Born as Paul Hewson on May 10, 1960, in Dublin, Ireland, Bono is the child of the two opposing factions of the country. His father was a Roman Catholic postal worker and his mother was a Protestant who died when he was just 14. While in high school, he joined U2 in October 1976 and was called “Bono Vox” which means good voice. Eventually, this name got shortened to simply “Bono.”

Bono has written almost all of U2’s lyrics throughout the band’s flourishing career, frequently emphasizing on unconventional themes like religion and politics.

In fact, social activism has always been his heart-felt endeavor sprouting in different paths other than music. His popularity in the field is one of his ways to reach out to people to generate awareness about countless worldwide issues. Over his entire career, Bono has met with world leaders and several politicians to discuss such matters as debt relief for emergent countries, AIDS, and world poverty.

Bono has worked passionately on behalf of many causes. In 2005, Bono talked on CBC Radio, asserting then Prime Minister Martin was being sluggish about maximizing Canada’s foreign aid. In 2004, Bono was granted the Pablo Neruda International Presidential Medal of Honor in Chile.

He was also mentioned in Time Magazine as part of the “100 Most Influential People” in its May 2004 special issue. He was acknowledged again in the 2006 Time 100 special issue. In 2005, Time awarded Bono Person of the Year side by side with Bill and Melinda Gates. He was officially knighted on March 29, 2007 in a ceremony at the dwelling of British Ambassador David Reddaway in Dublin, Ireland.

Bono’s highest achievement was being named a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize in the years 2003, 2005, and 2006 for his philanthropic endeavors, one of the highest recognition granted to a rock musician.