The Edge

{{Short description|Irish and Welsh rock musician, U2 guitarist (born 1961)}} {{About|the guitarist}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Use Hiberno-English|date=November 2022}} {{Infobox musical artist  | name = The Edge | image = U2 in Melbourne (49094944907) (cropped).jpg | image_size = | caption = The Edge performing in 2019 | background = solo_singer | birth_name = David Howell Evans | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1961|8|8}} | birth_place = Barking, Essex, England | origin = Dublin, Ireland | instrument = {{hlist|Guitar|keyboards|vocals}} | genre = {{flatlist| * Rock * alternative rock * pop rock * post-punk }} | occupation = {{hlist|Musician|singer|songwriter}} | years_active = 1976–present | spouse = {{plainlist| * {{marriage|Aislinn O'Sullivan|1983|1996|end=divorced}} * {{marriage|Morleigh Steinberg|2002}} }} | label = {{flatlist| * Island * Interscope * Mercury * {{nowrap|CBS Ireland}} }} | current_member_of = U2 | website = }}

'''David Howell Evans''' (born 8 August 1961), known by his stage name '''the Edge''' or simply '''Edge''',<ref name="m21">McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24</ref> is an Irish and British musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist of the rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 15 studio albums with them as well as one solo record. His understated style of guitar playing, a signature of U2's music, is distinguished by chiming timbres, use of rhythmic delay, drone notes, harmonics, and an extensive use of effects units.

Born in England to Welsh parents and raised in Ireland, the Edge formed the band that would become U2 with his classmates at Mount Temple Comprehensive School and his elder brother Dik in 1976. Inspired by the ethos of punk rock and its basic arrangements, the group began to write its own material. They eventually became one of the most successful acts in popular music, with albums such as 1987's ''The Joshua Tree'' and 1991's ''Achtung Baby''. Over the years, the Edge has experimented with various guitar effects and introduced influences from several genres of music into his own style, including American roots music, industrial music, and alternative rock. With U2, the Edge has also played keyboards, produced their records ''Zooropa'' (1993) and ''Songs of Surrender'' (2023), and occasionally served as co-lyricist. The Edge met his second wife, Morleigh Steinberg, through her collaborations with the band.

As a member of U2 and as an individual, the Edge has campaigned for human rights and philanthropic causes. He co-founded Music Rising, a charity to support musicians affected by Hurricane Katrina. He has collaborated with U2 bandmate Bono on several projects, including songs for Roy Orbison, Tina Turner, and Martin Garrix, and the soundtracks to the musical ''Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark'' and the Royal Shakespeare Company's London stage adaptation of ''A Clockwork Orange''. As a member of U2, the Edge has won 22 Grammy Awards and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Several music publications have ranked the Edge among the greatest guitarists of all time.

==Early life== David Howell Evans was born on 8 August 1961 at the Barking Maternity Hospital in Barking, Essex,<ref>Dunphy (1988), p. 70</ref> the second child of Welsh parents Garvin and Gwenda Evans.<ref name="m21" /> Both of his parents were from Llanelli. His father was an engineer who worked for the local electricity board, and subsequently worked for the electronics company Plessey.<ref name="m21" /> Evans has an elder brother called Richard (often called Dik) and a younger sister called Gillian,<ref name="m21" /> and is a cousin of actress Juliet Aubrey.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rees|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Green+goddess%3B+With+Primeval+back+on+our+screens,+Juliet+Aubrey's...-a0197582242|title=Green goddess; With Primeval back on our screens, Juliet Aubrey's playing nasty again. The award-winning actress tells about being an eco-warrior — and how bad girl Helen Cutter is really a great role model|publisher=thefreelibrary.com |date=11 April 2009 |access-date=16 March 2021}}</ref> The family initially lived in Chadwell Heath. Around 1962, Garvin was offered a promotion which took the family to Dublin.<ref name="m21" /> During his childhood in Dublin, Evans talked in two different accents, using a Welsh accent at home and an Irish accent whenever he was outside. He later said, "The reason for this dual identity was mainly to be understood by my peers but also to be accepted."<ref name="m21" /> He later commented that there were times of frustration for him growing up in a Catholic country, and this may have played a part in his musical development. Evans has retained his British citizenship into adulthood.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/world/dont-call-me-sir-says-bono-321019 |title=Don't call me sir, says Bono |access-date=8 April 2024}}</ref>

Evans received his initial formal education at St. Andrew's National School in Malahide. As a child, he also received piano and guitar lessons and practised music with Dik. He received his first guitar at the age of seven when his mother bought him a Spanish guitar. He did not know how to properly tune it or hold it and referred to it as "little more than a toy", but he was fascinated by how cool it was. At the age of nine, the "first proper guitar" came to the Evans household when his mother purchased an old acoustic guitar at a jumble sale for a pound. He and Dik both experimented with this instrument, replacing the rusty wire strings with nylon ones and learning to play it properly.<ref name="m21" /> The Edge said in 1982 of this early experimentation, "Me and my elder brother Dik both played it, plonking away, all very rudimentary stuff, open chords and all that."<ref name="u2mag-1982">{{cite magazine|title=On the Edge of Success |magazine=U2 Magazine|first=Tom|last=Nolan |issue=3 |date=May 1982}}</ref>

