U2 was founded by 14-year-old drummer Larry Mullen Jr at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, Ireland. He posted a note on his school's notice board, asking for musicians to start a group on September 25, 1976. There were seven boys who went to their first practice.
At first, the band was called "The Larry Mullen Band", but they later changed their name to "Feedback" after the awful noise they made in early rehearsals.
Feedback played their first gig for a paying audience at St. Fintan's High School in April 1977.
After becoming "The Hype" for a short period of time, the band finally changed their name to "U2" because of its ambiguity and open-ended interpretations.
The final line-up was lead singer Bono (born Paul Hewson), lead guitarist The Edge (born David Evans), bassist Adam Clayton, and drummer Larry Mullen Jr.
The Edge's older brother, Dik Evans, was an early member of the group when they were still known as Feedback. He went on to form The Virgin Prunes.
David Evans' nickname of "The Edge" came about because of his chin.
The name Bono refers to a type of hearing aid and in Latin means "good voice".
Bono's mother, Iris Hewson, died when the singer was 14 after suffering a brain aneurysm at her own father's funeral. The U2 songs "I Will Follow", "Tomorrow" and "Iris (Hold Me Close)" all reference her passing.
Bono is almost never seen in public without sunglasses, as he suffers from glaucoma and is sensitive to light.
Bono is known for for his activism for social justice causes. For this, he was named Time Person of the Year in 2005.
Bono is the only person to be nominated for an Oscar, a Grammy, a Golden Globe, and the Nobel Peace Prize.
Bono, The Edge and Mullen were involved in a Charismatic Christian group in Dublin called the "Shalom Fellowship" for a time in the early 1980s. They have retained their Christian faith and U2's lyrics are often embellished with Christian and spiritual imagery.
Adam Clayton has more ambiguous religious views, and has never shared his bandmates' Christian faith.
Before founding U2, Mullen was involved in a Dublin marching band called the Artane Boys Band (now known as the Artane Band), contributing to the martial beats common in the drummer's work, such as "Sunday Bloody Sunday".
The lyrics of U2's song "New Year's Day" refer to the movement for solidarity lead by Lech Walesa in Poland. After it was recorded, Poland announced they would abolish martial law, coincidentally, on New Year's Day, 1983.
U2 released The Joshua Tree which features the singles "Where The Streets Have No Name", and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" on March 9, 1987. The album became the fastest selling in UK history and the first to sell over a million CDs,
The line "One life, with each other, sisters, brothers" from U2's "One" was voted the UK's favourite song lyric in a 2006 poll by music channel VH1.
The U2 360° Tour staged in support of the group's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon generated $736 million via 7.2m global ticket sales between 2009 and 2011. This broke the record for the highest-grossing concert tour of all time.
They have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band.
U2 have clocked up 19 #1 singles in their native Ireland, six more than any other act.
At first, the band was called "The Larry Mullen Band", but they later changed their name to "Feedback" after the awful noise they made in early rehearsals.
Feedback played their first gig for a paying audience at St. Fintan's High School in April 1977.
After becoming "The Hype" for a short period of time, the band finally changed their name to "U2" because of its ambiguity and open-ended interpretations.
The final line-up was lead singer Bono (born Paul Hewson), lead guitarist The Edge (born David Evans), bassist Adam Clayton, and drummer Larry Mullen Jr.
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| U2 in Glasgow 2015 (from left to right): the Edge, Bono, Mullen, Clayton. By U2start |
The Edge's older brother, Dik Evans, was an early member of the group when they were still known as Feedback. He went on to form The Virgin Prunes.
David Evans' nickname of "The Edge" came about because of his chin.
The name Bono refers to a type of hearing aid and in Latin means "good voice".
Bono's mother, Iris Hewson, died when the singer was 14 after suffering a brain aneurysm at her own father's funeral. The U2 songs "I Will Follow", "Tomorrow" and "Iris (Hold Me Close)" all reference her passing.
Bono is almost never seen in public without sunglasses, as he suffers from glaucoma and is sensitive to light.
Bono is known for for his activism for social justice causes. For this, he was named Time Person of the Year in 2005.
Bono is the only person to be nominated for an Oscar, a Grammy, a Golden Globe, and the Nobel Peace Prize.
 |
| Bonoat Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. By Daniel Hazard |
Bono, The Edge and Mullen were involved in a Charismatic Christian group in Dublin called the "Shalom Fellowship" for a time in the early 1980s. They have retained their Christian faith and U2's lyrics are often embellished with Christian and spiritual imagery.
Adam Clayton has more ambiguous religious views, and has never shared his bandmates' Christian faith.
Before founding U2, Mullen was involved in a Dublin marching band called the Artane Boys Band (now known as the Artane Band), contributing to the martial beats common in the drummer's work, such as "Sunday Bloody Sunday".
The lyrics of U2's song "New Year's Day" refer to the movement for solidarity lead by Lech Walesa in Poland. After it was recorded, Poland announced they would abolish martial law, coincidentally, on New Year's Day, 1983.
 |
| U2 performing at the US Festival in May 1983. By James LaMantia |
U2 released The Joshua Tree which features the singles "Where The Streets Have No Name", and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" on March 9, 1987. The album became the fastest selling in UK history and the first to sell over a million CDs,
The line "One life, with each other, sisters, brothers" from U2's "One" was voted the UK's favourite song lyric in a 2006 poll by music channel VH1.
The U2 360° Tour staged in support of the group's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon generated $736 million via 7.2m global ticket sales between 2009 and 2011. This broke the record for the highest-grossing concert tour of all time.
They have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band.
U2 have clocked up 19 #1 singles in their native Ireland, six more than any other act.
Larry Mullen Jr has dyscalculia, a learning difficulty that affects the ability to understand numbers and perform arithmetic. In an interview with Times Radio, Mullen Jr. explained how this condition sheds light on his struggles with counting along to music, often leading to the “pained” expression fans might notice during performances. “I’ve always known there’s something not quite right with the way I deal with numbers,” he admitted. “I’m numerically challenged. I recently discovered I have dyscalculia, which is a sub-version of dyslexia. So I can’t count, I can’t add.”
He likened counting bars in music to an almost insurmountable task. “I am pained because I’m trying to count the bars,” he said. “It’s like climbing Everest. I had to find ways of managing it.”
Source Artistfacts
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