BY STREETS OF DUBLIN

U2 are an Irish rock band featuring Bono (Paul David Hewson) on vocals, rhythm guitar and harmonica; The Edge (David Howell Evans) on lead guitar, keyboards and backing vocals; Adam Clayton on bass guitar; and Larry Mullen, Jr. on drums and, occasionally, backing vocals.

Founded in 1976, U2 have consistently remained among the most popular acts in the world since the mid 1980s. The band has sold approximately 50.5 million albums in the U.S., according to the RIAA , and upwards of 170 million worldwide , have had six #1 albums in the US and nine #1 albums in the UK and are one of the most successful bands of all time. Since the release of their album The Joshua Tree they have been frequently referred to as the biggest rock band in the world by fans and critics alike. The band has won 22 Grammy awards, the most for recording artists.

The band is also politically active in human rights causes, such as the Make Poverty History campaign as well as Live Aid, Live 8, and Bono's DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade in Africa) campaign.

U2 WALL

THE EDGE

There is considerable speculation as to how Evans received his nickname "The Edge". Bono made reference to the name in the commentary track of the movie The Million Dollar Hotel, saying that the Edge tends to stand close to the edges of buildings because of his comfort with heights. In another, book-length interview with Michka Assayas, Bono mentions both the sharp profile of his face and nose, and the "insane love he had for walking on the edges of very high walls, bridges, or buildings" (Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas, p. 47). In the book U2 by U2, it states that the name originates from his angular facial features, which is then supported by The Edge's claims himself. During an interview with Channel 4's weekend television programme T4, Edge was asked how he got his nickname and replied "it's the nose," referring to both his nose and angular facial features.

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1 Sep 2007 23:37