FORMED: 1976, Dublin, Ireland
In autumn 1976, drummer Larry Mullen put a note on
the notice board at Mount Temple Comprehensive
School in Dublin, Find people to join a band.
Four friends joined up: Paul Hewson (aka Bono Vox),
Dave Evans (aka The Edge), Dik Evans, and Adam
Clayton. Dik soon left to join the Virgin Prunes,
while the remaining four formed 'Feedback' before
changing to 'The Hype' and then settling on U2.
The band's first break came in 1978, winning ?00 in
a talent contest on St. Patrick's Day (March 17th)
in Limerick. Bono later recalled that they had
beaten off many technically better bands because of
what he called 'a spark', which had produced a great
atmosphere on stage. One of the judges that Week was
Jackie Heyden of CBS Records, who was impressed and
arranged their first demo session. It was not a
great success - the band's inexperience and lack of
studio time combining to hinder their efforts - but
it was a start.
Their reputation for intense and electrifying live
shows meant that U2 soon built up a dedicated
following of fans. One was Bill Graham, a journalist
with the music paper 'Hot Press', who was an early
champion of the band and also introduced them to
their manager, Paul McGuinness. A three-year
contract with CBS Ireland soon folloWed, and with it
the release of their first record in September 1979
- a three song EP entitled 'U23' comprising Out of
Control, Boy/Girl, and Stories for Boys. A second
single folloWed, before the band signed a world-wide
contract with Island Records in March 1980.
|
