The Cranberries

The Cranberries were an Irish band who found major international success throughout the 1990s as a part of the alternative rock movement. The group’s lineup included Dolores O'Riordan (singer and songwriter), Noel Hogan (guitarist and songwriter), Mike Hogan (bassist) and Fergal Lawler (drummer). Originally formed in 1989 under the name The Cranberry Saw Us, the band released an independent EP in 1991 that caught the attention of the industry. SPIN Magazine described the band’s sound as “dreamy swirl pop, midway between The Smiths and the Cocteau Twins cradling the will-o’-the-wispy vocals of Dolores O’Riordan.”

In 1992, the band began recording their first album for Island Records with Stephen Street, a producer best known for working with The Smiths. Their debut, Everybody Else is Doing It So Why Can’t We?, was initially ignored when released in early 1993, and it wasn’t until that fall—after the band opened for Suede and Duran Duran on their US tours—that MTV picked up on their single “Linger”. The song eventually peaked at #4 on the US Pop chart in 1994, and the album sold five million copies. Success around the world followed.

Later that year, the band released their sophomore album No Need To Argue, which went on to sell 7 million copies in the US. The lead single, “Zombie,” was a departure from the wistful love songs the band was known for, showcasing aggressive distorted guitars and a bold political message. The song was an immediate smash, hitting at #1 in several countries and topping the US Modern Rock chart. The follow-up single “Ode To My Family,” was a top 40 hit as well.

In 1996, The Cranberries collaborated with Bruce Fairbairn (Bon Jovi, Aerosmith) on their third album To The Faithful Departed, which experimented with new sounds and continued the band’s embrace of hard rock. The album received mixed reviews and sold about half as well as their previous albums, but it did include the #1 US Modern Rock song “Salvation”.

The band’s 1999 album Bury The Hatchet—self-produced by The Cranberries and engineer Ben Fenner—went gold and failed to produce any top 40 hits in the US. In 2002, they reunited with producer Stephen Street on Wake Up And Smell The Coffee, but the mainstream had largely lost interest in the band by this point. A hiatus—during which O’Riordan released two solo albums—followed. The band reunited in 2012 for the independent album Roses.

On Jan. 16, 2018, an official spokesperson for the Cranberries announced that Dolores O'Riordan died “suddenly” in her home in London. She was 46.