David Howell Evans (born August 8, 1961, Barking, Essex (now in Greater London), England), byname the Edge, is the guitarist of the Irish rock band U2.

Biography

Dave Evans, who was known as a loner in high school, took piano and guitar lessons and often performed with his brother Dik Evans before they both answered an ad posted by Larry Mullen, Jr. seeking musicians to form a rock band. This band would go through several incarnations before emerging as U2 in March 1978 (Dik Evans left the band just before the name change).

Evans married his high school girlfriend Aislinn O'Sullivan . The couple had three daughters together: Hollie, Arun and Blue Angel. Evans and O'Sullivan separated in 1991 but could not divorce because of Irish law. They were divorced in 1996, after divorce was legalized in 1995.

In October 1997, Evans had a fourth daughter, Sian, with Morleigh Steinberg, a dancer from U2's early 1990s Zoo TV tour. Their son Levi was born in September 1999. The couple married in June 2002.

Music

As a guitar player, Evans is recognised as having a trademark sound typified by understatement and a focus on textured melody. 1987's "The Joshua Tree" is probably the best example of the 'U2 sound', with anthemic ballads like "With or Without You " & "Where the Streets Have No Name " being amongst the band's most critically acclaimed and best loved work. The album was recorded at the height of the 80's "shred-metal" era, but Evans's guitar playing on it could not be further from the emphasis on the time on technique and speed (often at the expense of the song having any kind of emotional depth or meaning). The album showcases Evans's approach to the guitar - rather than trying to push his guitar to the front of the mix and make his contributions obvious, Evans focuses on the song and the mood, often contributing just a few simple lead lines along with the ever present delay pedal set to repeat the 16th-note. The intro riff to Where the Streets Have No Name, regarded as one of the greatest intros of all time, is simply a repeated 4-note arpeggio. Evans also supplies the backing vocals for U2's singer Bono, and whilst he may not have as great a voice as some, Evans's backing vocals (often taking the form of a repeated cry) add much to songs like "Beautiful Day".

Solo Recordings

In addition to his regular gig playing with U2, Evans has also recorded with artists like Johnny Cash, B. B. King, Tina Turner, and Ron Wood.