==Musical career== ===U2=== {{Main|U2}} left|thumb|The Edge performing with U2 in Norway in January 1985 While the Evans brothers were at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin in 1976, they went along to a meeting in response to an advert posted by another pupil, Larry Mullen Jr., on the school's noticeboard seeking musicians to form a new band with him. Among the several other pupils who also responded to the note were Paul "Bono" Hewson and Adam Clayton.<ref>McCormick (2006), pp. 27–30</ref> The band went through a number of reformations before becoming known as U2 in March 1978 (Richard Evans having left before this to join another band, leaving his younger brother as the lead guitarist).<ref>McCormick (2006), pp. 46–48</ref>

Early in the band's career, Evans was given the nickname "the Edge" by members of the Lypton Village surrealist street gang to which Bono belonged. The nickname is commonly believed to be derived from the angular shape of Evans' head.<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 68</ref><ref>McGee (2008), p. 9</ref> However, the origin of the name is disputed and other theories include a description of his guitar playing and his preference for not becoming fully involved and therefore remaining on the edge of things.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.threechordsandthetruth.net/u2bios/u2edgebio.php|title=Biography of U2's guitarist, The Edge| website= threechordsandthetruth.net|access-date= 2018-03-24}}</ref>

[[File:The Edge performing on Zoo TV Tour in Melbourne Nov 13 1993.jpg|thumb|The Edge performing during the Zoo TV Tour in 1993]] U2 began its public performance life in small venues in Dublin in 1977, occasionally playing at other venues elsewhere in Ireland. In December 1979, they performed their first concerts outside Ireland, in London, and in 1980 began extensive touring across the British Isles, developing a following. Their debut album ''Boy'' was released in 1980.

In 1981, leading up to the October Tour, the Edge came very close to leaving U2 for religious reasons, but he decided to stay.<ref name="m117">McCormick (2006), pp. 117–120</ref> During this period, he became involved with a group called the Shalom Fellowship, with which Bono and Mullen were also involved.<ref name="edge-bio">{{cite web |url= http://www.atu2.com/band/edge/ |title=The Edge biography (@U2) |access-date=9 September 2007|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720081257/http://www.atu2.com/band/edge/|archive-date=20 July 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Shortly after deciding to remain with the band, he wrote a piece of music that later became "Sunday Bloody Sunday".<ref name="m117" />

The Edge received his first production credit on the band's 1993 album ''Zooropa''<ref name="latimesglobal">{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-09-12-ca-34429-story.html|title=It's A Global Thing With U2|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|first=Robert|last=Hilburn|author-link=Robert Hilburn|date=12 September 1993|access-date=6 May 2011|at=sec. Calendar, p. 3}}</ref> for the extra level of responsibility he assumed in its creation.<ref>Flanagan (1996), p. 230</ref>

In 2024, the Edge co-directed ''V-U2 An Immersive Concert Film'' with his wife Morleigh Steinberg. The film documents U2's 2023–2024 concert residency U2:UV ''Achtung Baby'' Live at Sphere and will screen exclusively at Sphere.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.pollstar.com/2024/08/21/spheres-next-attraction-u2-concert-film/|title=Sphere's Next Attraction: Immersive U2 Concert Film|website=Pollstar|first=J. R.|last=Kind|date=21 August 2024|access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref>

===Other musical projects=== In addition to his regular role within U2, the Edge has also recorded with such artists as Johnny Cash, B. B. King, Tina Turner, Ronnie Wood, Jah Wobble, Holger Czukay, Jay-Z, and Rihanna. Through his working relationships with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, the Edge connected with Michael Brook (the creator of the infinite guitar) and collaborated with him on the score to the film ''Captive'' (1986). The soundtrack included the song "Heroine", the vocal of which was co-written and sung by a young Sinéad O'Connor. Larry Mullen Jr played drums on the track.

[[File:U2 in Milan (31515306638).jpg|thumb|The Edge and bandmate Bono have collaborated musically outside of U2]] The Edge has collaborated with U2 bandmate Bono on numerous musical projects outside of the group. They wrote the musical score for the Royal Shakespeare Company's London stage adaptation of ''A Clockwork Orange'', which opened in 1990. The duo also wrote the eponymous theme song of the 1995 James Bond film ''GoldenEye'', which was performed by Tina Turner. The Edge and Bono ventured into theatre again when they composed the music and lyrics for the musical ''Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark'', which opened in 2011. A single titled "Rise Above 1" by Reeve Carney, featuring Bono and the Edge, was released digitally from the musical's soundtrack.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/songreviews/rise-above-1-20110526|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110528114709/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/songreviews/rise-above-1-20110526|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 May 2011|title=Rise Above 1 by Reeve Carney feat. Bono and the Edge – Rolling Stone Music – Album Reviews|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=27 September 2014}}</ref> The music video was released on 28 July 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/07/spider-man-star-reeve-carney-in-new-video-with-bono-the-edge.html|title='Spider-Man' star Reeve Carney in new video with Bono, the Edge|date=28 July 2011|publisher=Latimesblog.latimes.com|access-date=27 September 2014}}</ref> The Edge and Bono collaborated with Dutch DJ Martin Garrix on the song "We Are the People", which served as the official song of the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament and was released on 14 May 2021.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/martin-garrixs-song-we-are-the-people-featuring-bono-the-edge-1169353/|title=Hear Martin Garrix's New Song 'We Are the People,' Featuring Bono and the Edge|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Andy|last=Greene|date=13 May 2021|access-date=13 May 2021}}</ref>

The Edge wrote the theme song for seasons one and two of ''The Batman'', which aired in 2004 and 2005 respectively.

