U2 Members Adam Clayton

Adam Clayton was born in Oxfordshire, English on March 13th, 1960, the eldest child of Brian and Jo Clayton. He spent most of his early childhood years in Kenya, but when he was five-year old, the family moved to Malahide Ireland, near Dublin, where his two siblings, Sarah and Sebastian were born.

Clayton's parents sent him to St. Columba's boarding school. Having a rebellious character, Adam hated the school and the discipline it required. At 16, he began attending the progressive school Mount Temple Compreshensive, Ireland's first non-denominational school. Being a bit of a hippie, he felt much more free to be himself at his new school, where he met Bono, The Edge and Larry Mullen. Adam was first part of the Max Quad Band before joining Feedback, which later became U2.

Besides being the bassist of the band, Adam was also U2's first manager, he would book shows for U2 and send around demo tapes. He kept this role until Paul McGuinness, a more experienced manager, was hired. In the beginning, Clayton didn't feel like he really fit in the group - of the four band members, only Adam wasn't an admitted Christian. Another thing that distinguishes him from the other members of the group, is that he is the only one who doesn't have any children. He has never been married but was engaged to super-model Naomi Campbell during the ZooTV era. More recently, he had reportedly been dating American Suzie Smith, who is Paul McGuinness' assistant.

Adam has always been the rebel of the group, and lived the typical Rock and Roll lifestyle. In August, 1989, Adam was arrested in Ireland for possession of marijuana and with intent to supply marijuana to another person. Less than a month later, he pleaded guilty in court for possession. Under Irish law, the prosecution agreed to apply the Probation of Offenders Act, which allows defenders to make contributions to charity in return for a dismissal of charges without conviction. Adam agreed to pay 25,000 pounds to the Women's Aid Refuge Centre. Another incident that marked his career was in 1993 when he missed a show in Australia. It seems that after Naomi Campbell broke off their engagement, he got so drunk one night that he couldn't play. He declares however that he has been sober ever since.

Adam has achieved a great deal in his career, besides being part of one of the greatest bands in the world. In both 2001 and 2002, he was winner of the Best Bassist award in the Orville H. Gibson Guitar Award. Also, Adam Clayton played bass on "Still Water" and "Jolie Louise" on the Daniel Lanois 1989 album Acadie. Adam and Larry Mullen recorded soundtrack, including the theme song, for the 1996 remake of the movie Mission: Impossible.