Other people called Bono are available at Bono (disambiguation).

Paul David Hewson (born May 10, 1960, Dublin, Ireland), nicknamed Bono Vox, stage name Bono, is the lead singer of the Irish rock band, U2.

Biography

His nickname "Bono Vox" – usually shortened to "Bono" – is a corruption of Bona Vox, a brand of hearing aid for which the Latin translates to "good voice". "Bono Vox", however, literally means "The voice to the good man", Vox, the subject and Bono, the indirect object.

The word bono is also Italian slang for "sexy" and the dative form of the Latin word bonus; see List of Latin phrases.

He is married to Alison 'Ali' Stewart and the couple have four children.

He joined U2 after answering an advert posted at his school by Larry Mullen Jr. He turned up for the audition claiming to be able to play guitar.

In 1992, together with U2's guitarist The Edge, Bono bought and refurbished Dublin's two-star 70-bedroom Clarence Hotel and converted it into a five-star 49-bedroom hotel which quickly gained a reputation as the most stylish (and expensive) hotel in the city.

In 2002, Bono, who had a Roman Catholic father and a Protestant mother and was raised in his mother's faith, wrote the introduction to the "Book of Psalms", one of nine books of the Bible published individually in Canongate Book's "Pocket Canons" series.

Bono appears in the 2002 List of "100 Greatest Britons" (sponsored by the BBC, voted for by the public and which included Irish people), alongside such other greats as Sir Winston Churchill, Diana, Princess of Wales, Queen Elizabeth I of England, Bob Geldof and others.

Social Justice

Since 1999, he has become increasingly involved in campaigning for third-world debt relief and the plight of Africa. In May 2002, he took US Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill on a four-country tour of Africa. Also that year, Bono set up an organisation called "DATA", which stands for Debt, Aids, Trade in Africa. The focus of the organisation is to raise awareness about Africa's unpayable debts, uncontrolled spread of AIDS, and unfair trade rules that hurt the countries' poor citizens.

He also made a speech during the inauguration of Paul Martin as Canada's prime minister, who in turn pledged to help with the global crisis.

While on his mission to highlight Africa's AIDS crisis, Bono travelled to the White House for a special private meeting with President George W. Bush, who had just unveiled a $5 billion aid package for the world's poorest countries that respect human rights. Bono also accompanied the President for a speech on the White House lawn. "This is an important first step, and a serious and impressive new level of commitment... This must happen urgently, because this is a crisis," Bono said:

"It is much easier and hipper for me to be on the barricades with a handkerchief over my nose — it looks better on the résumé of a rock 'n' roll star. But I can do better by just getting into the White House and talking to a man who I believe listens, wants to listen, on these subjects."

Bono appeared in the 1984 in the original Band Aid and then reprised his role in the 2004 Band Aid 20.

In 2005 he was one of 166 people nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on Third World debt relief and increasing AIDS awareness, and was nominated for the presidency of the World Bank which was won by Paul Wolfowitz.

External links

• Bono Gives Graduation Speech at the University of Pennsylvania
• Transcript of Speech

• Debt, AIDS, trade, Africa - Bono's organization
• Official U2 website
• Interference - Premier U2 fansite
• At U2 - Premier U2 fansite
• Another U2 fansite
• U2: Three Chords and the Truth - Biographies, Photos and much more!
• MAKE POVERTY HISTORY - An anti poverty campaign which Bono is currently involved with