In 2008, the Edge participated in the Davis Guggenheim-directed documentary film ''It Might Get Loud''. The film examines the history of the electric guitar, focusing on the careers and styles of the Edge, Jimmy Page, and Jack White. The film premiered on 5 September 2008 at the Toronto International Film Festival

On 29 April 2016, the Edge performed in the Sistine Chapel as part of a conference for the Angiogenesis Foundation, making him the first rock artist to stage a concert at the site.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/the-edge-becomes-first-rock-star-to-play-the-sistine-chapel-a7011056.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/the-edge-becomes-first-rock-star-to-play-the-sistine-chapel-a7011056.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=The Edge becomes first rock star to play the Sistine Chapel|work=The Independent|first=Jess|last=Denham|date=3 May 2016|access-date=3 May 2016}}</ref>

In 2023, the Edge was a guest musician on the songs "Train with No Station" and "Noche Oscura" for the album ''Los Angeles'' by Lol Tolhurst, Budgie, and Jacknife Lee.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Trendell |first=Andrew |date=24 July 2023 |title=Lol Tolhurst, Budgie and Jacknife Lee talk new project ''Los Angeles'' |work=NME |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/lol-tolhurst-budgie-and-jacknife-lee-talk-new-project-with-los-angeles-3472310 |access-date=24 July 2023}}</ref>

==Musical style== {{Quote box | quote = "Notes actually ''do'' mean something. They have power. I think of notes as being expensive. You don't just throw them around. I find the ones that do the best job and that's what I use. I suppose I'm a minimalist instinctively. I don't like to be inefficient if I can get away with it. Like on the end of 'With or Without You'. My instinct was to go with something very simple. Everyone else said, "Nah, you can't do that." I won the argument and I still think it's sort of brave, because the end of 'With or Without You' could have been so much bigger, so much more of a climax, but there's this power to it which I think is even more potent because it's held back... ultimately I'm interested in music. I'm a musician. I'm not a gunslinger. That's the difference between what I do and what a lot of ''guitar heroes'' do." | source = —The Edge in 1991<ref>Flanagan (1996), p. 43</ref> | width = 25em | align = right }}

=== Guitar playing === The Edge's style of playing guitar is distinguished by his chiming timbres,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newsweek.com/stop-name-love-329516|title=Stop in the Name of Love|magazine=Newsweek|first=Jim|last=Miller|date=31 December 1984|access-date=26 October 2019}}</ref><ref name="guitargods">Gulla (2009), pp. 57–65</ref> echoing notes,<ref name="edgeofu2">{{cite magazine|title=The Edge of U2|magazine=Guitar Player|first1=Tom|last1=Nolan|first2=Jas|last2=Obrecht|date=June 1985|volume=19|pages=54+}}</ref> sparse voicings,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Basic Instincts: The Edge Brings the U2 Sound Full Circle|magazine=Guitar Player|first=Darrin|last=Fox|date=January 2001|volume=35|issue=1|pages=100–108}}</ref> and extensive use of effects units.<ref name="10things-edge">{{cite magazine|title=10 Things You Gotta Do to Play Like The Edge|magazine=Guitar Player|first=Vincent|last=DeMasi|date=November 2008|volume=42|issue=11|pages=117–124}}</ref> He favours the perfect fifth interval and often plays power chords, which are chords consisting of just the fifth and root notes and that eliminate the third.<ref name="edgestyle-u2byu2">McCormick (2006), pp. 72–75</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=U2 Takes the Fifth|newspaper=The Village Voice|first=Jon|last=Pareles|author-link=Jon Pareles|date=11 March 1981}}</ref> This style is not explicitly in a major or minor key but implies both, creating a musical ambiguity.<ref name="edgestyle-u2byu2"/><ref name="edgeofu2"/> For these chords, he often plays the same notes on multiple strings, some of which are left open, creating an Irish-influenced drone.<ref name="guitargods"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/u2-0722.aspx|title=Gibson Guitars and U2's The Edge: Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Boy|work=Gibson|first=Ted|last=Drozdowski|date=22 July 2010|access-date=19 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630070528/http://www.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/u2-0722.aspx|archive-date=30 June 2017}}</ref><ref name="edge-musician86">{{cite magazine|title=U2's Leading Edge|magazine=Musician|first=John|last=Hutchinson|date=September 1986|issue=95|pages=32+}}</ref> Against this drone, he changes other notes to imply a harmony.<ref name="playlikeedge">{{cite magazine|title=How to Play Like .... The Edge|magazine=Guitar Player|first=Andy|last=Ellis|date=February 2005|volume=39|issue=2|page=122}}</ref><ref>Calhoun (2018), p. 17</ref> Among the Edge's signature techniques are playing arpeggios,<ref name="pluckirish">{{cite magazine|title=U2: Pluck of the Irish|magazine=Trouser Press|first=Jim|last=Green|date=March 1982}}</ref><ref name="playlikeedge"/> sixteenth note percussive strumming,<ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-04-20-ca-1124-story.html|title=A Subdued U2 Rebounds for the '80s|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|first=Chris|last=Willman|date=20 April 1987|access-date=26 October 2019|at=sec. Calendar, pp. 1, 5}}|{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/150899-u2-achtung-baby-20th-anniversary-edition-2495921552.html|title=U2: Achtung Baby (20th Anniversary Edition)|website=Popmatters|first=AJ|last=Ramirez|date=10 November 2011|access-date=26 October 2019}}|{{cite news|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2001-12-04-0112030462-story.html|title=U2 closes tour on consoling note|newspaper=South Florida Sun-Sentinel|first=Sean|last=Piccoli|date=4 December 2001|access-date=26 October 2019|page=3E}}|{{cite web|url=https://www.musicradar.com/tuition/guitars/how-to-play-guitar-like-the-edge-617919|title=How to play guitar like The Edge|website=MusicRadar|first=Steve|last=Allsworth|date=17 March 2015|access-date=26 October 2019}}}}</ref> and harmonics,<ref name="edgestyle-u2byu2"/> the latter of which he described as "so pure and finely-focused that [they have] the incredible ability to pierce through [their] environment of sound, just like lightning".<ref name="edge-musician86"/> Author Henrik Marstal said that his use of harmonics and chiming timbres "emulates the concept of bell ringing" and "embod[ies] a spiritual dimension".<ref>Calhoun (2018), p. 11</ref>

