On This Day, May 10, 1960: U2 frontman Bono was born in Dublin, Ireland

Posted on 10 May 2024

By ABC Digital

On This Day, May 10, 1960…

Paul David Hewson, better known as U2 frontman Bono, was born in Dublin, Ireland.

U2 was formed in 1976 after Bono and friend David Evans, aka the Edge, responded to an advertisement posted on a bulletin board by Larry Mullen Jr., who was seeking musicians interested in forming a rock band.

U2 released their first album, Boy, in 1980. The follow-up, 1983’s War, propelled them to stardom thanks to hit singles “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Pride (In The Name of Love).”

The band has gone on to release 15 studio albums and win 22 Grammys, including Album of the Year for 1987’s The Joshua Tree. They’ve sold between 150 million and 170 million records and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 in their first year of eligibility.

In addition to U2, Bono is known for his activism and philanthropy, and has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the plight of the people of Africa. In 2004, he launched the One Campaign with a goal of eliminating extreme poverty and disease in Africa.

In November 2022, Bono released his memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story.

And in September 2023, U2 became the first band to headline the state-of-the-art Sphere in Las Vegas, playing 40 shows of their residency, U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere.