The Edge
David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), more widely known as The Edge, is an English-born musician. He is known best as the guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist for the Irish rock band U2.
The Edge | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | David Howell Evans |
| Born | 8 August 1961 Barking, Essex, England |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals, Bass guitar |
| Years active | 1976 – present |
| Labels | Island (1980–2006) Mercury (2006–present) |
| Associated acts | U2 |
| Website | U2.com |
Personal life
David Howell Evans was born at the Barking Maternity Hospital,[1] in Essex, England. His parents, Garvin and Gwenda Evans, are Welsh.[2] When he was one, his family moved to County Dublin, Ireland. There, he attended St. Andrew's National School. He received piano and guitar lessons with his brother, Dik Evans. At Mount Temple Comprehensive School, they both answered an advertisement posted by Larry Mullen Jr. wanting musicians to form a band.[3] The band accepted both of them. This band went through several major changes before emerging as U2 in March 1978. Dik Evans left the band just before the name change.[4] U2 began performing in various venues in Ireland and eventually began developing a following. Their first album, Boy, was released in 1980.
In 1981, Evans came very close to leaving U2 for religious reasons, but he was persuaded to stay.[3] During this time, he became involved with a group called Shalom Tigers. Bono and Larry Mullen Jr. were also involved in this group.[5] Shortly after deciding to remain with the band, he wrote a piece of music that later became "Sunday Bloody Sunday".[3] The Edge married his high school girlfriend Aislinn O'Sullivan on 12 July 1983.[6] The couple had three daughters together: Hollie in 1984, Arran in 1985 and Blue Angel in 1989.[5] The couple separated in 1990, but were unable to get officially divorced until 1996 because of Irish laws regarding marriage; divorce was made legal in 1995.[5]
During U2's Zoo TV Tour, The Edge began to date Morleigh Steinberg. The couple began dating in 1993, and had their daughter, Sian, and a son, Levi.[5] They were married on June 22, 2002.[5]
The Edge appeared in the 2009 music documentary film It Might Get Loud.[7] He is also a Methodist.
Music
| “ | "Notes actually do mean something. They have power. I think of notes as being expensive. You don't just throw them around. I find the ones that do the best job and that's what I use. I suppose I'm a minimalist instinctively. I don't like to be inefficient if I can get away with it. Like on the end of "With or Without You". My instinct was to go with something very simple. Everyone else said, 'Nah, you can't do that.' I won the argument and I still think it's sort of brave, because the end of "With or Without You" could have been so much bigger, so much more of a climax, but there's this power to it which I think is even more potent because it's held back... ultimately I'm interested in music. I'm a musician. I'm not a gunslinger. That's the difference between what I do and what a lot of guitar heroes do." | ” |
—The Edge in 1991 | ||
The Edge Media
The Edge performing with U2 in Norway in January 1985
The Edge performing during the Zoo TV Tour in 1993
The Edge and bandmate Bono have collaborated musically outside of U2
The Edge playing his signature guitar, the Gibson Explorer
The Edge's Vox AC30 amp during a U2 concert
The Edge singing backing vocals into a headset microphone in 2019
The Edge playing a Fender Stratocaster in 2019
The Edge with his wife Morleigh Steinberg, Bono's wife Ali Hewson, and Bill Clinton
Angiogenesis Foundation co-founder Dr. William W. Li, US Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Censky, and the Edge
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References
- ↑ Unforgettable Fire: The Story of U2. London: Penguin Books. 1988. p. 70. ISBN 0-14-010766-5.
- ↑ U2 Limited (2006). U2 by U2. London: HarperCollins Publishers. p. 21. ISBN 0-00-719668-7.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 U2; McCormick, N. (26 September 2006). U2 by U2. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. pp. 117–120. ISBN 0-06-077675-7.
- ↑ U2 Limited (2006). U2 by U2. London: HarperCollinsPublishers, 117–120. ISBN 0-00-719668-7
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "The Edge biography (@U2)". Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2007.
- ↑ U2 Limited (2006). U2 by U2. London: HarperCollins Publishers. p. 144. ISBN 0-00-719668-7.
- ↑ "IT MIGHT GET LOUD". Retrieved 20 March 2010.