The Edge takes a relatively understated approach to guitar playing, viewing notes as "expensive" and preferring to play simple parts that best serve their song.<ref>Flanagan (1996), pp. 44–45</ref> He eschews virtuosity in favour of "atmospherics, subtlety, minimalism, and clever signal processing", according to ''Guitar Player''.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Shaking the Tree: Exploring the Edge's Sonic Innovations on the 30th Anniversary of U2's ''The Joshua Tree''|magazine=Guitar Player|first=Vinnie|last=DeMasi|date=September 2017|volume=51|issue=9|pages=62–64}}</ref> Rather than emulate common playing styles, the Edge is interested in "tearing up the rule book" and finding new ways to approach the instrument;<ref name="edgeofu2"/> he was inspired by guitarists such as Tom Verlaine of Television, Keith Levene of Public Image Ltd, and John McKay of Siouxsie and the Banshees, who he thought "were all playing the instrument in a fresh way".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/11/28/u2-kennedy-center-honors/|title=U2: One since '76|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Geoff|last=Edgers|at=sec. Arts, E11|date=4 December 2022|access-date=18 January 2023|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129033630/https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/11/28/u2-kennedy-center-honors/|archive-date=29 November 2022}}</ref> The Edge also cited guitarists such as John McGeoch,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.hotpress.com/music/ijoshua-treei-at-30-read-niall-stokes-and-bill-grahams-1987-interview-with-u2-20172462|first1=Niall|last1=Stokes |author1-link=Niall Stokes|first2=Bill |last2=Graham |title=U2: The World About Us |magazine=Hot Press |date=26 March 1987|volume=11|issue=5|access-date=8 February 2022|archive-date=16 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016162124/http://www.hotpress.com/archive/551797.html|quote= [The Edge:] My background is much more Tom Verlaine and John McGeoch.}}</ref> Rory Gallagher, and Patti Smith as some of his strongest influences.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/edge-pays-tribute-to-legendary-bluesman-who-laid-road-for-u2-26380018.html|title=Edge pays tribute to legendary bluesman who 'laid road' for U2|work=Irish Independent|first=Treacy|last=Hogan|date=17 June 2006|access-date=10 August 2018}}</ref><ref name="edge-musician86"/>

[[File:U2 performing in Belfast 10-27-18 (45611776892).jpg|thumb|upright=0.95|left|The Edge playing his signature guitar, the Gibson Explorer]] The Edge's guitar sound is frequently modulated with a delay set to a dotted eighth note for rhythmic effect.<ref name="guitargods"/><ref name="bosso">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/edge-u2-interview-memory-man|title=Memory Man|magazine=Guitar World|first=Joe|last=Bosso|date=September 2005|volume=26|issue=9|access-date=21 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{bulleted list|{{cite web|url=https://www.gibson.com/news-lifestyle/features/en-us/the-edge-classic-u2-guitar-sound-0924-2012.aspx|title=How The Edge Created a Classic Guitar Sound|website=Gibson|first=Daniel|last=Eriksson|date=24 September 2012|access-date=7 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109045926/https://www.gibson.com/news-lifestyle/features/en-us/the-edge-classic-u2-guitar-sound-0924-2012.aspx|archive-date=9 January 2017}}|{{cite web|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/creating-using-custom-delay-effects|title=Creating & Using Custom Delay Effects|website=Sound on Sound|first=Geoff|last=Smith|date=May 2012|access-date=7 April 2019}}}}</ref> After acquiring his first delay pedal, the Electro-Harmonix Memory Man,<ref name="mcg29">McGee (2008), pp. 29–31</ref> he became fascinated with how to use its return echo to "fill in notes that [he's] not playing, like two guitar players rather than one".<ref name="imgl">{{cite video|people=The Edge, Davis Guggenheim (director)|title=It Might Get Loud|medium=film|publisher=Sony Pictures Classics|date=2008}}</ref> The effect unit became a mainstay in his guitar rig and had a significant impact on the band's creative output.<ref name="mcg29"/> The Edge became known for his extensive use of effects units, and for his meticulous nature in crafting specific sounds and guitar tones from his equipment choices.<ref name="10things-edge"/><ref name="musicradar-360">{{cite web|url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/u2-exclusive-the-edges-stage-setup-revealed-223342|title=U2 Exclusive: The Edge's stage setup revealed|website=MusicRadar|first=Joe|last=Bosso|date=14 October 2009|access-date=22 May 2020}}</ref> Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page called him a "sonic architect",<ref name="imgl"/> while Neil McCormick described him as an "effects maestro".<ref>{{cite news|title=Has the axeman lost his mojo?|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|first=Neil|last=McCormick|author-link=Neil McCormick|date=20 August 2009|page=25}}</ref> Critics have variously referred to the Edge's guitar sounds as evoking the image of fighter planes on "Bullet the Blue Sky",<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/u2-the-joshua-tree-re-mastered-r1987|title=U2 – The Joshua Tree Re-Mastered (R1987)|magazine=Uncut|first=Andrew|last=Mueller|author-link=Andrew Mueller|access-date=20 March 2017|archive-date=23 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123222141/http://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/u2-the-joshua-tree-re-mastered-r1987|url-status=dead}}</ref> resembling a "dentist's drill" on "Love Is Blindness",<ref name="ew">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/article/1991/11/29/achtung-baby |title=Burn, Bono, Burn|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|issue=94 |first=Bill |last=Wyman |date=29 November 1991|page=90|access-date=6 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220184857/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C316330%2C00.html |archive-date=20 February 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> and resembling an "airplane turbine" on "Mofo".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2009/05/guilty-pleasure-u2-pop/|title=Guilty Pleasure: U2 – Pop|website=Consequence of Sound|first=Joe|last=Marvilli|date=9 May 2009|access-date=21 December 2018}}</ref> The Edge said that rather than using effects merely to modify his sound, he uses them to spark ideas during his songwriting process.<ref name="bosso"/>

