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U2 is the Irish rock band featuring Bono (vocals; born Paul David Hewson on May 10, 1960), The Edge (guitar; born David Howell Evans on August 8, 1961), Adam Clayton (bass; born March 13, 1960), and Larry Mullen Jr. (drums; born October 31, 1961).

One of the world's most recognized rock bands since they first burst upon the international scene in the 1980's, leader Bono also has become the front man for the group's visionary work in exposing human rights concerns to the world media.

The group's origins can be traced back to the late 1970's, when they became known for their charismatic, high-energy performances in local Irish clubs. After being spotted in a talent contest, the band signed with CBS Records. Three years later they inked a deal with Island Records, releasing their first album, Boy, and embarking on an extensive tour schedule.

The band's big break finally came with the album, War, released in 1983, which spun off such hits as New Year's Day which entered the UK charts at No. 1.

International recognition continued to grow as U2 toured in the U.S., being dubbed "The Band of the Eighties" by Rolling Stone magazine in 1985.

Their influence could also be felt that year with U2's involvement in the first Live Aid concert in London. The band also headlined at Self Aid for the employed in Ireland, and signed up with Amnesty International's Conspiracy of Hope tour.

Back in the recording studio, the band next released The Joshua Tree in 1987 to become the fastest selling record in the UK, soon reachiong No. 1 in 22 countries and kicking off another U2 tour that resulted in fans clamoring for tickets from New York to Tokyo. The album spun off such mega-hit singles as Where The Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, and With Or Without You.

Changing direction in the early 1990's, U2 experimented with electronic sound on their Achtung Baby album in 1991, resulting in an international ZooTV tour featuring big show-biz props, huge video screens and general hoopla that reflected the band's growing prominence in the world of rock.

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The subsequent release and related tour for Pop, their 1997 album, continued the techno-extravangza theme with U2's stage production which featured computer-generated animations, huge video screens, an oversized rotating lemon mirror ball, and an olive on a 100-foot high cocktail stick.

With the dawn of the year 2000, a new album entitled All That You Can't Leave Behind took on added poignancy in the wake of the September 11 attack in New York a year later. The promotion tour for the album later included a touching tribute at the 2002 Super Bowl game in Florida, where the band performed Beautiful Day and Where the Streets Have No Name in tribute to victims and their families.

In 2003, Hollywood beckoned when the U2 song, The Hands That Built America, (written for the soundtrack to the film The Gangs of New York) which won for Best Original Song at the Golden Globe Awards.

Their most recent album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, was released in late 2004 featuring the hit single, Vertigo, for which their new world tour is named.

In March 2005, U2 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and more accolades followed when Bono and U2 made headlines around the world for their active involvement in Live 8 to help raise awareness of extreme poverty in developing nations.

In 2006, the Vertigo tour is scheduled to travel worldwide throughout Europe, the U.S., Japan & Australia. Meanwhile, the band took home four major awards at the 2006 Grammys including Album of the Year, Best Rock Album, and Song of the Year for Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own.

In September, Green Day teamed up with U2 to record "The Saints Are Coming" , a song to raise money for The Edge's charity, Music Rising

The year culminated in reports that Bono - an Irish citizen - would be receiving an honorary knighthood from the British government for his humanitarian work and "outstanding contribution" to music with U2.

U2.com - Hello, hello...and prepare to spend hours at this, the official site featuring a generous collection of U2 content including news and updates, tour schedule, lyrics, picture galleries, complete discography, video clips, audio presentations, news on the band's work for social causes, fan message boards, online shop plus details on how to view site exclusives with paid subscription.

U2 - Interference.com - Huge fan site featuring news & updates, chat, forum, FAQ, tour schedule, extensive collection of fan postings and photos.

U2 News, U2 Lyrics, Pictures @ Macphisto.net - News, updates, tour dates, band bios, lyrics, pictures, complete discography and videography, award list, e-cards, online shop, related links.

U2 weblog - Frequently updated blog with recent news and updates, special reports, photos, news archive.

@U2 - Fan site with news headlines, daily blog, pictures, lyrics, forum, tour dates, related links, band biographies, screen savers, e-cards, related links.

U2 Exit.com - An extensive U2 multimedia collection including pictures, videos, audio files, plus updates and news headlines, band bios, related links to U2 lyrics, discography.

also see -> Music Video Playlist