"Our music is rooted in the feeling that much more is possible than you think." -- Bono, 2003
Basic Facts:
Paul David Hewson was born May 10, 1960 in Dublin, Ireland. His childhood friend gave him the nickname Bono Vox after a hearing aid store on O'Connell Street in Dublin, and it was later shortened to Bono. In Latin it means "good voice". He has been married to his high school sweetheart, Alison Stewart, since 1982 and has four children with her: Jordan, Memphis Eve, Elijah and John.
Bono is the lead singer, songwriter and occasional guitarist for the band U2. His mother died when he was 15 and is considered to be the main influence on much of his writing. In 1976 Bono saw a letter on a bulletin board posted by Larry Mullen Jr. (the man who would one day be the drummer for U2) asking anyone interested in starting a band to meet at his house. The line-up of the rest of U2 consists of Dave Evans (The Edge) on guitar, Adam Clayton on bass and Larry Mullen Jr. on drums. U2's 14th studio album, How to Dismantle and Atomic Bomb was released on November 23rd and went straight to number one on the charts.
Throughout his career Bono has expanded beyond his role of "rock star". He wrote a screenplay that was later turned into a movie in 2000 by Wim Wenders called "The Million Dollar Hotel." It starred Mel Gibson and Milla Jovovich. Bono has also met with many politicians and world leaders, such as Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Tony Blair, to fight for his causes. He has traveled to Ethiopia, Sarajevo, and other poor, war-torn areas of the world to spread good will.
A well-known event was when Bono met with the pope and gave him his purple sunglasses.
His work:
Bono spent much of 2002 trying to convince President George W. Bush to donate more money towards fighting AIDS in Africa.
"The great thing about hanging out with Republicans is that it is very, very unhip for both of us." -- Bono, 2002
He has also met with other political figures in order to drop the debt of the world's poorest nations to the richest nations. Through the years poor nations have fallen into extreme debt that is nearly impossible to pay off. Thanks to the Drop the Debt campaign and Jubilee 2000, Bush and other world leaders have cancelled many of the debts and continue to cancel more.
Bono talks at colleges and in front of political figures and continues to spread the word on the war on AIDS and other important causes. His political beliefs and activism are expressed in his music with songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "Bullet the Blue Sky," "Miss Sarajevo" and most recently, "Love and Peace or Else." Aside from these causes, important figures have been large influences on Bono such as Nelson Mandela and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In addition to his work with Live Aid, Drop the Debt, and AIDS prevention, he took part in the 46664 Concert for Nelson Mandela in Cape Town, South Africa on World AIDS Day. The concert raised millions of dollars towards fighting AIDS. Bono has also worked to raise awareness of the troubles between northern and southern Ireland, though has tried to remain neutral.
Throughout his career Bono has managed to avoid the standard sex, drugs, and rock and roll lifestyle of a rock star and has maintained his dignity and morals. His influences have made the world a slightly better place.
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