[[File:EdgeAC30.jpg|thumb|right|The Edge's Vox AC30 amp during a U2 concert ]] The Edge developed his playing style during his teenage years, partially as a result of him and Mullen trying to accommodate the "eccentric" bass playing of Clayton by being the timekeepers of the band.<ref name="edgestyle-u2byu2"/> In their early days, the Edge's only guitar was his 1976 Gibson Explorer Limited Edition,<ref name="bosso"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gibson.com/news-lifestyle/features/en-us/10-things-about-the-edge-and-his-guitars.aspx|title=10 Things About The Edge and His Guitars|website=Gibson|first=Daniel|last=Eriksson| date=21 July 2013|access-date=27 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418063845/https://www.gibson.com/news-lifestyle/features/en-us/10-things-about-the-edge-and-his-guitars.aspx|archive-date=18 April 2018}}</ref> which became a signature of the group.<ref>McGee (2008), p. 18</ref> However, he found the sound of the Explorer's bass strings unsatisfactory and avoided them in his playing early on, resulting in a trebly sound. He said by focusing "on one area of the fretboard [he] was developing a very stylized way of doing something that someone else would play in a normal way".<ref name="u2mag-1982"/> Other equipment choices contribute to the Edge's unique sound. His 1964 Vox AC30 "Top Boost" amplifier (housed in a 1970s cabinet) is favoured for its "sparkle" tone, and is the basis for his sound both in the studio and live.<ref name="musicradar-360"/> The Edge has also used plectrums manufactured by the German company Herdim that he turns sideways or upside down so the dimpled grip strums against the strings, resulting in a "rasping top end" to his guitar tone.<ref name="edgeofu2"/>

About his playing style, the Edge said in 1982: {{blockquote|I like a nice ringing sound on guitar, and most of my chords I find two strings and make them ring the same note, so it's almost like a 12-string sound. So for E I might play a B, E, E and B and make it ring. It works very well with the Gibson Explorer.}}

=== Vocals === thumb|upright=0.85|The Edge singing backing vocals into a headset microphone in 2019 while playing a Rickenbacker The Edge provides the backing vocals for U2. Their 1983 live album and video release, ''Under a Blood Red Sky'' and ''U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky'' are good reference points for his singing (as are the live DVDs from the Elevation Tour, ''U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle'' and ''Elevation 2001: Live from Boston''). For example, he sings the chorus to "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (Bono harmonises on the final 'Sunday'). U2 used this tradeoff technique later in "Bullet the Blue Sky" as well. His backing vocals are sometimes in the form of a repeated cry; examples of songs that use this approach include "Beautiful Day", "New Year's Day" and "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)". Another technique he uses in his backing vocals is the falsetto, in songs such as "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of", "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own", "A Man and a Woman", "The Wanderer", live versions of "The Fly", and "Window in the Skies".

The Edge sings the lead vocal on "Van Diemen's Land," "Numb", "Evidence Of Life," the first half of the song "Seconds", dual vocals with Bono in "Discotheque", and the bridge in the song "Miracle Drug".<ref name="edge-bio"/> He also sings the occasional lead vocal in live renditions of other songs (such as "Sunday Bloody Sunday" during the PopMart Tour and "Party Girl" during the Rotterdam Zoo TV show when it was Bono's birthday),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.u2-vertigo-tour.com/show355.html|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050509034118/http://www.u2-vertigo-tour.com/show355.html|archive-date = 9 May 2005|title = U2 Rotterdam, 1993-05-10, Feyenoord Stadium, ZOO TV Tour - U2 on tour| date=10 May 1993 }}</ref> and has sung the second verse of the "Stand by Me" cover on a few shows. A solo acoustic version of the song "Love is Blindness", which is featured in the documentary film ''From the Sky Down'', is sung by him as well.

