Four teenagers from Dublin who formed a band in 1976 and went on to become one of the best-selling musical acts of all time. Their story is unlike any other in rock history.
It started with a handwritten note on a noticeboard at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, September 1976. Fourteen-year-old Larry Mullen Jr. was looking for musicians. A handful of students showed up to his kitchen that Saturday: Paul Hewson (soon to be Bono), David Evans (The Edge), his brother Dick Evans, Adam Clayton, and Ivan McCormick.
Dick Evans and Ivan McCormick would leave early on. The remaining four — Bono, Edge, Adam, and Larry — would stay together for nearly five decades. From that kitchen in Artane to the Sphere in Las Vegas is one of music's most extraordinary journeys.
They played their first show as "The Hype" in 1977, became U2 in 1978, won a talent competition in Limerick that year that earned them their first record deal meeting, and signed to Island Records in 1980. Boy was released that October. They were teenagers. They never really stopped.
The most Grammy wins of any rock act in history, including Album of the Year twice (Joshua Tree, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb).
The 360° Tour (2009–11) is the highest-grossing concert tour of all time — $736 million, 7.27 million tickets across 110 shows.
One of the best-selling music artists of all time, with The Joshua Tree alone selling over 25 million copies worldwide.
Same four members since 1978. No lineup changes. One of the longest-running original lineups in rock history.
Inducted in 2005, in their first year of eligibility — the earliest possible date. Inducted by Bruce Springsteen.
Four Dubliners, four distinct personalities, one sound that belongs to all of them equally.
Paul David Hewson
Born May 10, 1960 in Dublin. The voice, the face, and often the lightning rod. Bono's vocal range — from a murmur to a howl — is unlike any other in rock. His lyrical ambition, often derided but never less than earnest, has produced some of the most recognisable songs of the last fifty years.
Off stage, he's equally known for his advocacy work — co-founding ONE and (RED), lobbying for African debt relief, HIV/AIDS awareness, and Jubilee 2000. He has met with every sitting US president since Clinton. You may disagree with his methods. You can't question his sincerity.
Key songs: One, With or Without You, Bad, Sunday Bloody Sunday
David Howell Evans
Born August 8, 1961 in Barking, Essex (raised in Dublin). Possibly the most influential guitarist of his generation — not because of technical virtuosity (though he has plenty) but because of his unique sound: delay-drenched, atmospheric, chiming. You can hear The Edge's guitar in a thousand imitators, but none of them sound like him.
His use of alternate tunings, digital delay, and effects pedals to build textural soundscapes rather than solos redefined what the electric guitar could do in a rock context. Where the Streets Have No Name. One. Mysterious Ways. Pride. Bad. Each one begins with a guitar part that is instantly, utterly recognisable.
Key moments: Where the Streets intro, One's opening riff, Bullet the Blue Sky
Adam Charles Clayton
Born March 13, 1960 in Chinnor, Oxfordshire (raised in Dublin). The coolest member of U2, and underrated by many in discussions of the band's greatness. Adam's bass is the foundation everything else stands on — warm, melodic, inventive without being showy.
In the early days Adam was the most experienced musician in the group — he was already in bands when the others had barely touched instruments. His bass line on With or Without You is one of the most iconic in rock. The groove of Mysterious Ways, the pulse of Pride — these are built on Clayton's playing.
Key moments: With or Without You's bass line, Mysterious Ways, One
Lawrence Joseph Mullen Jr.
Born October 31, 1961 in Dublin. The founder of U2 — it was Larry's noticeboard posting that brought the band together. A drummer of extraordinary discipline and power, Mullen's style is deceptively simple: no unnecessary fills, just the perfect beat for the song, every time.
Critics have pointed to this simplicity as a weakness; fans know it's a superpower. The opening snare hits of Sunday Bloody Sunday are among the most recognisable moments in rock history. His drumming on Achtung Baby — tight, metronomic, propulsive — underpins some of the most complex production the band ever attempted.
Key moments: Sunday Bloody Sunday opener, New Year's Day, Vertigo
1976
Larry Mullen Jr. posts a note at Mount Temple school looking for musicians. Five students show up to his kitchen on a Saturday afternoon. A band is formed, initially called "The Hype."
1978
The band changes its name to U2. They win the CBS Ireland Talent Competition in Limerick, which leads to their first industry attention. Steve Lillywhite begins producing demos.
1980
Sign to Island Records. Debut album Boy is released in October. Rolling Stone takes notice. The band begin their first US tour, playing small clubs. The foundation is set.
1983–85
War makes U2 internationally famous. Their headline set at Live Aid (1985) is considered by many the greatest live performance in rock history — and they weren't even on the bill for very long. It launched them into the stratosphere.
1987
The Joshua Tree is released. It sells a million copies in its first week. Time magazine puts U2 on the cover. They become the first rock act since The Beatles to appear on Time's cover. The Joshua Tree Tour breaks attendance records worldwide.
1991
Recorded in Berlin and Dublin, Achtung Baby marks U2's first complete reinvention. Influenced by industrial, dance, and alternative rock — it saves the band from becoming a nostalgia act at the height of their fame. Zoo TV becomes one of the most influential concert productions ever staged.
2000–2009
All That You Can't Leave Behind wins 7 Grammys including Record of the Year. The 360° Tour breaks every concert revenue and attendance record in history. U2 cement their status as the defining rock act of the era.
2014–2017
Two companion albums explore Bono's Dublin childhood and the political upheaval of the 2010s. The iTunes controversy notwithstanding, both records contain some of U2's most personal and emotionally direct work.
2023–2024
U2 become the first residency act at the Sphere in Las Vegas — the world's most advanced entertainment venue. Playing Achtung Baby in full inside a 160,000 sq ft LED sphere, they demonstrate once again that nobody in live music thinks bigger or executes better.