U2 | Artist
U2 is an Irish rock band formed 1976 in Dublin by Bono (vocals, guitar, harmonica, synthesizer, piano), The Edge (guitar, vocals, piano, keyboards, bass, synthesizer), Adam Clayton (bass, guitar, keyboards), and Larry Mullen Jr. (drums, percussion, backing vocals). The band started when in 1976, 14-year-old student Larry Mullen Jr. posted a note on the school's notice board in search of musicians for a new band. Six people responded and met at his house on 25 September. Set up in the kitchen, Mullen was on drums, with Paul "Bono" Hewson on lead vocals, David "The Edge" Evans and his older brother Dik Evans on guitars, Adam Clayton, a friend of the Evans brothers, on bass, plus Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin, two other friends of Mullen. The latter two were dropped after a few weeks. Influenced by emerging punk acts, such as the Jam, the Clash, Buzzcocks and Sex Pistols, the band then named "Feedback", played their first gig for a paying audience at St. Fintan's High School in April 1977. Shortly thereafter, the band changed their name to "The Hype". Dik Evans, who was a bit older than the other boys, dropped out and joined the band Virgin Prunes, and the remaining four changed their name again to "U2". That same month U2 won a talent contest in Limerick sponsored by Harp Lager and the Evening Press. The prize consisted of £500 and studio time to record a demo which would be heard by record label CBS Ireland. In August, U2 recorded demos with producer Chas de Whalley at Windmill Lane Studios and the following month, three songs from the session were released by CBS as the Ireland-only EP U2-3, which became the group's first chart success, selling all 1,000 copies. With their anthemic rock sound built on the Edge's treated guitar textures and Bono's powerful vocals, the band went on to become one of the most successful rock bands in history. To-date they have released 14 studio albums and 14 live albums, along with dozens of mega-hit singles. Their finest albums are the superb trio of War, The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. Other standout albums include Boy, The Unforgettable Fire and Under a Blood Red Sky (live). Their 1987 album The Joshua Tree, produced by Brian Eno, was responsible for catapulting Bono and the band to super stardom, getting them on the cover of Time magazine and winning two Grammy awards. The record went to number one in over 20 countries, including the UK where it was the fastest seller in British chart history. In the US, it spent nine consecutive weeks at number one.
Artist Website: u2.com
Featured Albums: U2
Related Artists: Passengers, Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois
