David Howell Evans, aka The Edge, the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist of the Dublin rock band U2 celebrates his 64th birthday! Happy Birthday, Edge!
The Edge has been a member of the massively successful Irish rock band U2 since its inception in 1976 after he and his brother Dik responded to Larry Mullen’s advert on their high school notice board.
More than a dozen studio albums later, U2 are still selling out arenas all over the world.
The Edge was born in East London on August 8, 1961, to Welsh parents. When he was one years old, his family moved to Dublin, which he has called home ever since.
During high school at Mount Temple in Clontarf, Dublin, the Edge and his fellow schoolmates formed a band which would soon become U2.
By 1980, U2 had released their first album, “Boy” followed by “October” and “War”. In 1987, they released “The Joshua Tree,” and their fame and reputation were secured.
Here’s a clip of The Edge and Bono performing their song “Stuck In a Moment” on David Letterman:
Here are some fast facts about The Edge to celebrate his birthday:
How did he go from David Evans to The Edge? Way back in the 1970s, Evans was re-baptized by Bono, who was then nicknamed “Bono Vox," as The Edge.
The nickname was inspired by the sharp features of his face (see nose and chin) and his razor-sharp mind.
The Edge love hats! In fact, he has only performed hatless on a handful of occasions. These include when he performed “Miss Sarajevo” at the 1995 Pavarotti And Friends concert, and the video for “Discotheque" in 1997.
The Edge has five children. He married Aislinn O’Sullivan in 1983. They had three daughters. The couple divorced in 1996.
In 2002, he married Morleigh Steinberg, an American dancer who had performed in two U2 music videos and whom the band had employed during the ZOO TV tour. They have two children.
The Edge lived in the Los Angeles house where Eric and Lyle Menendez killed their parents in 1989. Lovely!
Happy Birthday, The Edge!
* Originally published in 2018, updated in 2025.
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