A short note on a school bulletin board changed the history of rock music. At the age of 14, Larry Mullen Jr. wrote that he was looking for musicians for a band, and put it at the Mount Temple School in Dublin. Today, the Irish musician turns 65 as a drummer and co-founder of U2.
Mullen was born on October 31, 1961, in the Dublin neighborhood of Artane. In September 1976, he decided that he wanted to put together a rock band instead of playing alone. In response to his ad, Paul Hewson, who later adopted the stage name Bono, brothers David and Dick Evans, and Adam Clayton responded.
The first rehearsal is in the kitchen
The first meeting was held in the Mullen family's kitchen. More schoolchildren initially joined the group, but the lineup gradually shrank. Mullen, Bono, Adam Clayton, and David Evans, known as The Edge, remained. At the time, the group was called "Feedback," and later briefly called "The Hype," before settling on U2.
"I was in charge for the first five minutes, but as soon as Bono came in, I was out of a job," Mullen told Time magazine about the group's beginnings. His humorous description summarizes the roles in the early line-up: Mullen laid the groundwork, Clayton provided the bass, The Edge gradually built the distinctive guitar sound, and Bono became the vocalist and face of U2.
From the school board to the world stage
U2's first album, “Boy“, was released in 1980. In the following decades, the band established itself with albums such as “War“, “The Unforgettable Fire“, “The Joshua Tree“, “Achtung Baby“ and “Everything You Can't Leave Behind“. At the center of this sound remains Mullen's rhythm – restrained, precise and recognizable from the first recordings.
The drummer also works outside of U2. Together with Adam Clayton, he created the music for the 1996 film “Mission: Impossible“, and the two formed the project “Automatic Baby“.
In 2026, U2 celebrates half a century since the first meeting, sparked by Mullen's note. On September 25, the group returned to “Mount Temple“ - the school where its story began. Fifty years later, the beginning is still told with a simple inscription: drummer seeks musicians.
Sources: apnews.com, content.time.com