September 6: Dolores O'Riordan, lead singer of The Cranberries is 40-years-old today.

The Cranberries are an Irish rock band formed in Limerick in 1989 under the name The Cranberry Saw Us. In 1990 Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan auditioned and won the role of lead singer for the band - which later changed its name to The Cranberries.

Although widely associated with alternative rock, the band's sound also incorporates indie, indie pop, rock, post-punk, Irish folk and pop rock elements. O'Riordan is the group's lead singer and songwriter. She is the youngest of seven children in her family from in Ballybricken, Limerick, Ireland. She was instrumental in the success The Cranberries achieved worldwide for 13 years before the band took a hiatus in 2003.

The Cranberries debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? sold over five million copies in the United States. In the 1990s, the group sold over 14.5 million albums in the United States alone. The band has achieved four top 20 albums on the Billboard 200 chart; Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, No Need To Argue, To the Faithful Departed and Bury the Hatchet.

They also placed eight top 20 singles on the Modern Rock Tracks chart ("Linger," "Dreams," "Zombie," "Ode to My Family," "Ridiculous Thoughts," "Salvation," "Free To Decide" and "Promises.")

In 2009 The Cranberries reunited and began a North American tour, followed by dates in Latin America and Europe in early 2010. They performed at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Irish Special Olympics games at Thomond Park on 9 June 2010, their first performance in their native city for over 15 years.

Her first solo album Are You Listening? was released in May 2007. Her second solo album No Baggage was released in August 2009.