The Edge

Birthday: Aug 8, 1961
Birthplace: Barking, East London, England

Bio: Guitarist with Irish rock band U2, The Edge was born David Howell Evans in Barking, East London on August 8, 1961. A year later, he and his family moved to Malahide, Co. Dublin. He went on to attend Mount Temple School where he met Larry Mullen, Bono and Adam Clayton, and in 1978 U2 was formed.

Described as one of the most influential guitar players of… More Bio: Guitarist with Irish rock band U2, The Edge was born David Howell Evans in Barking, East London on August 8, 1961. A year later, he and his family moved to Malahide, Co. Dublin. He went on to attend Mount Temple School where he met Larry Mullen, Bono and Adam Clayton, and in 1978 U2 was formed.

Described as one of the most influential guitar players of his generation, The Edge's crystalline minimalist guitar playing, often making use of repeat echo, is the hallmark of U2's music, and one of the most original and distinctive guitar styles in rock and roll history. Recently acknowledged as one of the best live acts in the world, U2 have toured the globe countless times. They have released 14 studio albums and won numerous awards, including 22 Grammies.One of the principle songwriters of U2, The Edge has also written extensively for other projects, often in collaboration with U2's Bono, including music for movies: Captive (1985), Gangs of New York (2002), GoldenEye (1995); for animation: "The Batman" (TV series 2004); and for the stage: A Clockwork Orange by the Royal Shakespeare Company (1990).

Marked out by their politics from the beginning, U2 were awarded Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award in 2006.

In 2005, The Edge co-founded Music Rising, a charity initiative which provides musical instruments for the musicians, schools and churches of the Gulf Region.

The Edge is married and lives in Dublin with his wife and children.