The Corrs

A family ensemble of three sisters and one brother, the Corrs united vocalist Andrea, drummer Caroline, violinist Sharon, and guitarist/keyboardist Jim in an appealing fusion of Irish traditional influences and modern pop-rock textures. The quartet came together in 1991 and first built a following on home soil; in 1994 the American ambassador extended an invitation for them to appear at the World Cup festivities in Boston. Subsequent high-profile opportunities at the Atlanta Olympic Games and as opening act on Celine Dion’s 1996 tour helped lay the groundwork for their warmly received debut album. Released in the United States on Lava/Atlantic Records, Forgiven, Not Forgotten achieved widespread international recognition and enjoyed especially strong sales in Ireland, where its four-times-platinum certification placed it among the most successful first efforts by any Irish act.

The follow-up, Talk on Corners, arrived in 1997 and was expanded for reissue early the next year. Its strong showing in the U.K.—four Top Ten singles and the title of best-selling album of 1998—propelled the group to major stardom there, with total sales eventually surpassing 2.9 million copies and securing its place among the country’s most enduring commercial successes. Meanwhile Andrea Corr, who had made a brief screen appearance in the 1991 film The Commitments, returned to acting with a part in Evita. The siblings soon reconvened to record In Blue, their third studio set, with producer Mutt Lange. The album’s glossy, pop-oriented sheen, less rooted in Celtic elements than earlier work, yielded the Corrs’ breakthrough American single “Breathless,” which also marked their sole U.K. chart-topper. A year later the band issued the concert recording VH1 Presents the Corrs: Live in Dublin, featuring guest appearances by Bono and Ronnie Wood. A brief pause followed while Caroline welcomed a child and Andrea contributed vocals to the Bono/Gavin Friday song “Time Enough for Tears” for the In America soundtrack.

An updated version of the Oscar-nominated “Time Enough for Tears” surfaced on Borrowed Heaven, the group’s 2004 return to a more folk-inflected approach. Home, released the following year, delved even deeper into heritage by drawing most of its repertoire from traditional Irish material; although warmly embraced at home, its traditional focus found less traction abroad. The band entered an indefinite hiatus in 2006, marking the occasion with the retrospective All the Way Home: A History of the Corrs and the compilation Dreams: The Ultimate Corrs Collection, one of several such collections in their discography.

During the ensuing decade the siblings turned their attention to family life and individual projects. Andrea issued her solo debut Ten Feet High in 2007, produced by Nellee Hooper and Bono, then followed it four years later with the covers collection Lifelines. Sharon released her first solo album, Dream of You, in 2010 and, after serving as a judge on the Irish edition of The Voice, delivered her second effort The Same Sun in 2013. Nearly ten years after their previous release, the siblings announced a reunion; a headline performance at London’s Hyde Park preceded the sixth studio album White Light, which appeared in late 2015. Two years later they returned with Jupiter Calling, recorded largely live with minimal overdubs under the guidance of producer T-Bone Burnett to emphasize a raw, folk-driven character.