "Being an Irish family band probably didn't help either, at least not in the sense that we were trying to prove that we had something new to offer. Personally, I think it's good that we weren't all in a band together from a really young age. Being brought up in a musical cocoon means that you all begin to think along the same lines. There's no dynamic in a group when that happens. Each of us makes an important, individual contribution."
Consequently, although The Corrs have strong Celtic roots, their songs defy simple categorization, which has made it harder than perhaps they had initially imagined to win recognition outside of their native Ireland.
"We have never fitted into the traditional Irish music scene," continues Sharon. "But neither could we be categorized as either folk or pop. It takes a lot longer to establish yourselves as a band when there is no easy scene to slot into. It meant that we had no short cut to help our songs get exposure early on."
What The Corrs did have early on, however, was encouragement - from their parents. Although the Corrs Snr. always had ordinary day jobs, they also played in their own popular local band in Dundalk in the evenings and at the weekends, occasionally with Jim on Guitar. Thus, the Corr children were exposed to home-made music from a very early age and encouraged to enjoy and experiment with their own talent.
The Corrs' first real break into the music business came in 1990, when by chance they met Irish musician John Hughes, a close friend of Riverdance supremo Bill Whelan, who was then working as a music advisor to the director Alan Parker, in Dublin to cast and shoot a film. The film turned out to be the hugely-successful and much-loved adaptation of the Roddy Doyle book The Commitments. The four Corrs formed a band for casting auditions, in the hope of at least one of them winning a role in the film. In the end, Andrea landed an important part, as Jimmy Rabitte's younger sister while the other three made fleeting appearances as band members. So impressed, however, was Hughes with the makeshift group that he offered to become their manager.
A couple of years spent playing Dublin clubs followed as The Corrs honed their sound, established their individual roles within the band and settled on their choice of instruments, which included Andrea's tin whistle and Caroline's bodhran. Then, in 1994, while performing a gig in a small local club, the group was spotted by the then ambassador to Ireland, Jean Kennedy Smith, sister of Ted Kennedy. Smith invited the band to appear at a World Cup celebration in Boston later that year as representatives of the Irish nation. While in the States, the Corrs took demo tapes of their original songs to literally every record company they could find in both Los Angeles and New York. Not one was interested. Finally, on the day before they were due to fly back home, they met with Jason Flom, a senior executive at Atlantic records in New York who was about to start up his own independent label. Flom loved the band and literally agreed to sign them on the spot as the first act on his company, Lava. Flom then roped in David Foster, Grammy award winning producer to the likes of Celine Dion, Michael Jackson and Barbra Streisand, who was also hugely impressed by the group's demo songs. The result was that The Corrs' melodic debut album, Forgiven Not Forgotten, a blend of pop, rock, folk, lush vocals and Irish instrumentation was produced by the influential Foster and released as a joint project on Fosters own label, 143, and Flom's company, Lava. appealing to a broad audience, particularly in unexpected territories such as Japan and Australia (where it went seven times platinum), the album sold a staggering two million plus copies.
Forgiven, Not Forgotten was also a huge hit in Ireland, where it scored nine times platinum sales. After months of relentless touring, the album sold over 300,000 copies in the States and also achieved gold status in the UK. Now with the recent release of their follow-up, Talk On Corners, The Corrs are poised to break big in every country in their sights.
Although principally composed by the band and co-produced by David Foster, Talk On Corners also features several very special guests. There are a couple of collaborations with Glenn Ballard, Alanis Morisette's writing partner, who was much in demand following the success of Jagged Little Pill, but specifically made time to work with The Corrs. Talk On Corners also features contributions from Rick Nowells, best known for his work with Belinda Carlisle, Billy Steinberg, who has written hits for the likes of The Bangles, Madonna and Cyndi Lauper, celebrated American songwriter Carole Bayer Sager and Paddy Moloney's legendary Irish outfit The Cheiftains, with whom The Corrs recorded a cover version of the Jimi Hendrix track 'Little Wing'. Oliver Lieber, the son of Elvis cohort Jerry Lieber of Lieber and Stoller fame, co-wrote the album's first single, 'Only When I Sleep', which boasted a brilliant video directed by Oasis favourite Nigel Dick and delighted The Corrs by giving them a chart single in the UK and directly lead to talk on corners charting at number seven in the album chart.
