Charismatic U2 lead singer Bono (BAH'noh) was born Paul David Hewson (1960–) on this day in Dublin, Ireland. Known for a voice that is passionate, with depth and resonance, he once said, “I remember the day I found I could sing. I said, ‘Oh, that’s how you do it.’”

As a teenager, friends called him “Bono” after a hearing-aid store in North Dublin. With a drive to succeed, he started singing Beatles and Stones covers with his high school band “Feedback,” which later became “U2.”

“We weren’t a punk band. We were loud and aggressive, so people said, ‘Yeah, a punk band,’ but we called ourselves U2 to take ourselves out of the usual category,” Bono said.

The band’s album War (1983) was their U.S. breakthrough. It included “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” and “Pride (In the Name of Love),” a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.

For decades, Bono has been an outspoken advocate for social justice, debt cancellation, and AIDS awareness. “Rock music can change things,” he said. “I know that it changed our lives.”