Sinead O'Connor
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Biography
Sinead Marie Bernadette O'Connor was born on December 8th, 1966 in Dublin, Ireland. She has four siblings all brothers. Her parents divorced when Sinead was eight years old and she and two of her brothers went to live with her mother while her youngest brother went with their father. She has often stated that her mother was physically and verbally abusive to her and her brothers. Her father Jack O'Connor tried to get custody of his children, but Ireland was not prone to give fathers this right during that time. As a result her father became the chairman of the Divorce Action Group and became very outspoken on the subject. When she was thirteen she left her mother of her own accord and moved in with her father and stepmother. She was frequently troubled and ended up in the Grinan Training Centre, a type of reform school, at age fifteen. While she found the environment difficult she also found solace in the safe atmosphere and began singing and writing songs during her stint there. She later attended the Newtown School in Waterford at the direction of her father. It was here that she compiled a demo album with the help of one of her teachers, Joseph Falvy, who recognized her passion and talent for music.
In 1984 she formed a band called Ton Ton Macoute and they started playing gigs in Dublin. She was soon noticed for her haunting voice and stage presence, but she abruptly left the band after her mother died in a car accident in 1985. Later she was recruited by Ensign Records and was quickly picked up by a former U2 manager, Fachtna O'Ceallaigh. She became pregnant during the recording of her debut album, and her record company attempted to coerce her into having an abortion, which she refused to do. The record company relented after pressure from her manager and she went on to record and release The Lion & The Cobra in 1988, which received excellent critical reviews. In 1990 she followed up with her sophomore album entitled, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, this album did much better with music fans and the single Nothing Compares 2 U hit number one in Ireland, America, the UK and Australia.
On October 3rd, 1992 O'Connor set a controversy in motion that would hinder her career in the mainstream for some time. During an appearance on Saturday Night Live, she ripped up a picture of the Pope on national television after singing the song War, and urged viewers to "fight the real enemy". This move was in protest to sexual abuse of children by clergy and members of the Catholic church. Many fans supported her opinion and courage in her efforts to stand up for her beliefs. However, the act was not received well by the general public and particularly with Catholics. NBC was swamped with complaint calls following the incident and SNL later issued a public apology.
Her next album, released in 1994, Universal Mother, did not do very well, and many believe it was do to the continuing after effects of her SNL controversy. Loyal fans did enjoy the album and critics applauded it. Her subsequent albums did increasingly better both in the mainstream and critically. She released Faith and Courage in 2000 and Sean-Nos Nua in 2002. The second was a re-working of traditional Irish folk songs and was highly acclaimed. In 2003 the 2-CD and rather long titled, She Who Dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High Shall Abide Under the Shadow of the Almighty, was released and O'Connor announced her retirement from music soon after.
Her departure from her true calling did not last long, however, and she released Throw Down Your Arms in 2005. The album was hailed as one of her best thus far and is a compilation of Reggie cover tracks that left fans ecstatic and critics pleasantly surprised.
On the personal front O'Connor married record producer John Reynolds in 1989; the couple divorced in 1990, they had one child together. She later married Nick Sommerlad in 2001 and the pair separated in 2003. Although she has publicly announced that she is bi-sexual and gay, she became romantically involved with Frank Bonadio in 2004.
Links
AskMen.com: Sinead O'Connor
Contains an explanation about why she is famous together with a rating and a biography.
123celebs - Sinead O'Connor
Features a biography and pics.
The Beauty Of Sinead O'Connor
what ever happened to...Sinead O'Connor
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