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| Birth Name(s) : Paul David Hewson |
Date of Birth: N/A |
| Status:
Single
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Partner:
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| Profession:
Musician |
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Full Bono Biography
Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known as Bono, is the lead singer and principal lyricist of the Irish rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his wife, Ali Hewson, and the future members of U2. Since that time he has been referred to as Bono, his stage and nickname, by his family and fellow band members. Almost all U2 lyrics are written by Bono and he often writes using political, social and religious themes. During their early years, Bono's lyrics partly contributed to U2's rebellious tone. Later the lyrics became more personal inspired by experiences of members of U2.
Bono has taken part in several other endeavors outside of U2 and has collaborated and recorded with numerous artists. He has also participated in different business ventures. Bono sits on the board of Elevation Partners and has refurbished and now owns a hotel with fellow band member, The Edge. Bono is also widely known for his activism concerning Africa, for which he co-founded DATA. He has organized and played in several benefit concerts and has met with several, influential politicians throughout his lifetime. He is furthermore the co-founder of EDUN, the ONE Campaign and Product Red. Bono has been the subject of both substantial praise and criticism due to his activism and involvement with U2. Among numerous awards and nominations, Bono has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, was granted an honorary knighthood by the United Kingdom, and was named as a Person of the Year by Time.
Bono was raised in Dublin alongside his brother, Norman Hewson, by his mother, Iris (née Rankin), a Protestant, and his father, Brendan Robert "Bob" Hewson, a Roman Catholic. Bono was 14 when his mother died on 10 September 1974 of a cerebral aneurysm at her father's funeral. Many songs from U2's albums, including "I Will Follow", "Mofo", "Out of Control", "Lemon" and "Tomorrow", focus on the loss of his mother.
Bono has won numerous awards with U2, including 22 Grammy awards and a Golden Globe award for best original song, "The Hands That Built America" for the film Gangs of New York. In 2005, the U2 band members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in their first year of eligibility.
In addition to his work with U2, he has collaborated with, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Luciano Pavarotti, Sinéad O'Connor, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Tina Turner, and BB King. He has recorded with Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Bruce Springsteen, Tony Bennett, Clannad, The Corrs, and Wyclef Jean, as well as reportedly completing an unreleased duet with Jennifer Lopez. On Robbie Robertson's 1987 eponymous album, he plays bass guitar and vocals. On Michael Hutchence's 1999 posthumous eponymous album Bono completed a recording of Slide Away as a duet with Hutchence.
In 1992, together with The Edge, Bono bought and refurbished Dublin's two-star 70-bedroom Clarence Hotel and converted it into a five-star 49-bedroom hotel. The Edge and Bono have also recorded several songs together, exclusive of the band. They have also been working on penning the score for the upcoming Spider-Man Musical. Bono is on the board of the Elevation Partners private equity firm, which attempted to purchase Eidos Interactive in 2005 and has since gone on to invest in other entertainment businesses. Bono is a known Celtic F.C. fan, and in 1998 it was rumored that Bono was going to buy shares in the Scottish club. However, it was reported on 28 April 1998 that this was not the case with Bono saying "it's rubbish. I've been to a couple of games and I'm a fan, but I've got no financial connections."
In early 2005, Bono, his wife Ali Hewson, and New York-based Irish fashion designer Rogan Gregory launched the socially conscious line EDUN in an attempt to shift the focus in Africa from aid to trade. EDUN's goal is to use factories in Africa, South America, and India that provide fair wages to workers and practice good business ethics to create a business model that will encourage investment in developing nations.
Bono has become one of the world's most well-known philanthropic performers. He has been dubbed, "the face of fusion philanthropy", both for his success enlisting powerful allies from a diverse spectrum of leaders in government, religious institutions, philanthropic organizations, popular media and the business world, as well as for spearheading new organizational networks binding global humanitarian relief with geopolitical activism and corporate commercial enterprise.
In 2003, during the Golden Globe Awards ceremony being broadcast live by NBC, Bono referred to his reception of his band's award for "The Hands That Built America" as being "really, really fucking brilliant!" In response, the Parents Television Council condemned Bono for his profanity and started a campaign for its members to file complaints with the FCC. Although Bono's use of "fuck" violated FCC indecency standards, the FCC refused to fine NBC because the network did not receive advance notice of the consequences of broadcasting such profanity and the profanity in question was not used in its literal sexual meaning. |
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