1. Roger O'Donnell was born on 29 October 1955 and is an English keyboardist best known as a longtime member of The Cure, which he first joined in 1987 and for which he has served three different tenures.
16 Facts About Roger O'Donnell
1. 2.
Roger O'Donnell was born in East London into a musical family, next to the piano in his parents' home.
3.
Roger O'Donnell briefly attended art school but left to pursue a career as a professional musician; his first paying gig was in 1976, backing Arthur Brown.
4.
Roger O'Donnell played in local bands, primarily in the jazz fusion genre, with future Cure bandmate Boris Williams.
5.
Roger O'Donnell joined Thompson Twins as touring keyboardist in 1983, playing alongside Williams.
6.
Roger O'Donnell began a long association with synthesizers produced by Sequential Circuits, and while performing with the Psychedelic Furs he set a record for having the most Sequential models onstage at one time.
7.
In 1987, Roger O'Donnell was recruited to join The Cure as touring keyboardist, at the recommendation of Williams who had been the band's drummer since 1984.
8.
Roger O'Donnell joined just before the release of the album Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me and appeared in the videos for two of that album's singles, though he did not play on the studio recordings.
9.
Roger O'Donnell was a major contributor to their 1989 album Disintegration.
10.
Unhappy with the large stadium-sized shows that the Cure played during that album's tour, and with personal differences among bandmates, Roger O'Donnell left the band for the first time in 1990.
11.
Roger O'Donnell self-released the solo album Grey Clouds Red Sky in 1994.
12.
Roger O'Donnell played on the band's next three albums: Wild Mood Swings, Bloodflowers, and The Cure.
13.
Roger O'Donnell was dismissed by Smith in 2005 in another revamping of the band's lineup.
14.
Roger O'Donnell contributed to a documentary about synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog.
15.
In 2019, Roger O'Donnell was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Cure.
16.
On 1 September 2024, it was revealed that Roger O'Donnell was diagnosed with lymphoma the previous year.