Historical Figure
Bono
b. 1960
Irish musician and activist (born 1960)
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Biography
Paul David Hewson, known by the nickname Bono, is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned vocal style as well as his grandiose songwriting and performance style. His lyrics frequently include social and political themes, and religious imagery inspired by his Christian faith.
In Their Own Words (5)
The thing about The Dubliners is — line'em up, the hardest rock'n'roll bands in the world, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Oasis, Nirvana, U2 — we're all a bunch of girls next to The Dubliners.
As quoted on Ronnie Drew (2008), talking about Irish folk band The Dubliners , 2008
We can be the generation that no longer accepts that an accident of latitude determines whether a child lives or dies. But will we be that generation?
Foreword to The End of Poverty (2005) by Jeffrey Sachs , 2005
I'm the Imelda Marcos of sunglasses.... Very sensitive eyes to light. If somebody takes my photograph, I will see the flash for the rest of the day. My right eye swells up. I've a blockage there, so that my eyes go red a lot. So it's part vanity, it's part privacy and part sensitivity.
On his sunglasses; Imelda Marcos famously had a huge collection of shoes. , 2005
What a city, what a night, what a crowd, what a bomb, what a mistake, what a wanker you have for a President.
Acceptance speech at the MTV Europe Music Awards, referring to French nuclear testing in Pacific (1995) , 1995
Can you imagine your second album — the difficult second album — it's about God? Everyone is tearing their hair out and Chris Blackwell says, "It's okay. There's Bob Marley and Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, it's a tradition. We can get through it.
About the album October (album) (1981) in a speech accepting induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (17 March 2005) , 1981
Timeline
The story of Bono, told in moments.
Born Paul David Hewson in Dublin. Catholic father, Protestant mother. When he's 14, his mother collapses at her own father's funeral and dies of a brain aneurysm days later. He'll call it the defining wound of his life.
Answers a note pinned to a school bulletin board at Mount Temple Comprehensive. Larry Mullen Jr., 14, is looking for musicians. The band that forms in Mullen's kitchen will become U2. Bono can barely play guitar. He becomes the singer.
The Joshua Tree. Produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. "With or Without You" and "Where the Streets Have No Name" open and close the album. It sells 25 million copies. U2 on the cover of Time: "Rock's Hottest Ticket." He's 26.
Meets with George W. Bush, Tony Blair, and the Pope in the same year, lobbying for African debt relief. He co-founds ONE, a global anti-poverty campaign. Jesse Helms, the most conservative senator in the US, cries in a meeting with Bono about AIDS in Africa and backs a $15 billion relief bill.
Named Time Person of the Year alongside Bill and Melinda Gates. U2's Vertigo Tour grosses $389 million. He's simultaneously a rock star and a de facto diplomat, pressing G8 leaders to cancel third-world debt.
Publishes Surrender, his memoir. 22 Grammys with U2. Knighted by Elizabeth II. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Still married to Ali Hewson, who he started dating at 16. The band has never changed its lineup.
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