The Cranberries hail from Limerick, Ireland and formed in 1990. The Cranberries are:

Dolores O'Riordan (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Noel Hogan (guitar, backing vocals), Mike Hogan (bass), and Fergal Lawlor (drums, percussion). It took only 4 years for the group to find success in the U.S. and around the world. The Cranberries have become one of the most popular alternative bands in the 90s, combining haunting lyrics with a Celtic flavor. 

The Cranberries' quick rise to success is impressive considering they almost broke up a few years after forming the group due to manager problems. But instead of calling it quits, the band replaced their manager and began their rise to the top of the alternative charts. Noel, Mike and Fergal originally got together in 1990 and called themselves Cranberry Saw Us. Dolores was brought in to replace the group's original singer (Niall) after writing a rough version of "Linger" for the band based on Noel's chord arrangements. The group (all in their teens) shortened their name and released 300 copies of a demo that sold-out in Ireland. On their quick success, Noel stated: "We were thrown in at the deep end. We more or less started this band right after we learned to play our instruments, and very soon after we first got together we started getting a lot of notice because of our demos. We had no other choice but to get it together quickly and keep moving forward."

Their debut LP, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We, was released in 1993 and gave the band a Top 3 single on the pop charts in 1994: "Linger." Although the ballad"Linger" isn't characteristic of the band's sound, the song did open doors for them and let their success begin. All the songs on the LP were written or co-written by Dolores. Another track, "Dreams" also showed the band's versatility, yet hid their ability for strong alternative sounds. A lot of the band's popularity also grew from their extensive touring in 1993. 

The band's second LP, No Need To Argue, was released in 1994 and presented the band with a harder edge. "Zombie" allowed The Cranberries to demonstrate their alternative style and heavy, political lyrics. The track showed that the band could dominate video screens, alternative radio, and sing with a message in the lyrics. Dolores states that Zombie" was written "...about the same time of the Warrington bombing in Britain (the IRA bomb that killed two young children). "It's not actually about the north of Ireland, it's about a child who died in England because of the situation in the north." Another rack from the LP, "Ode To My Family" became a classic to many fans with Irish heritage. The LP sold over 5 million copies in the U.S. (and over 8 million copies worldwide). The Cranberries celebrated by touring around the world at the end of 1994 and throughout 1995. 

In 1995, The Cranberries released a CD-ROM, Doors And Windows, with live versions of their songs and video segments accessible with a PC. A live version of "Zombie" from Woodstock '94 is included on the disc. Throughout 1995, the Cranberries toured the world as rumors of Dolores leaving the band to go solo persisted. It wasn't until their third LP was released that these rumors started to die down.

The Cranberries' third LP, To The Faithful Departed, was released in 1996 and gave the band their second Top 10 pop hit: "Free To Decide." The mood of the LP was an attempt to be more rock and message-oriented, but many critics felt the lyrics didn't live up to the message. The LP went platinum but did not sell as well as their previous to LPs. Additional hits "Salvation" and "When You're Gone" kept the Cranberries on the radio into 1997. The band continued to tour worldwide in support of the LP, and continued to sell-out venues around the globe.