U2
birth name: Paul Hewson
Bono
“Religion can be the enemy of God. It's often what happens when God, like Elvis, has left the building.” ~ Bono
He wants to show me the Chapelle de Saint Pierre des Pecheurs, a tiny 12th-century chapel with 1950s murals by Jean Cocteau. Inside the chapel, he encounters a group of grey-haired American choristers. He spontaneously invites them to sing Amazing Grace with him, to their initial bemusement. Afterwards, one man asks, “Are you a well-known musician? Should we know who you are?” “Er,” Bono says hesitantly. “I'm Bono.” The man laughs and says that he's heard of him. A woman steps forward to tell Bono how much she enjoyed his musical about the shipyards. Not, as far as he knows, having written one, he looks puzzled. She explains further. “Oh,” he says, the penny dropping, “it's Sting you're thinking of.” Bono doesn’t seem bothered. ~ The Guardian: U2, ‘It's the job of art to be divisive’ ~ October 12, 2014 © The Guardian
Continued right after these…
Honoring musicians. Celebrating birthdays. Remembering death days.
May 10, 2003 ~ Billboard Hot 100 ~ #3 (3) R. Kelly, Ignition ~ #2 (1) 50 Cent, In Da Club ~ #1 (2) Sean Paul, Get Busy
Continued…
Bono ~ Ranked #26 Q Magazine 100 Greatest Singers Of All Time in 2007.
As a Session musician, guest or band member
Robbie Robertson ~ Robbie Robertson (1987) ~ Ranked #77 Rolling Stone 100 Best Albums Of The Eighties in 1990 ~ “It's easy to be a genius in your twenties,” says Robbie Robertson. “In your forties, it's difficult.” ~ 1990 © Rolling Stone
U2
U2 started off humbly enough as a Dublin, Ireland, school boy band formed in response to an ad placed on the Mount Temple High School notice board by Larry Mullen, Jr. in 1976. Of the several students that came to his house to audition for the rock band, Mullen noted that, although some could play, technical merit wasn't the decisive factor. Mullen told Jay Cocks of Time that the original band consisted of one fellow who “meant to play the guitar, but he couldn't play very well, so he started to sing. He couldn't do that either. But, he was such a charismatic character that he was in the band as soon as he arrived.” ~ Musicianguide: U2 ~ retrieved April 22, 2014 © Musicianguide
Through a combination of zealous righteousness and post-punk experimentalism, U2 became one of the most popular rock & roll bands of the '80s. They were rock & roll crusaders during an era of synthesized pop and heavy metal, equally known for their sweeping sound as for their grandiose statements about politics and religion. ~ Allmusic: U2 ~ retrieved March 12, 2014 © Allmusic
U2 ~ Ranked #22 Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Artists in 2004 ~ “The first U2 album I ever heard was Achtung Baby. It was 1991, and I was 14 years old. Before that, I didn't even know what albums were.” ~ Chris Martin, Coldplay ~ 2004 © Rolling Stone
In 1995 four songs by U2 made it to the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll ~ I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For ~ One ~ Pride, In The Name Of Love ~ Sunday Bloody Sunday