About Sinead O'Connor
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Sinéad Marie Bernadette
O'Connor |
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Birthdate: December 8,
1966 |
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Birthplace: Dublin,
Ireland |
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Parents: John & Marie
O'Connor |
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Status: Married twice |
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Children: Jake; Róisín;
Shane; Yeshua |
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Most people only know Sinead O'Connor as "that bald girl who ripped up the
picture of the Pope on Saturday Night Live." This is a shame. O'Connor is
one of the most talented musicians around today and, while she is sometimes
controversial, you can't say she's boring!
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor was born on December 8, 1966 in Dublin,
Ireland. She is the middle of five siblings. O'Connor had a troubled
childhood: her parents divorced when she was 8, she alleges she was abused by
her mother, and she ended up in reform school at 15.
A volunteer at the school was related to Paul Byrne of In Tua Nua and put
O'Connor in contact with the band. Though deemed too young at 15 to become a
member of the band, she did record a song - "Take My Hand" - with them.
O'Connor wasn't out of the musical loop for long. She recorded four demo
tracks with the help of a teacher, and two of the tracks would later be heard on
her first album.
O'Connor formed a band with a fellow musician she found through an ad in
Hot Press in 1984. She soon dropped out of school to perform with the band,
called Ton Ton Macoute. O'Connor later left the band and moved to London after
her mother died in a car accident in 1985.
 On the strength of her
work in Ton Ton Macoute, O'Connor was signed to Ensign Records. Her first album
was released in 1988, entitled The Lion And The Cobra. It featured three
singles that garnered critical success for the artist, but the album didn't make
a dent in the pop culture mainstream. Her second album, I Do Not Want What I
Haven't Got, which was released in 1990, is what brought this magnificent
musician to the forefront of the music industry. The smash single "Nothing
Compares 2 U" hit Number One in not only the UK and her native Ireland, but also
the USA.
The general public got their first taste of O'Connor's unconventional nature
at the Garden State Arts Center in New Jersey in 1990. O'Connor refused to
perform if the national anthem was played, stating that she "will not go on
stage after the national anthem of a country which imposes censorship on
artists. It's hypocritical and racist." She was subsequently permanently banned
from the center, and indeed some radio stations banned the playing of her songs.
 In 1992, O'Connor
released what was probably the most polarizing album of her career. Am
I Not Your Girl? confused fans with its big band and standards tracklist.
Along with this bewildering - yet very worthy - album came some more bewildering
behavior from O'Connor. She was the musical guest on the October 3, 1992
Saturday Night Live and performed "Success Has Made A Failure Of Our
Home" and an a capella version of Bob Marley's "War," adding a lyric about child
abuse. After she performed her haunting rendition of "War," O'Connor held up a
photo of Pope John Paul II, said "Fight the real enemy," and tore the photo up.
This was, basically, career suicide. Her career never fully recovered from this,
in her own words, "ridiculous act, the gesture of a girl rebel."
 Luckily for fans,
O'Connor returned with a new album in 1994, entitled Universal Mother.
The album is a profoundly sad one, dealing with O'Connor's childhood and grief
over her mother. Fans had to wait five years before her next release, Faith
And Courage, which was critically acclaimed.
2002 saw the release of O'Connor's brilliant take on traditional Irish tunes,
called Sean-Nós Nua. This album also gave fans the opportunity to hear
her singing in Gaelic.
 2003 was a
big year for O'Connor - she released She Who Dwells in the Secret Place of
the Most High Shall Abide Under the Shadow of the Almighty, an album of rare
and unreleased tracks as well as a live concert, and Good Night, Thank You,
You've Been A Lovely Audience, a DVD of that live performance. She also
announced her retirement from the music business...
...but thankfully, she returned in full force in 2005 with the
reggae/Rastafarian album Throw Down Your Arms. As with much of her music,
this too was critically acclaimed and deemed a success by reviewers. O'Connor
collaborated with reggae legends Robbie Shakespeare and Sly Dunbar on this album
that featured a fully fleshed-out version of "War."
O'Connor has no plans to quit the music business now - long may she reign!
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