The Edge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Edge
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The Edge performing in 2019
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | David Howell Evans |
| Born | 8 August 1961 Barking, Essex, England |
| Origin | Dublin, Ireland |
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| Years active | 1976–present |
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David Howell Evans (born August 8, 1961), known as the Edge, is a musician, singer, and songwriter. He is from both Britain and Ireland. He is most famous as the lead guitarist, keyboard player, and backing singer for the rock band U2.
The Edge has been a member of U2 since the band started. He has recorded 15 studio albums with them. His guitar playing style is a key part of U2's sound. It uses clear, ringing tones, rhythmic delay, and many effects units. He also uses drone notes and harmonics.
Born in England to Welsh parents, the Edge grew up in Ireland. He formed the band that became U2 with his classmates at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in 1976. The band was inspired by punk rock and started writing their own songs. U2 became one of the most successful bands in popular music. Their famous albums include The Joshua Tree (1987) and Achtung Baby (1991).
Over the years, the Edge has tried out many guitar effects. He has also brought influences from different music styles into his playing. These include American roots music, industrial music, and alternative rock. With U2, the Edge has also played keyboards. He helped produce their albums Zooropa (1993) and Songs of Surrender (2023). He sometimes helped write lyrics too.
The Edge has worked for human rights and charity causes. He helped start Music Rising. This charity supports musicians affected by Hurricane Katrina. He has also worked with U2 bandmate Bono on several projects. These include songs for Tina Turner and Martin Garrix. They also wrote music for the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. As a member of U2, the Edge has won 22 Grammy Awards. He is also in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Many music magazines have called him one of the greatest guitarists ever.
Contents
Early Life
David Howell Evans was born on August 8, 1961. He was born in Barking, Essex, England. His parents, Garvin and Gwenda Evans, were from Wales. His father was an engineer. David has an older brother, Richard (Dik), and a younger sister, Gillian.
Around 1962, his family moved to Dublin, Ireland. When he was a child, David spoke with two accents. He used a Welsh accent at home and an Irish accent outside. He said this helped him fit in with his friends.
David went to St. Andrew's National School in Malahide. As a child, he took piano and guitar lessons. He practiced music with his brother Dik. He got his first guitar at age seven. It was a Spanish guitar, and he thought it was "little more than a toy." At age nine, his mother bought an old acoustic guitar for one pound at a jumble sale. He and Dik learned to play it properly.
Musical Career
U2 Band History
In 1976, David and his brother Dik went to a meeting at their school, Mount Temple Comprehensive School. Another student, Larry Mullen Jr., had put up an ad looking for musicians. Paul "Bono" Hewson and Adam Clayton also joined. The band changed names a few times. In March 1978, they became known as U2. Dik Evans left the band before this to join another group.
Early on, David was given the nickname "the Edge." This name came from a group of friends Bono belonged to. People often think the name came from the shape of his head. But others say it describes his guitar playing or his way of staying "on the edge" of things.
U2 started playing in small places in Dublin in 1977. They played their first shows outside Ireland in London in 1979. In 1980, they began touring a lot in the British Isles. Their first album, Boy, came out in 1980.
In 1981, the Edge almost left U2 for religious reasons. But he decided to stay. Soon after, he wrote music that became the song "Sunday Bloody Sunday."
The Edge got his first credit as a producer on U2's 1993 album Zooropa. This was because he took on more responsibility for creating the album.
In 2024, the Edge helped direct V-U2 An Immersive Concert Film with his wife. This film shows U2's 2023–2024 concerts at Sphere.
Other Music Projects
Besides U2, the Edge has recorded music with other artists. These include Johnny Cash, B. B. King, and Rihanna. He worked with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. He also worked with Michael Brook on the music for the film Captive (1986).
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The Edge and Bono have worked together on many music projects outside of U2. They wrote music for a stage play of A Clockwork Orange in 1990. They also wrote the theme song for the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, sung by Tina Turner.
The Edge and Bono also created the music and lyrics for the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. It opened in 2011. They also worked with Dutch DJ Martin Garrix on the song "We Are the People." This was the official song for the UEFA Euro 2020 football tournament.
The Edge wrote the theme song for the TV show The Batman in 2004 and 2005.
In 2008, the Edge was in the documentary film It Might Get Loud. This film looks at the history of the electric guitar. It focuses on the styles of the Edge, Jimmy Page, and Jack White.
On April 29, 2016, the Edge played music in the Sistine Chapel. He was the first rock artist to perform there.
Musical Style
Guitar Playing
The Edge's guitar playing is known for its clear, ringing sounds. He uses echoing notes and many effects units. He often plays chords with just two notes, the fifth and the root note. This creates a sound that is not clearly major or minor. He also plays the same notes on different strings, some left open. This creates a drone sound, like Irish music. He changes other notes against this drone to create harmony.
Some of the Edge's special techniques include playing arpeggios. He also uses fast, percussive strumming and harmonics. He described harmonics as "so pure... that they can pierce through sound, just like lightning."
