Larry Mullen Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Larry Mullen Jr.
|
|
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg)
Mullen in 2018
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr. |
| Born | 31 October 1961 Artane, Dublin, Ireland |
| Origin | Dublin, Ireland |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Labels | |
Larry Mullen Jr. (born October 31, 1961) is an Irish musician. He is famous as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band U2. He has been with U2 since the very beginning. Together, they have made 15 studio albums. Larry's drumming style is unique. It sounds almost like military beats. This came from his time playing in marching bands as a child.
He was born in Dublin, Ireland. He went to Mount Temple Comprehensive School. In 1976, he helped start U2. He did this by putting a note on the school's notice board. He was looking for other musicians. Larry has also worked on many other music projects. In 1990, he produced a song for the Ireland national football team. It was called "Put 'Em Under Pressure" for the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
In 1996, he worked with Adam Clayton, another U2 bandmate. They re-recorded the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has also worked with artists like Maria McKee and Emmylou Harris. Larry has acted in a few movies. His most notable roles were in Man on the Train (2011) and A Thousand Times Good Night (2013). Larry has won 22 Grammy Awards. He is also in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2016, Rolling Stone magazine named him the 96th-greatest drummer ever.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Larry Mullen Jr. was born on October 31, 1961. His parents were Lawrence Joseph Mullen Sr. and Maureen Mullen. He grew up in Artane, Dublin, Ireland. His father worked for the government. His mother stayed at home. Larry has an older sister, Cecilia. His younger sister, Mary, sadly passed away in 1973.
When he was eight, Larry started learning piano. He then began playing drums at age nine in 1971. His first drum teacher was Irish drummer Joe Bonnie. After Joe Bonnie died, his daughter took over. But Larry stopped lessons and practiced on his own.
Before U2, Larry joined a marching band in Dublin. It was called the Artane Boys Band. His father suggested it. Larry said the band focused on reading music. He wanted to play drums more. The band asked him to cut his long hair. He cut some off, but they wanted it shorter. Larry refused and left the band after only three weeks.
Larry used his savings and his father's help to buy a drum kit. It was from a Japanese toy company. He set it up in his bedroom. His parents gave him specific times to practice. His father then got him into the Post Office Workers Band. This band played orchestral music with drums. Larry was in this band for about two years. This time overlapped with his early days in U2.
He went to Scoil Colmcille in Dublin. His father wanted him to go to Catholic schools. But after his younger sister's death in 1973, his father changed his mind. Larry then went to Mount Temple Comprehensive School. This was the first school in Ireland that welcomed all religions. His mother died in a car accident in 1976.
Forming U2 and Other Music Projects
Starting U2
.jpg)
Larry's father suggested he put a note on the Mount Temple school board. It said something like "drummer seeks musicians to form band." U2 officially started on September 25, 1976. The first meeting was in Larry's kitchen in Artane. Larry, Paul "Bono" Hewson, David "The Edge" Evans and his brother Dik, Adam Clayton, and Larry's friends Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin were all there.
Larry later joked that it was "'The Larry Mullen Band' for about ten minutes." Then Bono arrived and took charge. Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin soon left the group. The band first called themselves "Feedback." They later changed to "The Hype." Finally, they became "U2" for a talent contest in Limerick, Ireland, in 1978. They won the contest as a four-person band. Soon after, Dik Evans left, and U2 became a permanent four-piece group.
Larry left school in 1978 after taking his exams. He worked for an American company in Dublin for a year. This company was looking for oil off the coast of Ireland. Larry worked in the purchasing department. He hoped to become a computer programmer there.
During the recording of the album Pop in 1996, Larry had severe back problems. Recording was delayed because he needed surgery. After leaving the hospital, he returned to the studio. He found the band using more electronic drum machines. This was because The Edge was interested in dance and hip-hop music. Larry was weak after his operation. So, he let The Edge keep using drum machines. This gave the album an electronic sound.
Larry did not play during U2's recent shows in Las Vegas. This was the U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere residency from September 2023 to March 2024. Dutch drummer Bram van den Berg filled in for him. This was the first time Larry missed a U2 show since 1978. That year, he broke his foot in a motorcycle accident.
Other Music Work
Larry has worked on many music projects outside of U2. He has collaborated with Maria McKee. He also played on U2 producer Daniel Lanois's 1989 album Acadie. In 1990, Larry helped write and arrange "Put 'Em Under Pressure". This was the official song for the Ireland national team for the FIFA World Cup.
He and Adam Clayton worked with Mike Mills and Michael Stipe from R.E.M.. They formed a group called Automatic Baby for one show. They played "One" for MTV's 1993 inauguration ball for US President Bill Clinton. The group's name came from their bands' album titles: Achtung Baby and Automatic for the People.
For Nanci Griffith's 1994 album Flyer, Larry and Adam played drums and bass on several songs. Larry also mixed three songs. Larry played drums on many songs for Emmylou Harris' 1995 album Wrecking Ball.
Larry and Adam also contributed to the soundtrack for the 1996 film Mission: Impossible. They re-worked the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". They changed its time signature to make it more danceable. The song reached number 8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1997.
Larry played on Underworld's song "Boy, Boy, Boy" from their 2007 album, Oblivion with Bells. In 2017, he appeared on Alice Cooper's album Paranormal. Larry has also played synthesiser or keyboards on some songs. This includes "United Colours" from Passengers' 1995 album Original Soundtracks 1.
Larry's Drumming Style
.jpg)
Larry's drumming style is influenced by his time in marching bands. This helped create the military-like beats in songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday". Author Bill Flanagan said Larry plays "with a martial rigidity." But he uses his drum kit in a unique way. He often moves from the snare drum to tom-toms placed on either side of him. This is different from how they are usually used.
