Dolores O'Riordan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dolores O'Riordan
|
|
|---|---|
.jpeg)
O'Riordan performing in 2016
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan |
| Born | 6 September 1971 Limerick, Ireland |
| Died | 15 January 2018 (aged 46) London, England, UK |
| Genres | Alternative rock, post-grunge, Celtic rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass |
| Years active | 1990–2018 |
| Labels | Sanctuary, Cooking Vinyl |
| Associated acts | The Cranberries, D.A.R.K. |
Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan (born 6 September 1971 – died 15 January 2018) was a talented Irish musician. She was also a singer and songwriter. Dolores was best known as the lead singer of the famous rock band, The Cranberries.
She led the band for 13 years. The Cranberries took a break in 2003. They got back together in 2009. Dolores released her first solo album, Are You Listening?, in 2007. Her second solo album, No Baggage, came out in 2009. She was known for her unique yodeling style. She also had a strong Limerick accent.
Dolores was a judge on the TV show The Voice of Ireland in 2013-2014. In 2014, she joined a new band called D.A.R.K.. She started recording new music with them. In 2017, Dolores shared that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Contents
About Her Life
Dolores O'Riordan was born in County Limerick, Ireland. She grew up in a Catholic family. She was the youngest of nine children. Her father, Terence, worked on a farm. Her mother, Eileen, was a school caterer.
Dolores started singing even before she could talk. When she was five, her school principal asked her to sing for older students. She began with traditional Irish music. She also played the Irish tin whistle. Later, she sang as a soloist in her church choir. She had a strict routine as a teenager. This included piano lessons, church, and homework.
She also helped her mother and learned the accordion from her dad. She worked part-time in clothing shops. Her mother wanted her to become a nun or a music teacher. But Dolores had other plans. At 18, she left home to sing. She was very poor for a while. She joined The Cranberries around this time.
Dolores was famous for her "unique" voice. She quickly became known worldwide. With The Cranberries, she released seven studio albums. Four of these albums reached number one. These albums included Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (1993) and No Need to Argue (1994). Other popular albums were To the Faithful Departed (1996) and Bury the Hatchet (1999). The band also released Wake Up and Smell the Coffee (2001). They took a break for six years starting in 2003.
Her first solo album, Are You Listening?, came out in 2007. Her second, No Baggage, was released in 2009. She reunited with The Cranberries in 2009. The band released Roses in 2012. They then went on a world tour. She was a judge on RTÉ's The Voice of Ireland in 2013–14. In 2014, she joined the band D.A.R.K. and started recording new songs. She released her last album with The Cranberries, Something Else, in 2017.
Dolores passed away suddenly in January 2018. The Cranberries released their final album, In the End, in 2019. This album featured her last vocal recordings. The band then decided to stop performing. Dolores and The Cranberries sold over 40 million albums worldwide. This number grew to almost 50 million by 2019. She received many awards for her music. She was named "The Top Female Artist of All Time" on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart.
Her Artistic Style
What Influenced Her Music
Dolores's mother was very religious. She loved Elvis Presley. These things greatly influenced Dolores. She was also inspired by Gregorian chant from a young age. This influence stayed with her throughout her life. She even tested the sound in a church in Ireland to sing there. She felt this quiet, devoted setting helped her grow as an artist.
.jpg)
She looked up to Elvis Presley and John Lennon. Other early influences included Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. As a teenager, she listened to heavy metal music with her brothers. She also loved rock and Gaelic folk music.
When she was 16, Dolores started listening to bands like the Smiths, the Cure, and R.E.M.. She also liked Depeche Mode, the Kinks, and Siouxsie and the Banshees. She thought Johnny McEvoy's "The Old Bog Road" was a beautiful Irish song. She also liked the Pogues. She mentioned the poet William Butler Yeats. Dolores felt the 1990s grunge era was "creatively a really great time." She liked Pearl Jam, Blind Melon, and Nirvana. She wrote "I'm Still Remembering" after Nirvana's singer, Kurt Cobain, died.
Her favorite albums included The Smiths and Depeche Mode's Violator. She also loved the soundtrack of the film The Mission. Other influences were Morrissey, Led Zeppelin, and Metallica. She found inspiration in everyday life. World events and her relationships also shaped her songs.
