Rock legends
The Edge (David Howell Evans) plays lead guitar, keyboards, and sings background vocals for U2, which was created in 1976.
Adam Clayton plays bass guitar, and Larry Mullen, Jr. plays drums and sings background vocals.
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| Rock legends |
The band became well-known in the middle of the 1980s and is still quite well-known today. They have sold roughly 170 million records worldwide, and about 50.5 million in the United States alone.
With 22 Grammy Awards under their belt, U2 has won more than any other recording artist, living or dead, and six of their albums debuted at number one in the United States. U2 was listed as one of the 50 greatest rock and roll acts of all time by Rolling Stone in its April 2004 issue.
- The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the following year, in their first year of eligibility.
- The band, who are arguably one of the greatest bands of all time, continue to dominate music charts and sell out arenas and stadiums all over the world.
In the autumn of 1976, U2 was initially founded in Dublin, Ireland. Mullen Jr. advertised the need for musicians to start a new band on the bulletin board at his high school.
Seven lads showed up for the band's first ever practice, but by the time they took the stage at a talent show in Limerick, Ireland on March 17, 1978, only Mullen, Jr., Clayton, Evans, and Henson remained.
- The band impressed Jackie Hayden, one of the show's judges who also worked for CBS Records, winning first place at the top competition.
- The band would receive studio time from Hayden, so they could record their initial demo.
The Larry Mullen Band was the band's initial moniker before it was changed to Feedback, then The Hype, and eventually U2 before the first single was finally released.
- U2 would release their first two singles in the Irish market through the CBS label. Both audiences and critics paid little attention to either single.
- U2 joined Island Records in March 1980, and their first album, Boy, and first international single, 11 O'Clock Tick Took, were both published. I Will Follow, their debut hit track, was on the album.
The band's first tour outside of Ireland and the United Kingdom, as well as the record, were highly welcomed by both music critics and fans. The next year, U2 issued October, a record with overtly spiritual and Christian undertones.
U2 was made more widely known in America by MTV, which frequently aired the New Year's Day music video. From that point on, playing to packed houses at concerts in the U.S. and Europe became routine.
U2 issued The Unforgettable Fire in 1984, which featured the popular song Pride (In the Name of Love).
- The band's new sound, which was more atmospheric, effects-focused, and symphonic, was included on the album.
- The song, which was dedicated to civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., entered the U.S. Top 40 and the U.K. Top 5.
- The album also featured the song “Bad,” which went on to become a fan favorite, especially when performed live.
- The Joshua Tree, the band's 1987 release, peaked at #1 on the U.S.
Charts and debuted at #1 in the UK
The album, which featured the #1 hits With or Without You, Where the Streets Have No Name, and I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, went on to win the prestigious Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
Up to this point, the record has reportedly sold 25 million copies. Later that year, Time magazine put U2 on its cover with the headline, Rock's Hottest Ticket. The band's Joshua Tree Tour was a financial success, since they routinely played to sold-out crowds in stadiums and arenas.
U2 issued a double album titled Rattle and Hum in 1988. The CD, which included songs performed with Bob Dylan and B.B. King, earned positive reviews from music enthusiasts but mixed ones from reviewers. The band U2 declared they will stop touring the next year.
The band made a comeback in 1991 with the publication of Aching Baby, which featured the mega hit song One. Both fans and critics gave the album favorable reviews.
More than 17 million copies have been sold thus far. U2's 1993 album Zooropa introduced techno-style and electronic effects to the band's classic alternative guitar rock sound.
The album, which featured Johnny Cash on the songs Zooropa, stay (Faraway, So Close!) and The Wanderer, helped the band become more well-known and maintain it throughout the 1990s and beyond.
Pop, the band's 1997 album, debuted at #1 in 28 different nations. The album was praised for fusing aspects of well-liked techno from the 1990s with classic US alternative guitar rock.
The album received mixed reviews, despite having early economic success and having some of the lowest lifetime sales in U2's discography.
Thanks to the 150,000 Italians that attended U2's performance at the Camp oval in Reggie, Emilia on September 20, 2007, the band broke the previous record for the greatest concert attendance in Europe at the time.
U2 published All That You Can't Leave Behind in 1999, which featured a number of popular singles like Elevation, Beautiful Day, and Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out of.
The band would make a big impression at the Super Bowl XXXVI half-time show in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2001. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, which U2 released in November 2004, debuted at #1 in32 nations.
An estimated 840,000 copies of the album, which featured the smash singles Vertigo, and Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, were sold in the United States in its first week, setting a record for the band.
After winning five Grammys during the 2005–2006 Grammys, including Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Album, U2 made a significant impression.
The band U2 is renowned for their aggressive support of human rights, particularly in Africa. They have most recently been urging followers and the wider public to participate in the ONE movement, even devoting time at their concerts to discussing the initiative.
In December 2005, TIME magazine selected frontman Bono as one of its Persons of the Year for his involvement in international humanitarian endeavors. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, their most recent record, has spawned a very successful international tour.
One with Mary J. Blige, All Because of You, City of Blinding Lights, and Vertigo are recent songs. A new album by U2 is expected to be released in late 2006 or early 2007.