Roger O'Donnell

Roger O'Donnell (born 29 October 1955) is an English keyboardist best known for his work with The Cure. O'Donnell has also performed in The Psychedelic Furs, Thompson Twins and Berlin, as well as having an active solo career.

Background

O'Donnell was born in East London into a musical family, next to the piano in his parents' London home. O'Donnell attended Art School but left to pursue a career as a professional musician, with his first paying gig coming in 1976, at Oxford Town Hall backing legendary British pop icon Arthur Brown.

O'Donnell joined Thompson Twins as a live keyboardist in July 1983, playing alongside future The Cure bandmate and drummer, Boris Williams. Both finished out the Side Kicks Tour in 1983 and also played with the band on the into The Gap/Out of the Gap tours in 1984. In the early 1980s, while with Thompson Twins, Berlin, and The Psychedelic Furs, O'Donnell was a big fan of synthesisers produced by Sequential Circuits, which produced such classics as the Prophet 5, Prophet T8, and Prophet VS. While on tour with The Psychedelic Furs, O'Donnell set the record for having the most Sequential models onstage at one time.

The Cure

The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex, in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member. The Cure first began releasing music in the late 1970's with their debut album Three Imaginary Boys; this, along with several early singles, placed the band as part of the post-punk and new wave movements that had sprung up in the wake of the punk rock revolution in the United Kingdom. During the early 1980's, the band's increasingly dark and tormented music was a staple of the emerging gothic rock genre.

After the release of 1982's Pornography, the band's future was uncertain and Smith was keen to move past the gloomy reputation his band had acquired. With the single "Let's Go to Bed" released the same year, Smith began to place a pop sensibility into the band's music and their popularity increased as the decade wore on, with songs like "Just Like Heaven", "Lovesong" and "Friday I'm in Love". The band is estimated to have sold 27 million albums as of 2004 and have released thirteen studio albums, ten EPs and over thirty singles during their career.

The Truth

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Roger

Roger is an English male given name and surname, from the Anglo-Norman French Roger, Rogier, which is itself derived from Germanic words (hroth, hruod and ger) meaning respectively "fame" and "spear". In Anglo-Saxon sources the name is first recorded, in the Dark Age epic poem Beowulf, as Hroðgar ("glorious spear-bearer").

The name is also found in the Netherlands in the form Rutger, and in German as Rüdiger. The Latin form, as used by a few medieval figures, is Rogerius. A Welsh variation is the family name Rosser.

Slang

Roger is also a short version of the term "Jolly Roger", which refers to a black flag with white skull and crossbones, formerly used by sea pirates since as early as 1723.

From c.1650 to c.1870, Roger was slang for the word "penis", probably due to the origin of the name involving fame with a spear. Subsequently, "to roger" became a slang verb form meaning "to have sex with"/"to penetrate".

In 19th century England, Roger was slang for the cloud of toxic green gas that swept through the chlorine bleach factories periodically.

O'Donnell dynasty

The O'Donnell dynasty (Irish: Ó Dónaill or Ó Domhnaill; derived from the Irish name Domhnall, which means "ruler of the world", Dónall in modern Irish) were an ancient and powerful Irish family, kings, princes and lords of Tyrconnell (Tír Chonaill in Irish, now County Donegal) in early times, and the chief allies and sometimes rivals of the O'Neills in Ulster.

Origins

Like the family of O'Neill, that of O'Donnell of Tyrconnell was of the Uí Néill, i.e. descended from Niall of the Nine Hostages, High King of Ireland at the beginning of the 5th century; the O'Neill, or Cenél nEógain, tracing their pedigree to Eógan mac Néill, and the O'Donnells, or Cenél Conaill, to Conall Gulban, both sons of Niall. Conall was baptised by St. Patrick.

Arms and motto