ADAM CLAYTON
Name: Adam Clayton
Born: 13 March 1960 Chinnor, Oxfordshire, England
Adam Charles Clayton (born 13 March 1960 in Chinnor, Oxfordshire, England), is
the bass player of the rock band U2. A British citizen, Clayton has resided
in Dublin county since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five
years old in 1965. Clayton is well-known for his bass playing on songs such as "New
Year's Day" and "With or Without You". He has worked on several solo
projects throughout his career, such as his work with fellow band member Larry
Mullen Jr. on the theme of 1996's Mission: Impossible. Clayton as a part of U2
has won 22 Grammy awards, more than any other rock artist.
Clayton is the eldest child of Brian and Jo Clayton, born on 13 March 1960 in
Chinnor, Oxfordshire, England. When Clayton was five years old, his family moved
from Oxfordshire to Malahide, near Dublin, where Clayton's sister Sindy and his
brother Sebastian were born. The Clayton family became friends with the Evans
family, with their sons Dick and Dave (more commonly known as The Edge), who
were both in the original group, Feedback, that spawned U2.
Clayton attended boarding school at St. Columba's in Rathfarnham. He later
changed school to Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, where he met
fellow bandmates Paul "Bono" Hewson and Larry Mullen Jr., and was reunited with
this boyhood friend Dave "The Edge" Evans. Mullen had posted an advertisement on
the school bulletin board for musicians to form a band with him; Clayton showed
up at the first practice, which also included Dick Evans, Dave Evans's older
brother, Ivan McCormick, and Peter Martin, who were two of Mullen's friends.
McCormick and Martin left the band soon after its conception. While the band was
a five-piece (consisting of Bono, The Edge, Mullen, Evans, and Clayton), it was
known as Feedback. The name was subsequently changed to The Hype, but changed to
"U2" soon after Evans left the band. Clayton also served as the band's first
manager before Paul McGuinness, a more experienced manager, was hired, because
Clayton had left school earlier.
In 1981, around the time of U2's second, spiritually charged album, October, a
rift was created in the band between Clayton and McGuinness, and the three other
band members. Bono, The Edge, and Mullen had joined a Christian group, and were
questioning the compatibility of rock music with their spirituality. However,
Clayton, with his more ambiguous religious views, was less concerned, and so was
more of an outsider, until Bono's wedding to Alison Hewson (Nee Stewart), in
which Clayton was the best man.
In August 1989, Clayton made newspapers around the world when he was arrested in
Dublin carrying a small amount of marijuana. However, he avoided conviction by
making a large donation to charity, and has later been regretful, saying "It was
my own fault. And I'm sure I was out of my head -- emotionally apart from
anything else. But it is serious because it is illegal." Clayton has also had
alcohol problems, which came to a head on 26 November 1993 when he was so hung
over that he was unable to play that night's show in Sydney. However he gave up
alcohol after that incident.
In 1993, after the groundbreaking Zoo TV Tour and Zooropa album, Clayton headed
to New York with bandmate Mullen to receive formal training in the bass; until
then Clayton had been entirely self-taught. During that period, he worked on
U2's experimental album, released under the pseudonym "Passengers", entitled
Original Soundtracks 1. That album features one of the few instances where
Clayton has appeared as a vocalist; he spoke the last verse of "Your Blue Room",
the album's second single. Prior to this Clayton had only provided live backing
vocals to tracks such as Out of Control, I Will Follow, Twilight and Bullet the
Blue Sky. Since 1998's Popmart tour Clayton has not sung live in any capacity
for the band.
In 1996, whilst still in New York, Clayton collaborated with Mullen to re-record
the Mission: Impossible theme.
Clayton was the only bachelor member of U2 for many years. During the early 1990s
he was involved in a relationship with, and at one point engaged to, British
supermodel Naomi Campbell. More recently, he was engaged to marry Suzanne Smith,
whom he was planning to marry in the summer of 2007, but broke up in February
2007.