=== Other instruments === The Edge has played keyboards on many of the band's songs, including "I Fall Down", "October", "So Cruel", "New Year's Day", "Running to Stand Still", "Miss Sarajevo", "The Hands that Built America", "Original of the Species", and others. In live versions of "New Year's Day", "The Unforgettable Fire", "Your Blue Room", "Moment of Surrender" and "Raised By Wolves", he plays both the piano and guitar parts alternately. In most live versions of "Original of the Species", piano is the only instrument played during the song. Although the Edge is the band's lead guitarist, he occasionally plays bass guitar, including the live performances of the song "40" where the Edge and bassist Adam Clayton switch instruments.

===Equipment=== [[File:U2 in Tokyo (49183050452).jpg|thumb|The Edge playing a Fender Stratocaster in 2019]] The Edge plays electric guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, piano, bass guitar (on "40" and "Race Against Time") and lap steel guitar. Detailed gear diagrams of the Edge's U2 guitar rig for the 1981 October Tour,<ref>Cooper, Adam (18 March 2012). [http://www.guitargeek.com/the-edge-u2-1981-guitar-rig-and-gear-setup-diagram/ "The Edge's 1981 Guitar Rig"]. GuitarGeek.Com.</ref> the 1983 War Tour,<ref>Cooper, Adam (20 March 2012). [http://www.guitargeek.com/the-edge-u2-1983-guitar-rig-and-gear-setup-diagram/ "The Edge's 1983 Guitar Rig"]. GuitarGeek.Com.</ref> and the 2009 U2 360° Tour<ref name="musicradar.com"<ref name="musicradar-360"/> are well-documented. In 2016, Fender unveiled a signature model of guitar and amplifier designed in collaboration with the Edge: the Edge Signature Stratocaster and the Fender Edge Deluxe, respectively.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2016/03/24/u2-edge-strat/|title=U2's The Edge: Custom guitar and amp announced with Fender|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|first=Eric Renner|last=Brown|date=24 March 2016|access-date=11 June 2020}}</ref>

==Personal life== [[File:President Clinton and musician the Edge look at a book during the President and First Lady's visit with the band U2 at the U.S. Ambassador's residence in Dublin, Ireland. - DPLA - 195a541ecbc7d3d5a0c96a829f5b7509.jpg|thumb|The Edge with his wife Morleigh Steinberg, Bono's wife Ali Hewson, and Bill Clinton]] Evans was raised as a Protestant<ref>{{Cite news|date=7 May 2016|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/u2s-the-edge-being-protestant-in-an-ostensibly-catholic-country-it-felt-strange-34692060.html|title=U2's The Edge: 'Being Protestant in an ostensibly Catholic country... it felt strange'|work=Belfast Telegraph}}</ref> and was, along with fellow band members Bono and Mullen, involved with non-denominational Christian group the Shalom Fellowship as an adult.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/church-u2|title=The Church of U2|first=Joshua|last=Rothman|magazine=The New Yorker|access-date=14 November 2020}}</ref>

Evans married his secondary school girlfriend, Aislinn O'Sullivan, on 12 July 1983.<ref>McCormick (2006), p. 144</ref> They have three daughters named Hollie (born 1984), Arran (born 1985), and Blue Angel (born 1989).<ref name="edge-bio" /> The couple separated in 1990; Ireland did not have a provision for divorce at that time but divorce was legalised in 1995 and the couple divorced in 1996.<ref name="edge-bio" /> In 1993, he began dating Morleigh Steinberg, an American professional dancer who was employed by U2 as a choreographer and dancer during the Zoo TV Tour. Their daughter was born in Los Angeles in 1997<ref>McCormick, ''U2 by U2'', p. 345.</ref> and their son was born in 1999 in the same city.<ref>McCormick, ''U2 by U2'', p. 365.</ref> The couple married in Nice, France,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-24 |title=Michael Stipe Reviews His 35 Greatest Fits: "This Was the F***ing Coolest Jacket on Earth" |url=https://www.gq.com/gallery/michael-stipes-greatest-fits |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=GQ |language=en-US}}</ref> in 2002.<ref name="edge-bio" />

In 1992, the Edge and Bono bought and refurbished Dublin's two-star 70-bedroom Clarence Hotel, and converted it into a five-star 49-bedroom hotel.<ref name=ClarenceHotel>The Clarence Hotel. (Unknown last update). [http://www.theclarence.ie/dublin_hotel ''At the Clarence''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705234423/http://theclarence.ie/dublin_hotel |date=5 July 2007 }}. Retrieved 4 July 2007.</ref> In 2019, they sold the hotel leasehold, but they continue to own the building with Paddy McKillen Sr.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/life/travel/reviews/hotel-reviews/the-clarence-hotel-review-a-beautiful-day-for-revamped-u2-hotel-42354847.html|title=The Clarence hotel review - a beautiful day for revamped U2 hotel|website=Irish Independent|first=Nicola|last=Brady|date=25 February 2023|access-date=25 February 2023}}</ref>

Evans has been criticised for his efforts to build five luxury mansions on a 156-acre (63.13-hectare) plot of land in Malibu, California, United States.<ref name="u2-plans">{{Cite news |date=18 June 2011|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/u2-stars-plans-push-malibu-over-the-edge-2299306.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/u2-stars-plans-push-malibu-over-the-edge-2299306.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=U2 star's plans push Malibu over the edge |work=The Independent}}</ref> The California Coastal Commission voted 8–4 against his plans. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy agreed to remain neutral on the issue following a $1{{nbs}}million donation from Evans and a commitment to designate 100{{nbs}}acres of the land as open space for public footpaths.<ref name="u2-plans"/>

