Timeline

Sharon Corr Biography and Timeline

March 24, 1970 - Sharon Helga Corr is born to Jean and Gerry Corr in Dundalk, Co. Louth, Republic of Ireland.

1976 - Sharon begins violin lessons at age 6, learns piano at home and recalls already writing songs.

1977-1984 - Plays violin in Redeemer Youth Orchestra, Co. Louth.

Teen Years - Completes primary school and attends Dundalk Regional school, studying biology. Works off and on at her Aunt's pub for 8 years (into her 20s). Takes a job at the Record Sleeve music store in Dundalk.

June 14, 1990 - The Corrs officially form as a band. While auditioning for the film The Commitments, the film's music coordinator John Hughes, recognizes their talent and volunteers to be their manager, becoming known as "The Fifth Corr". Sharon has a small part in the film, playing violin in a country band.

1990-1994 - Jim and Sharon perform as a duet, write and experiment with their sound while waiting for Caroline (1991) and Andrea (1992) to finish school.

November 3, 1991 - The Corrs perform on TV for the first time, playing Mystery of You on Eye on the Music on Irish national broadcaster, RTE'.

The Corrs - The Corrs rise to international fame, selling over 40 million albums and performing innumerable concerts around the globe as well as supporting many philanthropic efforts. Included are guitarist Anthony "Anto" Drennan (L) and bassist Keith Duffy (R), who joined the band in the summer of 1995.

November 24, 1999 - Jean Corr, aged 57, passes away from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable lung disease, at Freeman's Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K. At the height of the Corrs' popularity, their mother's death greatly affected the siblings and their music.

July 7, 2001 - Sharon marries Belfast barrister Robert "Gavin" Bonnar after dating for about 5 years.

November 7, 2005 - The Corrs are awarded honorary M.B.E.s (Member of the Order of the British Empire), an honor bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of thier contributions to the music industry and charities. The award is honorary because the Corrs are Irish.

2005 - The Corrs announce an indefinite hiatus to start families and solo careers after touring and recording more-or-less continuously for 15 years.

March 31, 2006 - Sharon gives birth to son Cathal 'Cal' Robert Gerard Bonnar in Dublin.

July 18, 2007 - Sharon gives birth to daughter Flori Jean Elizabeth Bonnar.

June 2009 - Sharon launches her solo career with a concert at the Isle of Wight Festival.

September 10, 2010 - Dream of You, Sharon's first solo album, is released.

2012 - Sharon is named the Irish ambassador for OxFam's "Ending Poverty Starts with Women" campaign. Her travels to Tanzania inspire the title song of her second album.

2012-2014 - Sharon becomes a vocal coach for the first two seasons of "Voice of Ireland" on RTE'. She declines a third season to concentrate on her second solo album and touring.

September 16, 2013 - Sharon's second solo album, The Same Sun, begins worldwide release. The album was recorded in Los Angeles at the home studio of producer Mitchell Froom. Sharon tours the album extensively through 2014, with concerts throughout Europe and the U.K., the U.S., Australia/NZ and South America.

November 19, 2014 - Sharon's beloved father-in-law, Bob Bonnar, dies. Sharon speaks at the funeral service: just over 100 beautiful, simple words that encapsulate a remarkable life.

April 9, 2015 - Gerry Corr dies of a massive heart attack. The family was able to be with him in his final hours. After performing together for the first time in 10 years at his funeral, the siblings decide to secretly record what became the White Light album.

Early 2017 - While living in Androrra, Sharon's discovers her husband's indiscrete affair with "the Queen's twisted sister." The family moves to Madrid, where Sharon and her children still reside.

August 13, 2018 - Sharon announces a U.K./Ireland tour with close friend Vonda Shepherd, wife of Mitchell Froom and featured performer on the TV series Ally McBeal. The tour continues through November 2019.

March 22, 2019 - Sharon is awarded an honorary doctorate by the Open University in London for her contributions to the music industry and her charity work.
See her acceptance speech here from about 28:40 - 39:50.

Early July, 2019 - Grounded on the tarmac by a thunderstorm on her way to the Montreaux Jazz Festival, Sharon pens the lyrics to The Fool and the Scorpion, referring to a traumatic event the day before. Was it coincidence the song was released as a single on July 6, 2021?

September, 2019 - Sharon records her third album, The Fool and the Scorpion at the Los Angeles studio of legendary producer Larry Klein in only 20 days. Sharon refers to the experience as a "rebirth."

March-May 2020 - Shron and her children are confined to their apartment during Madrid's COVID lockdown, one of the restrictive in the world. Still, Sharon collaborates virtually on two songs, Dream a Little Dream of Me and Tea in the Sahara, recording her tracks on her iPhone.

Summer 2021 - Sharon releases the singles, The Fool and the Scorpion, Freefall, and Running on Rooftops, as well as their videos. She also performs her first live concerts since 2019, beginning in her home town of Madrid.

September 24, 2021 - Sharon's third album, The Fool and the Scorpion, is released worldwide to great reviews for her musical artistry and brilliant songwriting.

Summer 2022 - Sharon opens for friend and legendary guitarist Jeff Beck on his tour of the U.K. (with surprise guest Johnny Depp). Sadly, Jeff Beck dies unexpectedly on Jan. 10, 2023 at age 78.

November 2022 - The Corrs perform one show in Australia -their first performance post-pandemic and the first in Australia in about 20 years. They will be touring more in the Pacific region in late 2023.

2023 - Sharon continues to play gigs everywhere from a subway station in Madrid to the HebCelt festival in the U.K. and collaborates with several other artists, such as the High Kings. Most importantly, she teases the release of a fourth solo album ...