Larry sometimes plays a tom-tom like other drummers play a cymbal. Or he plays the hi-hat like others play a snare. He admits his bass drum technique is not his strongest. This is because he mostly played the snare in marching bands. He did not learn to combine all parts of a full kit properly. So, he uses a floor tom on his left side to sound like a bass drum. He started doing this while recording "Pride (In the Name of Love)" in 1984. Producer Daniel Lanois suggested it. Larry said, "I couldn't do what most people would consider a normal beat for the song, so I chose alternatives." Bill Flanagan said Larry's playing style shows his personality. He is "right on top of the beat, a bit ahead." This matches how organized and punctual he is in life.
Larry was greatly influenced by 1970s glam rock bands when he first learned drums. In U2's early days, Bono called his drumming style "florid." But Larry later chose a simpler approach. His drumming leaves open space. Modern Drummer magazine said he understands "when to hit and when not to hit." As he got better at keeping time, he developed an amazing sense of rhythm. Producer Eno once said Larry noticed his click track was off by just six milliseconds.
Under Daniel Lanois's guidance, Larry learned more about his role as the drummer. He learned how to fill out the band's sound. Producer Flood helped Larry learn to play with electronic elements. These included drum machines and samples. His drum kit has a tambourine on a cymbal stand. He uses it to add accents to songs like "With or Without You".
Larry has had tendinitis problems in his career. To reduce pain, he started using special drumsticks. He uses Yamaha drums and Paiste cymbals. Larry sometimes plays keyboards or synthesiser in concerts. But he rarely sings during performances. He has sung backing vocals on songs like "Numb" and "Elevation". He also sometimes performed a cover version of "Dirty Old Town" on the Zoo TV Tour. During live shows of "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" on the U2 360° Tour, Larry walked around the stage. He played a large djembe strapped around his waist.
Film Roles
Larry's first movie role was in a film called Entropy. He played himself alongside Bono. He played a thief in Man on the Train (2011). This movie starred Donald Sutherland. Larry also appeared in A Thousand Times Goodnight (2013). This film starred Juliette Binoche. On September 3, 2013, the film won a special award at the Montreal World Film Festival.
In July 2020, Larry was invited to join the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. This is the group that gives out the Oscars.
Larry also helped produce the 2024 documentary film Left Behind. This film is about mothers trying to open the first public school in New York City for children with dyslexia. Larry's son has dyslexia. Larry also contributed two songs to the film. These were "Between the Lines" and "One of Us."
Personal Life
Larry met his partner, Ann Acheson, in their first year at Mount Temple Comprehensive School. They have been together for over 40 years. They have three children. Larry is a first cousin of Irish actor Conor Mullen.
As U2 became more famous, Larry Mullen had to add "Junior" to his name. This was to avoid confusion with his father. His father was getting large tax bills meant for his son. Larry and Adam Clayton own homes near Bono and The Edge in Southern France. This makes it easier for them to record with U2 in that area.
In 1995, Larry had back surgery for an injury. He had carried this injury since The Joshua Tree Tour. In 2009, Larry had knee surgery. This operation was done by Richard Steadman. Larry later joined the board of directors for Steadman's foundation.
In December 2024, Larry shared that he has dyscalculia. This affects his ability to add and count numbers. He said counting musical bars feels like "climbing Everest." He said this is why he often looks pained when performing.
Musical Equipment
.jpg)
Larry uses specific equipment for his drumming:
- Paiste Signature cymbals:
- 16", 17", and 18" power crash cymbals
- 18" full crash cymbal
- 22" power ride cymbal
- 14" heavy hi-hat/sound-edge hi-hat.
- Yamaha Phoenix (PHX) in Silver Sparkles: (He has used these since the U2360 tour. Before that, he used Yamaha's Maple Custom and Beech Custom drums of the same sizes).
- On the "Get On Your Boots" video, Larry uses a Yamaha Oak Custom. It has the same sizes as the Birch Custom.
- 12" × 9" rack tom
- 16" × 16" floor toms and 16" × 14" (one to the left of the hi-hat, one to the right of the snare drum for the Vertigo tour). For earlier tours, he used an 18" × 16" floor tom to the left of the hi-hats.
- 14" × 6.5" Ludwig Black Beauty (Since 360 Tour)
- 14” x 6.5” Ludwig Black Magic (Since Innocence Experience tour) as a backup snare
- 14" × 7" Brady Sheoak Block — this was his main snare drum on the Vertigo tour. For ZooTV and Elevation tours, he used a 12" × 7" Sheoak block snare. For Popmart, he mainly used a 14" × 6.5" Jarrah block. Sometimes he used a 14" × 6.5" Jarrah ply snare instead of the block snare.
- 24" × 16" kick drum. He used a 22" × 16" Kick on the b-stage only during Zoo TV.
- Pro-mark 5A Wood tip drumsticks.
- Remo drumheads
- Latin Percussion and Toca percussion
- DW 5000 kick drum pedal
- DW 9000 hi hat stand
Awards and Recognition
.jpg)
Larry and U2 have won over 60 awards. This includes 22 Grammy Awards. At the Grammy Awards, the band has won Best Rock Duo or Group with Vocal seven times. They have won Album of the Year twice. They also won Record of the Year twice and Song of the Year twice. They won Best Rock Album twice.
In March 2005, Larry was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. U2 was inducted in their first year of eligibility. In 2016, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Larry as the 96th-greatest drummer of all time. He was also ranked number 21 on Stylus Magazine's list of the 50 Greatest Rock Drummers. In 2017, Yamaha honored Larry with an award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Excellence.
See also
In Spanish: Larry Mullen Jr. para niños
- List of drummers
- List of people on the postage stamps of Ireland
- Timeline of U2