The Edge reportedly had a net worth of £330{{nbs}}million (equivalent to ${{To USD|330|GBR|year=2023|r=0}}{{nbs}}million){{Inflation-fn|US}} in 2023.<ref name="edge-telegraph">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/interviews/edge-going-difficult-break-u2/|title='Bono gets too much for me sometimes...'|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|first=Neil|last=McCormick|date=4 March 2023|at=sec. Review, pp. 4–5|access-date=5 March 2023|url-access=registration}}</ref>

After living in Ireland for 62 years, the Edge became an Irish citizen in June 2025 at the age of 63.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/23/u2-guitarist-the-edge-becomes-irish-citizen-after-62-years-in-the-country|title=U2 guitarist The Edge becomes Irish citizen – after 62 years in the country|newspaper=The Guardian|first=Rory|last=Carroll|date=23 June 2025|access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref>

== Discography == {{For|U2 albums and singles|U2 discography}} {| class="wikitable" !Year !Title !Album |- |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'' |}

==Philanthropy== [[File:The Edge with Steve Censky and Dr William W Li at USDA HQ 6-19-2018.jpeg|thumb|Angiogenesis Foundation co-founder Dr. William W. Li, US Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Censky, and the Edge]] The Edge, Bob Ezrin and Henry Juszkiewicz co-founded Music Rising in 2005, a charity that helped provide replacement instruments for those that were lost in Hurricane Katrina. The instruments were originally only replaced for professional musicians but they soon realised the community churches and schools needed instruments as well. The charity's slogan is "Rebuilding the Gulf Region note by note" and has so far helped over a hundred musicians who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. The Edge also serves on the board of the Angiogenesis Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation dedicated to improving global health by advancing angiogenesis-based medicine, diets, and lifestyle.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Angiogenesis Foundation: People |url=http://www.angio.org/about-people-bod.php |access-date=7 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100226070613/http://www.angio.org/about-people-bod.php |archive-date=26 February 2010 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2017/06/20/u2s-the-edge-talks-up-food-as-an-anti-cancer-weapon/|title=U2's The Edge talks up food as an anti-cancer weapon|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Laurie|last=McGinley|date=20 June 2017|access-date=21 June 2017}}</ref> In 2021, the Edge partnered with the charity Love Welcomes to sell a line of guitar straps that were handsewn by refugee women and featured a Morse code pattern; proceeds from sales of the strap benefitted employment and support of refugee women.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.guitarworld.com/news/the-edge-x-love-welcomes-guitar-strap|title=The Edge launches signature guitar strap to raise money for refugee women|website=Guitar World|first=Michael|last=Astley-Brown|date=16 June 2021|access-date=23 September 2023}}</ref>

==Awards and recognition== {{see also|List of awards and nominations received by U2}} [[File:U2 at the 2022 Kennedy Center Honors Dinner (52541620712).jpg|thumb|left|The Edge speaking as U2 receive 2022 Kennedy Center Honors]] The Edge has won numerous awards with U2, including 22 Grammy Awards<ref name="Grammy">{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/u2/7858|title=U2 <nowiki>|</nowiki> Artist|website=Grammy.com|date=23 November 2020|access-date=11 March 2021}}</ref> and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Original Song (for "The Hands That Built America" in 2003 and "Ordinary Love" in 2014).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spin.com/2014/01/2014-golden-globe-best-song-u2-ordinary-love/|title=U2's Mandela Tribute 'Ordinary Love' Wins Best Song Golden Globe|work=Spin|first=Kyle|last=McGovern|date=13 January 2014|access-date=21 July 2017|archive-date=21 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621224557/http://www.spin.com/2014/01/2014-golden-globe-best-song-u2-ordinary-love/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2005, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of U2, in the group's first year of eligibility.<ref name="RRHOF">{{cite news|url=https://archive.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2005/03/15/u2_leads_newest_members_into_rocks_hall_of_fame/|title=U2 leads newest members into rock's hall of fame|newspaper=The Boston Globe|first=Steve|last=Morse|date=15 March 2005|page=C2|access-date=6 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/14/arts/arts-briefly-u2-others-to-join-rock-hall-of-fame.html|title=Arts, Briefly; U2, Others to Join Rock Hall of Fame|newspaper=The New York Times|first=Jeff|last=Leeds|date=14 December 2004|at=sec. E, p. 2|edition=National|access-date=6 January 2017}}</ref> In 2007, he received an honorary doctorate of music from Berklee College of Music.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/doctorates-of-rock-21401/|title=Rockers Scoring Honorary Degrees|date=19 July 2011|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=3 April 2020}}</ref> At the 2017 Bonnaroo Music Festival, the Edge was honoured with the Les Paul Spirit Award by the Les Paul Foundation for being someone who "exemplifies the spirit of the late, great Les Paul through innovation, engineering, technology and/or music".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-u2s-the-edge-receive-les-paul-spirit-award-w488003|title=Watch U2's The Edge Receive Les Paul Spirit Award at Bonnaroo|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Daniel|last=Kreps|date=14 June 2017|access-date=15 June 2017}}</ref> In May 2024, the Venice Family Clinic presented its inaugural HEART Award to the Edge and his wife Morleigh Steinberg, who are longtime supporters of the center, at its inaugural HEART (Health + Art) Gala.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/u2-the-edge-venice-family-clinic-heart-gala-honoree-1235672711/|title=U2's The Edge to Be Honored at Venice Family Clinic's Inaugural HEART (Health + Art) Gala|magazine=Billboard|first=Paul|last=Grein|date=2 May 2024|access-date=4 May 2024}}</ref>

