Bono Biography

Paul David Hewson was raised with his older brother Norman. ‘Bono’s’ mother Iris was a Church of Ireland Protestant and his father Bob a Roman Catholic, so both parents had agreed to raise their first child Protestant and their second Catholic.

Despite this agreement though, Bono’s strong religious family influences led to him being brought up without becoming attached to one specific denomination.

Age 14, Bono lost his mother after she tragically suffered a cerebral aneurysm at the funeral of her own father. Her death contributed significantly to Bono’s songwriting in later years.

Attending the Mount Temple Comprehensive School, Bono was to meet his future wife Ali and the members of the band he was to achieve worldwide success with.

“I was such a lousy guitar player that one day they broke it to me that maybe I should sing instead."

Joining a group of local children who named themselves Lypton Village he was given the new name of Bono Vox when they all decided they should rechristen themselves with names they thought better reflected their individual characters. Various stories circulate as to where ‘Bono Vox’ came from including a dog food and a brand of hearing aid (most likely apparently). The loose Latin translation is ‘good voice’ and it was this that persuaded Bono to stick with the moniker.

In 1976 Bono replied to an ad posted by student Larry Muller seeking to form a rock band. Three others also responded, David Evans (The Edge), Dick Evans and Adam Clayton, to form the band. The band firstly named themselves Feedback and then The Hype. When Dick Evans left, the remaining foursome became U2.

In the early days Bono turned his hand to pretty much everything from guitar playing, lead vocals and songwriting - taking the dominant position in the group. But as the Edge developed his guitar skills, Bono was put firmly back in place as the band vocalist. But even then the band had worries his voice (despite the nickname) may not be up to much and considering disposing of his services all together. Bono later admitted: “I was such a lousy guitar player that one day they broke it to me that maybe I should sing instead. I had tried before but I had no voice at all. I remember the day I found I could sing. I said, 'Oh, that's how you do it.”

His love for being centre stage had been evident since his school days where he possessed a instinctive flare for grabbing people's attention. From the beginning of U2’s musical journey he was a natural at working an audience and getting the best reaction by interacting with them. A constant feature of U2's live shows throughout their career has been Bono’s presence, perhaps most notably during the ZooTV tour, when he took on the guise of characters such as 'The Fly' and Mr. Macphisto.

Bono began touring almost immediately with U2 after their first album release, Boy, in 1980 and his talent for songwriting immediately gave him the responsibility of composing the lyrics for nearly all U2’s songs.

His song themes most commonly lie with his stance on current social and political events, or contain a religious connotation. In the early band days he became known for his rebellious nature and habit of projecting his anger over whatever world crisis may be happening at the time. His on-stage outbursts were frequent but despite being warned to be a little more subdued, he remains committed to publicly voicing his opinions.

In 1982, Bono married Alison Stewart, who he’d met and known since his school days. The couple are one of those rarities in the showbiz world in remaining a happy unit and family to this day, with four children as additions to the Hewson clan - two daughters Jordan and Memphis Eve and two sons, Elijah Patricius Q Guggi and John Abraham.

By 1987, the band released their sixth album and it was to be this record - The Joshua Tree - that truly catapulted the band to stardom. Subsequent albums secured U2’s reputation for range and innovation, including 1991’s industrial-sounding Achtung Baby, 1993’s funkier-edged Zooropa, and the techno-influenced Pop (1997).

Worldwide, Bono is known to his fans, music associates and the press as a strong figure of social activism, which has always been close to the singer’s heart. He has always chosen to use his music to raise consciousness, with involvement in high-profile projects such as Band Aid and Live 8.

Outside of his music world, Bono knows how to use his celebrity status wisely in garnering awareness about a range of global issues. Over the years, he has met with world leaders to discuss issues such as debt relief for developing countries, world poverty and AIDS. In 2005, Bono and his wife Ali established EDUN, a for-profit clothing enterprise with the idea to foster “sustainable employment in developing areas of the world, particularly Africa,” according to its website.

Bono’s musical success with U2 has been strewn with accolades such as 22 Grammy Awards and even a Golden Globe award win for a song written for the film Gangs of New York. Throughout his career, Bono has managed to firmly establish himself not only as an acclaimed musician and one of Ireland’s biggest musical exports, but also as a global spokesperson for innumerable causes.