Bono
With the March 2009 release of "No Line On The Horizon," U2 marked more than two decades of making rock music history. Lead singer Bono has been a driving force in the band's musical and activist pursuits.
U2 formed in 1976 in Dublin when Adam Clayton, the Edge and Paul Hewson responded to Larry Mullen's ad to form a band. Hewson's singing abilities gained him the nickname "Bono Vox," Latin for "good voice." Bono's voice and songwriting talents helped propel U2 from a teenage garage band to a world-famous rock group. The release of their 1987 album "The Joshua Tree" led Time Magazine to proclaim that U2 was "Rock's Hottest Ticket." Not content to rest on the success of "The Joshua Tree," the band adapted its sound on the following albums, "Achtung Baby," "Zooropa" and "Pop," to reflect new electronic trends in music.
Bono and the band have often used their fame to draw attention to humanitarian causes around the world. In the band's early days, Bono spoke during concerts against the violence in Northern Ireland. He visited Ethiopia during the famine crisis in the 1980s. U2 drew attention to the atrocities in the Balkans by broadcasting interviews from Sarajevo during the ZooTV concert tour. More recently, Bono has been active in the Jubilee 2000 movement, which hopes to erase the debt of third-world countries.
Bono has recently aligned himself with the Product Red campaign to increase awareness of AIDS in Africa. Major companies have created red products whose proceeds will benefit the fight against HIV/AIDS. The outspoken activist counts Bill Clinton and Bill Gates among his influential friends.
Bono and U2 links
- U2.com
At the band's official site, you can read what Bono and the other members are doing and watch video clips of some performances. Connect with fans in the Zootopia forum.
- Time
Learn what motivates Bono to pursue third world debt relief. Don't miss the photos of Bono with world leaders, including Kofi Annan, Colin Powell and Pope John Paul II.
- CNN: People in the News
Read this profile of Bono and then take the quiz to test your Bono knowledge. The timeline offers highlights from his career.
- 60 Minutes II
The CBS news show profiled the life of Bono as an artist and activist. Read highlights and watch clips from the interview. You can also learn more about the Grammy awards U2 has won.
- Rolling Stone
Read a U2 biography from the legendary music magazine to learn how Bono aims to save rock 'n' roll.
You can also check out album reviewsand read past cover stories on U2, including the one that declared U2 "The Band of the 80s."
Activism
- Jubilee +
This international group is working to convince wealthy nations to erase the billions
in debt owed by the poorest countries in the world. Bono has lobbied the United Nations and
the U.S. Congress to support the effort.
- Greenpeace
U2 supports the efforts of Greenpeace to protect the environment. In 1993, the entire band participated in a Greenpeace protest at Sellafield, a nuclear plant in England.
- Amnesty International
In 1985, U2 gave a benefit performance for Amnesty International's 25th Anniversary. In the liner notes of their albums, U2 urges fans to join their local chapter of this human rights organization.
- Product RED
This for-profit brand was founded, in part, by Bono in 2006. Product Red seeks to raise awareness and money for the Global Fund, which helps to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria in needy countries.
- War Child
This organization helps protect the millions of children caught in the crossfire of wars around the world.
To raise money for War Child, Bono and other pop stars joined Pavarotti in 1995 to create an album,
Pavarotti and Friends: Together for the Children of Bosnia.
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