Welcome to the Daniel Odonnell Web Site News Biography Music Pictures

Full Name
Daniel Francis Noel O'Donnell

Date of Birth
12th December 1961

Place of Birth
Donegal, Ireland

Marital Status
Married To Majella

Children
2 Stepchildren - Siobhan & Michael

Parents Names
Francis & Julia

Brothers & Sisters
John, Margaret (Margo), Kathleen and James

Height
5' 10"

Colour of Eyes
Blueish Green

Colour of Hair
Brown

Best Habbit
Where Do I Begin!

Worst Habbit
Now, would I have any Bad Habits??!!!

Fondest Memory
The first time I met Loretta Lynn. Wow!

Worst Memory
The night I lost my voice in December 1991

Happiest Day Of My Life
4/11/2002 - The day I married Majella

The life and times of Daniel O'Donnell seem to be a story of constant success, achievement and honour for the highly amiable man from Donegal. As each year passes more success seems to come his way, as people the world over flock to the concert halls, the record shops and the television screens in an attempt to catch their own personal glimpse of the Irish crooner.

In the past three years alone Daniel has put an astonishing 7 albums in the UK Top 20, topped the DVD Music Charts at Christmas and reinvented himself with his highly successful 'Rock 'n'Roll Show'! How he fits it all in is anyone's guess, but above all these statistics, one of the things that possibly remains most incredible about Daniel is that he still has the same warm and affectionate love for his music and his fans now as he did over 20 years ago, when it all started with his first ever recordings.

Back then the young Daniel O'Donnell had just saved enough money to release his own single 'My Donegal Shore', which started to get substantial radio play and create the kind of buzz dreams are made of.

Fortunately for Daniel, who at the time was washing dishes in Dublin's Central Hotel and seriously contemplating emigrating to Canada, the buzz was enough to reach the ears of Rosette Records boss Mick Clerkin. After seeing Daniel perform at the 1985 London Irish Festival, Mick realised what huge potential Daniel had and immediately offered him a record contract.

The first fruits of success from this collaboration arrived with Daniel's second album, 'I Need You', which entered the UK Country album charts in 1987 and was the forerunner for Daniel's assault on the UK Album charts proper a year later, with 'From The Heart'.

That second album won Daniel the 'Country Album Of The Year' trophy at that year's Music Week awards, and set a precedent not matched by any other artist - since 'From The Heart's' release, every single one of Daniel's albums has figured in the UK album chart. At the time of writing that is a total of nineteen consecutive years in the UK Album Charts! Every year since 1988, a truly incredible feat, and still the fans come flocking back for more.

And it is Daniel's fanbase that really does set him apart from any other artist and goes someway to explaining this continuing phenomenal success story. As each concert tour around the world sells out, and each album release goes into the charts with the kind of consistency that is envied by many so called popular artists, Daniel never forgets that it was his fans, the general public, that gave him his success in the first place. As such he always makes himself incredibly accessible to the fans, which has resulted in a very strong bond between performer and audience that even the most hardened cynic would be pressed not to admire.

From holding 'meet and greets' after his three hour plus performances through to his general willingness to engage with his fans wherever possible, it is clear to see how such a special relationship has evolved over the years. And as those years tick by, both Daniel and his fans seem continually keen to prove that you don't have to be the latest pop megastar to achieve success.

Ever ambitious, Daniel released a 'Rock'n'Roll' album in 2003, Daniel In Blue Jeans, which was an overwhelming success and gave him his highest ever UK chart position - No. 3. A 'Rock 'n' Roll' medley had always been part of the Daniel O'Donnell live show experience, but never before had he contemplated having this material in any other place than the live arena. That all changed in 2003 when 'Daniel In Blue Jeans' saw an entire collection of 'Rock 'n' Roll' ballads on the same Daniel album for the very first time.

This formula spawned two similarly successful albums, 2004's 'The Jukebox Years' and 2005's 'Teenage Dreams', which each gave off their own personalised imprint of this still much loved genre. But it was the associated autumn 2005 live show that really propelled Daniel into previously unseen territories and galvanized a great deal of media interest.

Featuring a highly expansive stage show with countless stage props, costume changes and dancers by his side, the 'Rock 'N' Roll' show captivated anyone and everyone who saw it. The accompanying DVD of the tour was Daniel's biggest to date, reaching double platinum status and making it to the Number 1 spot in the UK DVD Music Charts at Christmas, ahead of many significant contemporary acts.

Following this high profile end to the year, 2006 brought with it another similarly successful and busy one for Daniel. In January 'From Daniel With Love' was released, a late night love album compromising some of Daniel's more romantic moments from his career. The album gave Daniel yet another top 5 hit and was topped off by a live performance of Eric Clapton's classic 'Wonderful Tonight' on ITV 1's 'Today with Des and Mel Show' in front of a studio audience packed with Daniel fans.

In the autumn of that year, Daniel gave his fans an extra special treat - for the very first time in his career Daniel released an album, entitled 'Until The Next Time', which was not only full of new original songs but they were all written or co-written by the man himself. The album made the UK Top 10 and had two singles released from it, 'Crush On You' and 'Can You Feel The Love'. Both these songs and the album were exceptionally well received by fans and critics alike, who were pleasantly surprised at Daniel's natural songwriting talent.

Daniel finished 2006 with another Number 1 music DVD, this time in the shape of 'The Best Of Daniel O'Donnell On Film' (a collection of promotional video's much of which had not been available before) and did a further sold out tour of the UK meaning that he had globally played a total of 101 shows throughout the year.

Away from the spotlight Daniel has got a wonderful life. He married his charming and beautiful wife Majella in 2002 and the pair of them live in Donegal, Ireland. Daniel also enjoys a round of golf and playing cards whenever he can and he also championed the Romanian Challenge Appeal, a charity that helps orphaned Romanian children re-establish themselves within society.

In April / May 2007 Daniel is set to take the 'Rock 'n' Roll Show' out on the road one last time before releasing a duets album with his singing partner of 20+ years Mary Duff in the autumn. There are also plans to release a brand new live DVD towards the end of the year. However, no matter what the future holds, and whatever further success there may be round the corner, he will always know that he is dearly cherished by millions of fans. Daniel O'Donnell, one of music's most charismatic, unassuming and much loved performers.