U2

U2 is an Irish rock band featuring Bono (Paul David Hewson) on vocals, guitar and harmonica, The Edge (David Howell Evans) on guitar, keyboards and vocals, Adam Clayton on bass guitar, and Larry Mullen, Jr. on drums. more...

Founded in 1976, U2 has maintained a high level of popularity since the late 1980s. According to the RIAA, the band has sold approximately 50.5 million albums in the U.S. and over 150 million worldwide, had six #1 albums in the US and nine #1 albums in the UK and is widely considered one of the most successful groups of all time. Since the release of their breakthrough 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, second only to Stevie Wonder among popular music artists.

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

History

Formation and breakthrough (1976 – 1980)

The band was formed in Dublin on Saturday, September 25, 1976. Fourteen-year-old Larry Mullen, Jr. posted a notice on his secondary school bulletin board (Mount Temple Comprehensive School) seeking musicians for a new band. The response that followed that note resulted in seven boys attending the initial practice in Larry's kitchen. Known for about a day as "The Larry Mullen Band," the group featured Mullen on drums, Adam Clayton on bass guitar, Paul Hewson (Bono) on vocals, Dave Evans (The Edge) on guitar, his brother Dik Evans on guitar, and Mullen's friends Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin . Soon after, the group settled on the name Feedback. Although known as an Irish band, two members —The Edge and Adam Clayton— are actually British by birth. Martin only came to the first practice, and McCormick was out of the core group within a few weeks, being dismissed by Adam Clayton with the excuse that he was too young to play at the bars in which U2 would be booked.

Read more at Wikipedia.org