How She Wrote Songs and Played Music
Dolores wrote her first song, "Calling," when she was 12. She liked to be alone when writing songs. She often got ideas throughout the day. Many melodies came to her at night because she had trouble sleeping.
She said that lyrics were very important to her. She wanted to make sure she expressed what she needed to. She found it easier to write when she was younger. Ideas would just "pour out." As she got older, it became harder. She worried about what people would think. But she knew it was important not to think too much.
Her Voice
Dolores O'Riordan had a mezzo-soprano voice. This means her voice was in the middle range. She could sing very high and very low notes. She often used a style called vocal belting. She also loved to use falsetto, which is a high, airy voice. Her voice was light and clear. She sang low notes softly.
Dolores's singing style was very special. It included a lilting voice, which is a rhythmic, cheerful sound. She also used mournful keening, a sad, wailing sound. She had a unique way of starting her words. As she got older, her voice became more mature.
Her Personal Life
On 18 July 1994, Dolores married Don Burton. He was Canadian and used to manage the band Duran Duran. They met while their bands were on tour in the U.S. Their wedding was held in County Tipperary. They had three children together. Dolores also had a stepson from Don's previous relationship.
In 1996, they lived in a medieval-style house in Ireland. They later built a modern house with a recording studio. This house was in Dunquin, County Kerry. They also owned a large farm in County Limerick. In 2004, they sold the farm. They then moved to Howth, County Dublin. They also spent summers in a log cabin in Canada.
Dolores was raised as a Roman Catholic. She admired Pope John Paul II. She met him in 2001 and 2002. She also enjoyed hurling, an Irish sport, and played it as a child. In 2009, Dolores and her family moved to Buckhorn, Ontario, Canada. They lived in a home by a lake.
Dolores and Don Burton ended their marriage in September 2014. They had been together for 20 years.
Her Passing
Dolores O'Riordan passed away suddenly in her London hotel room on 15 January 2018. She was 46 years old.
Her Legacy
Dolores O'Riordan is remembered as having "one of the most distinctive voices" in alternative rock. Her impact on music was huge. She is described as having "one of the most recognisable voices in pop culture." Her "inimitable" and "unique voice" shaped the music scene of the 1990s. She is seen as an "icon of Irish pop" and a "1990s rock icon."
In 2018, the Dallas Observer listed Dolores alongside other famous musicians who had passed away. These included David Bowie and Prince.
Dolores was also known for helping children around the world. Many of her songs showed her care for people's suffering. They also shared a hope for peace. The Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace said Dolores "left a legacy through her music." They said her music spoke for many and encouraged peace.
In February 2018, a documentary called Dolores was shown on TV. It included new interviews.
Awards and Honours
Dolores O'Riordan received many awards during her career.
- In 1995, she won an MTV Europe Music Award. Her song "Zombie" was named Best Song.
- She also received a World Music Award in 1995.
- In 1997, she won the Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement. This award recognized her global success.
- In 2016, she received a BMI Awards and a Special Citation of Achievement.
- In 2018, she was named the Top Female Artist of All Time on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart. This included solo artists and band frontwomen.
- In 2020, The Cranberries' album In the End was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Album. This was a posthumous nomination for Dolores.
Honours
- In 2009, she was given an honorary patronage by Trinity College.
- In 2019, she received an honorary Doctorate from the University of Limerick. This award was given after her passing. Her mother, Eileen O'Riordan, accepted it for her.
Images for kids
-
The Cranberries performing on the Roxy Bar show at Bologna in 1995
-
O'Riordan in 2001
-
O'Riordan on stage during a soundcheck at Festivalbar, Italy in 2004
-
O'Riordan promoting her debut solo album Are You Listening? in 2007
-
O'Riordan performing with her signature Gibson SG Standard electric guitar at Paris, in May 2010
-
O'Riordan holding a Shure UR2 KSM9 microphone
-
A mural featuring O'Riordan beside King John's Castle in Limerick, Ireland
.jpeg)
See also
In Spanish: Dolores O'Riordan para niños