Name: Adam Clayton
Born: 13 March 1960 Chinnor, Oxfordshire, England
Adam Charles Clayton (born 13 March 1960 in Chinnor, Oxfordshire, England), is
the bass player of the rock band U2. A British citizen, Clayton has resided
in Dublin county since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five
years old in 1965. Clayton is well-known for his bass playing on songs such as "New
Year's Day" and "With or Without You". He has worked on several solo
projects throughout his career, such as his work with fellow band member Larry
Mullen Jr. on the theme of 1996's Mission: Impossible. Clayton as a part of U2
has won 22 Grammy awards, more than any other rock artist.
Clayton is the eldest child of Brian and Jo Clayton, born on 13 March 1960 in
Chinnor, Oxfordshire, England. When Clayton was five years old, his family moved
from Oxfordshire to Malahide, near Dublin, where Clayton's sister Sindy and his
brother Sebastian were born. The Clayton family became friends with the Evans
family, with their sons Dick and Dave (more commonly known as The Edge), who
were both in the original group, Feedback, that spawned U2.
Clayton attended boarding school at St. Columba's in Rathfarnham. He later
changed school to Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, where he met
fellow bandmates Paul "Bono" Hewson and Larry Mullen Jr., and was reunited with
this boyhood friend Dave "The Edge" Evans. Mullen had posted an advertisement on
the school bulletin board for musicians to form a band with him; Clayton showed
up at the first practice, which also included Dick Evans, Dave Evans's older
brother, Ivan McCormick, and Peter Martin, who were two of Mullen's friends.
McCormick and Martin left the band soon after its conception. While the band was
a five-piece (consisting of Bono, The Edge, Mullen, Evans, and Clayton), it was
known as Feedback. The name was subsequently changed to The Hype, but changed to
"U2" soon after Evans left the band. Clayton also served as the band's first
manager before Paul McGuinness, a more experienced manager, was hired, because
Clayton had left school earlier.
In 1981, around the time of U2's second, spiritually charged album, October, a
rift was created in the band between Clayton and McGuinness, and the three other
band members. Bono, The Edge, and Mullen had joined a Christian group, and were
questioning the compatibility of rock music with their spirituality. However,
Clayton, with his more ambiguous religious views, was less concerned, and so was
more of an outsider, until Bono's wedding to Alison Hewson (Nee Stewart), in
which Clayton was the best man.
In August 1989, Clayton made newspapers around the world when he was arrested in
Dublin carrying a small amount of marijuana. However, he avoided conviction by
making a large donation to charity, and has later been regretful, saying "It was
my own fault. And I'm sure I was out of my head -- emotionally apart from
anything else. But it is serious because it is illegal." Clayton has also had
alcohol problems, which came to a head on 26 November 1993 when he was so hung
over that he was unable to play that night's show in Sydney. However he gave up
alcohol after that incident.
In 1993, after the groundbreaking Zoo TV Tour and Zooropa album, Clayton headed
to New York with bandmate Mullen to receive formal training in the bass; until
then Clayton had been entirely self-taught. During that period, he worked on
U2's experimental album, released under the pseudonym "Passengers", entitled
Original Soundtracks 1. That album features one of the few instances where
Clayton has appeared as a vocalist; he spoke the last verse of "Your Blue Room",
the album's second single. Prior to this Clayton had only provided live backing
vocals to tracks such as Out of Control, I Will Follow, Twilight and Bullet the
Blue Sky. Since 1998's Popmart tour Clayton has not sung live in any capacity
for the band.
In 1996, whilst still in New York, Clayton collaborated with Mullen to re-record
the Mission: Impossible theme.
Clayton was the only bachelor member of U2 for many years. During the early 1990s
he was involved in a relationship with, and at one point engaged to, British
supermodel Naomi Campbell. More recently, he was engaged to marry Suzanne Smith,
whom he was planning to marry in the summer of 2007, but broke up in February
2007.