The Band

In the fall of 1976, 14 year-old drummer Larry Mullen put a note on a bulletin board at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, looking for people to join a band. Paul Hewson (Bono), Dave Evans (The Edge), Dick Evans (Dave's brother) and Adam Clayton answered the call, and the band "Feedback" was formed. Dick soon left to join another Dublin band, while the remaining four changed their name to "'The Hype"', later settling on U2. Two years later, U2 won a talent contest and were soon signed to CBS Records Ireland. The band's first release was an EP, “U2:3”, from which the song "Out Of Control" (1979) reached number 1 on the Irish charts. It failed to gain much attention in England however.

U2's first big break came in March 1980, when they signed a worldwide contract with Island Records. They recorded their critically acclaimed debut album, "Boy", which yielded the popular MTV track, "I Will Follow". Through constant touring, including opening gigs for Talking Heads and wet T-shirt contests, U2 was able to take "Boy" into the American Top 70 in early 1981. Their next album, "October" helped them breakthrough the British charts, reaching number 11. It featured the song "Gloria". "October" was a much more mellow and spiritual record that reflected the Christian beliefs of Bono, Edge and Larry.

The band's breakthrough album was 1983's "War", which entered the UK charts at Number 1 and elevated them into arenas in the United States, where the album peaked at number 12. "War" had a stronger political message than its predecessors and it produced two big hits: "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day." Next came their live record, "Under A Blood Red Sky". In 1984, U2 began recording their album, "The Unforgettable Fire", with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, the production team they would continue to work with for the rest of their career. The Martin Luther King Jr. tribute "(Pride) In The Name of Love." from the album made it their first Top 40 hit in America. In April 1985, Rolling Stone magazine dubbed U2 "The Band of The Eighties". In the summer of that same year, U2 participated in the Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium, London, where they gave a show-stealing performance.

U2's next album, 1987's critically beloved "The Joshua Tree", made them the most popular group in the world. At the time, it was the fastest-selling album ever and reached Number 1 on both the US and UK charts. In England, it set a record by going platinum within 28 hours. Three hits came from the album, "With Or Without You", "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Where The Streets Have No Name". Next, U2 released, "Rattle And Hum", a double album and documentary film about their American tour. This yielded the hits "Desire," "Angel Of Harlem," "When Love Comes To Town," and "All I Want Is You".

The first full studio album after "The Joshua Tree" was 1991's "Achtung Baby" which represented a successful reinvention of the band's trademark sound. It had two big hits, "Mysterious Ways" and "One" and a huge ambitious multi-media tour, Zoo TV. U2 continued making their sound more electronic with the albums "Zooropa" (1993) and "Pop" (1997), which both received strong reviews but only sold moderately well compared to their previous triumphs. The Edge described "Pop" as being "about as far away from U2 as it is possible to be".

In 2000, the album "All That You Can't Leave Behind" was considered a return to form by critics and fans. It had a huge hit, "Beautiful Day", and both the single and album won Grammy Awards in 2001.

Their most recent album, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" was released in November 2004 with its first single named "Vertigo".

In 2005, U2 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and joined the ranks of great legends such as The Beatles and The Doors.

On February 9th 2006, U2 picked up Grammy awards in all 5 categories in which they were nominated, including Album of the Year and Best Rock Album for "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb".