On This Day, October 31, 1961: U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. was born

On This Day, October 31, 1961…

Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr., better known to rock fans as U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr., was born in Dublin, Ireland. 

It was Mullen who in 1976 posted an advertisement on a bulletin board seeking musicians interested in forming a rock band, which led to the eventual creation of U2. Bono and friend David Evans, aka the Edge, responded to that ad, and they, along with bassist Adam Clayton, went on to become one of the biggest rock bands in the world.

The Irish rockers have gone on to release 15 studio albums and win 22 Grammy Awards. They’ve sold between 150 million and 170 million records and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 in their first year of eligibility.

While the band is currently in Las Vegas headlining their U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere residency, Mullen is sitting out the shows, as he recovers from surgery. He did, however, appear on the band’s new song, “Atomic City,” and was on hand to film the video on the streets of Sin City.