The Edge plays guitar in a simple way. He thinks of notes as "expensive." He prefers to play simple parts that fit the song best. He doesn't try to show off how fast he can play. Instead, he focuses on creating "atmospherics, subtlety, minimalism, and clever signal processing." He wants to find new ways to play the guitar. He was influenced by guitarists like Tom Verlaine and Rory Gallagher.
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The Edge often uses a delay effect. This effect repeats his notes in a rhythmic way. After he got his first delay pedal, he loved how it made it sound like two guitar players. This effect became a big part of his guitar sound and U2's music. He is known for using many effects and carefully creating specific sounds. Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page called him a "sonic architect."
The Edge developed his playing style as a teenager. His only guitar was his 1976 Gibson Explorer. This guitar became a symbol of the band. He found the bass strings of the Explorer didn't sound good to him. So, he avoided them, which led to his bright, trebly sound. He said this helped him create a very unique way of playing. His 1964 Vox AC30 amplifier is also key to his sound. He also uses special plectrums (picks) that he turns sideways. This creates a "rasping" sound when he strums.
Vocals
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The Edge sings backing vocals for U2. You can hear his singing clearly on live albums like Under a Blood Red Sky (1983). For example, he sings the chorus of "Sunday Bloody Sunday." U2 also uses this style in "Bullet the Blue Sky". His backing vocals are sometimes repeated cries, like in "Beautiful Day" and "New Year's Day." He also uses falsetto (a high voice) in songs like "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of".
The Edge sings the main vocal on "Van Diemen's Land" and "Numb." He also sings the first half of "Seconds" and shares vocals with Bono in "Discotheque."
Other Instruments
The Edge plays keyboards on many U2 songs. These include "October" and "New Year's Day." In live shows, he sometimes plays both piano and guitar. Even though he is the lead guitarist, he sometimes plays bass guitar. For example, he plays bass on the song "40" during live performances.
Equipment
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The Edge plays electric guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, piano, and lap steel guitar. He also plays bass guitar on some songs.
Personal Life
Evans was raised as a Protestant. He was involved with a Christian group called the Shalom Fellowship, along with Bono and Larry Mullen Jr.
Evans married Aislinn O'Sullivan in 1983. They have three daughters: Hollie, Arran, and Blue Angel. They separated in 1990 and divorced in 1996. In 1993, he started dating Morleigh Steinberg. She was a dancer and choreographer for U2's Zoo TV Tour. They have a daughter and a son. They got married in Nice, France, in 2002.
In 1992, the Edge and Bono bought and updated the Clarence Hotel in Dublin.
The Edge has been involved in some discussions about building homes in Malibu, California. The California Coastal Commission voted against his plans. However, he made a donation and agreed to keep 100 acres of the land open for public paths.
Discography
| Year | Title | Album |
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| 1983 | "Snake Charmer" / "Snake Charmer" (Reprise) (Jah Wobble with The Edge and Holger Czukay) "Hold on to Your Dreams" (Jah Wobble with The Edge) |
Snake Charmer |
| 1986 | Various tracks | Captive soundtrack |
| 2011 | "Rise Above 1" (Reeve Carney featuring Bono and The Edge) | Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark |
| 2021 | "We Are the People" (Martin Garrix featuring Bono and The Edge) | non-album single |
| 2023 | "Train with No Station" / "Noche Oscura" (Lol Tolhurst, Budgie and Jacknife Lee featuring The Edge) | Los Angeles |
Charity Work
The Edge, Bob Ezrin, and Henry Juszkiewicz started Music Rising in 2005. This charity helps musicians get new instruments after they lost theirs in Hurricane Katrina. At first, they only helped professional musicians. But they soon realized that churches and schools also needed instruments. The charity's motto is "Rebuilding the Gulf Region note by note." It has helped over a hundred musicians. The Edge also works with the Angiogenesis Foundation. This group works to improve health by studying how new blood vessels grow.
Awards and Recognition
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The Edge has won many awards with U2. These include 22 Grammy Awards. He also won two Golden Globe Awards for Best Original Song. In 2005, he was put into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with U2. This was the first year they could be chosen. In 2007, he received an honorary music degree from Berklee College of Music.
In 2010, Gibson ranked him the 23rd-best guitarist of all time. They said he "created a sound that is distinctly his own." In 2011, Rolling Stone magazine put the Edge at number 38 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." They called him an "innovative mind" and a "scientist, and a poet by night." In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked Bono and the Edge at number 35 on its list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.
Images for kids
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The Edge performing in 2019
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The Edge performing with U2 in Norway in January 1985
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The Edge performing during the Zoo TV Tour in 1993
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The Edge and bandmate Bono have collaborated musically outside of U2
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The Edge playing his signature guitar, the Gibson Explorer
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The Edge's Vox AC30 amp during a U2 concert
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The Edge singing backing vocals into a headset microphone in 2019
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The Edge with his wife Morleigh Steinberg, Bono's wife Ali Hewson, and Bill Clinton
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The Edge playing a Fender Stratocaster in 2019
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Angiogenesis Foundation co-founder Dr. William W. Li, US Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Censky, and the Edge
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The Edge speaking as U2 receive 2022 Kennedy Center Honors
See also
- Timeline of U2
- List of people on the postage stamps of Ireland