In the first four weeks of it's release, in only a select number of countries, Talk On Corners sold an incredible half-a-million copies. With the band poised to conquer America this year, the album looks likely to not only repeat but outstrip the success of its predecessor. In part, that may be because the band's revamped sound is becoming increasingly contemporary. The new album has a harder edge, more guitars and a slightly more melancholic tone than Forgiven Not Forgotten, but with its strong melodies and sweet harmonies, the tracks remain as radio-friendly as ever.
"Playing the first album a lot on tour was what noticeably changed our sound," explains Sharon. "Through standing up in front of big audiences, we learnt different ways in which to express ourselves, while still keeping all the hallmarks of The Corrs studio sound such as the big vocals and the traditional instrumentation."
Inadvertantly, it seems, the band had updated their songs by adding more guitars at a time when old-fashioned, simple rock melodies had come back into fashion.
When our first album came out, dance music and laddy rock'n'roll bands were on the rise," says Andrea. "We didn't fit into either of those categories. In some ways, that gave us even more determination though. It mad us go away and write a set of stronger songs."
Andrea - often referred to as the drama queen of the band, but only in the nicest possible sense - also briefly went away for another reason. She took time out of The Corrs to further her film career with a small, but significant part in the film version of Evita. Offered the role of the young mistress of Juan Peron (played by Jonothan Pryce) by director Alan Parker, who had remembered her from The Commitments, Andrea's most memorable scene involved her being pulled out of bed by an irrate Madonna.
However, the heavy work load, including a grueling tour and support slots with artists including Michael Bolton, eventually took its toll. By the end of '96, all of the band were run down and ill, literally dragging themselves out of bed half an hour before shows. Currently on another world tour, which began in Autumn '97 and goes on until the end of this year, this time they are determined to take it a little easier.
"We tried to do the entire world at once last time and we almost killed ourselves," reveals Andrea. "We wouldn't want to change what we did, but we'll never repeat those times again. Now it's different. It's more relaxed and we're more in control."
But does that mean they never argue on tour?
"It would be dishonest to say that we don't ever get on each others nerves when we are on the road," admits Sharon. "Having to put up with constant hotels, non-stop interviews and all the travelling as well as trying to concentrate on performing our best at every show, is inevitably a stressful experience for any group of people. It is getting easier though. Now that we have matured a little and are more confident about our roles within the band, we probably respect each other's space better than we have done in the past. I really don't think it's all that different to being in a band with friends you're not related to."
The Corrs spent three months in the States supporting the dedicated and extremely professional Celine Dion. As well as being able to play to massive, appreciative audiences every night on the tour, all four confess to have learnt about the hard work from the world's biggest-selling female singer.
"Celine would run around for two hours on stage night after night," recalls Andrea. "Then she would rush off and get changed, and immediately afterwards be out meeting her fans to sign autographs and pose for photos. After that, she would throw herself into endless meet-and-greets with representatives from her record company as well as give interviews and do photo shoots for the press. And despite all of that, she was a lovely person 100% of the time. She wasn't false about it either. As a person and as a performer, Celine is incredibly inspiring,"
The Corrs however, are in need of few lessons in success. As Talk On Corners continues to notch up increasing sales and the world tour wins them new fans all over the world, The Corrs are also due to appear on an all-star covers version of Fleetwood Macs Rumours album. In the not too distant future, the Irish family could find themselves on a similar level of fame. Not that any amount of money or adulation is likely to go to their heads.
"No matter how big we get, there will always be people who think of us as one of those stereotypical, old-fashioned Irish families," laughs Andrea. "They reckon all four of us live in a big farmhouse together, playing around the fire, with animals wandering in and out of the kitchen. Believe me, that's enough to keep anyone's feet on the ground."