In 2010, Gibson ranked him the 23rd-best guitarist of all time, saying that he "created a sound that is distinctly his own – no small feat when you consider he's had to do it in the course of three decades while working shoulder-to-shoulder with one of the biggest personalities in rock, Bono".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/Top-50-Guitarists-526/|title=Gibson.com Top 50 Guitarists of All Time – 30 to 21|website=Gibson.com|date=26 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707003804/http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/Top-50-Guitarists-526/|archive-date=7 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> The following year, ''Rolling Stone'' placed the Edge at number 38 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time"; Daniel Lanois called him an "innovative mind", a "scientist, and a poet by night", and said he is "dedicated to note-taking" to "document every detail of his sound".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123/the-edge-20111122|title=The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=8 December 2011|issue=1145|pages=49–76|access-date=10 June 2020|archive-date=2 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202013720/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123/the-edge-20111122|url-status=dead}}</ref> The magazine re-ranked the Edge to 47th place on its expanded 2023 list of the 250 greatest guitarists.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-guitarists-1234814010/the-edge-8-1234814355/|title=The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time |magazine=Rolling Stone|date=13 October 2023|access-date=14 October 2023|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2012, ''Spin'' ranked him 13th on their list of the 100 greatest guitarists, saying that he "masked and flaunted his willful ignorance of how guitars are meant to be played with forgiving delay pedals, forging a sonic trademark so distinctive that his band's name became an adjective".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2012/05/greatest-guitarists-all-time/8/|title=SPIN's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time|work=Spin|author=Spin Staff|date=3 May 2012|access-date=26 October 2019}}</ref> In 2015, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked Bono and the Edge at number 35 on its list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-songwriters#bono-and-the-edge|title=The 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=13 August 2015|access-date=7 June 2017}}</ref>

==See also== {{Portal|Biography}} * Timeline of U2 * List of people on the postage stamps of Ireland

==Footnotes== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Bibliography== * {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sv5DDwAAQBAJ|title=U2 and the Religious Impulse: Take Me Higher|chapter='Edge, Ring Those Bells': The Guitar and Its Spiritual Soundscapes in Early U2|first=Henrik|last=Marstal|editor-first=Scott|editor-last=Calhoun|year=2018|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|location=London|isbn=9781350032569}} * {{cite book|title=Unforgettable Fire: The Story of U2|last=Dunphy|first=Eamon|publisher=Penguin Books|year=1988|isbn=0-14-010766-5|location=London}} * {{cite book|title=U2 at the End of the World|last=Flanagan|first=Bill|publisher=Delta|year=1996|isbn=978-0-385-31157-1|edition=Paperback|location=New York|author-link=Bill Flanagan}} * {{cite book|title=Guitar Gods: The 25 Players who Made Rock History|first=Bob|last=Gulla|author-link=Bob Gulla|year=2009|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=Westport|isbn=978-0-313-35806-7}} * {{cite book|title=U2 by U2|url=https://archive.org/details/u2byu200u2ne|url-access=registration|publisher=HarperCollins|year=2006|isbn=0-00-719668-7|location=London|author=U2|editor1-first=Neil|editor1-last=McCormick|editor-link=Neil McCormick}} * {{cite book|last=McGee|first=Matt|title=U2: A Diary|publisher=Omnibus Press|location=London|year=2008|isbn=978-1-84772-108-2}}

==External links== {{sister project links|d=Q714845|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|wikt=no|s=no|species=no}} * [https://www.u2.com/ U2.com], official U2 site * [http://www.musicrising.org/ Music Rising], a campaign for replacing the musical instruments lost or destroyed by the catastrophic 2005 US hurricanes * [https://www.amnesta.net/edge_delay A study of the Edge's guitar delay] * [https://5cense.com/Edge_Delay.htm Comment on the mathematical analysis of the Edge's guitar sound]

{{U2}} {{Navboxes |title = Awards for the Edge |list = {{Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song}} {{Grammy Award for Song of the Year}} {{Grammy Award for Best Rock Song}} {{2005 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}} {{WSA for Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film}} }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edge, The}} Category:1961 births Category:1970s in Irish music Category:1980s in Irish music Category:1990s in Irish music Category:2000s in Irish music Category:2010s in Irish music Category:2020s in Irish music Category:20th-century Irish guitarists Category:21st-century Irish guitarists Category:Alternative rock guitarists Category:British emigrants to Ireland Category:British male guitarists Category:British post-punk musicians Category:British rock guitarists Category:English people of Welsh descent Category:Golden Globe Award–winning musicians Category:Irish male guitarists Category:Irish male singers Category:Irish people of English descent Category:Irish people of Welsh descent Category:Irish rock guitarists Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Lead guitarists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from County Dublin Category:Musicians from the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Category:People educated at Mount Temple Comprehensive School Category:People from Barking, London Category:People from Dalkey Category:People from Killiney Category:Pseudonyms Category:Rock songwriters Category:Slide guitarists Category:U2 members