U2 is a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. The band consists of:

(in photo, left to right)
The Edge (guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals)
Bono (vocals and guitar)
Adam Clayton (bass guitar)
Larry Mullen Jr. (drums and percussion).

U2 has been one of the most popular acts in the world since the mid-1980s. The band has sold upwards of 170 million albums worldwide, and they have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other rock artist.

U2 formed in 1976 as teenagers with limited musical proficiency. Most people do not realize that U2 started out as a Christian group and then crossed over into the mainstream. Their earliest albums (which did not see popular distribution in the U.S. until their "breakthrough" in the mid-80s) are filled with songs that reflect religious and particularly Biblical imagary. The songs "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (which vividly describes a post-Rapture world) and "40" (which is almost word-for-word from Psalm 40) are prime examples.

By the mid-1980s, however, the band had become a top international act, noted for its anthemic sound, Bono's impassioned vocals, and The Edge's textural guitar playing. Their success as a live act was greater than as a record selling act until the success of their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, brought them their breakthrough into American radio and music television and mega-stardom.

Their 1991 album Achtung Baby, and the accompanying Zoo TV Tour, were part of a significant reinvention for the band; it was a response to their own sense of musical stagnation, the dance and alternative music revolutions, and criticism of their image. This experimentation continued for the rest of the 1990s. This effort to stay in the spotlight often resulted in songs, albums, and concerts that disappointed ealier fans, but through it all remained a thread of spirituality that reflected their true beliefs.

In the early years of the 21st century, U2 has attempted a return to their earlier anthemic sound while maintaining influences from their later musical explorations. The 2000 album "All that you can't Leave Behind" was hailed as the album their fans had been waiting for, while at the same time producing a sound that newcomers would appreciate. (The Guardian, 10/31/00). They continue to enjoy the highest level of commercial and critical success.

The band practices their beliefs by being active in human rights, international development, and social justice causes, such as Amnesty International, Make Poverty History, the ONE Campaign, Live Aid, Live 8, Bono's DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade in Africa) campaign, and Music Rising.