Adam Clayton
Adam Charles Clayton (born 13 March 1960) is a British-Irish musician who is the bass guitarist of the rock band U2.[1] He has resided in County Dublin, Ireland since his family moved to Malahide in 1965, when he was five years old. Clayton attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School, where he met schoolmates with whom he co-founded U2 in 1976. A member of the band since its inception, he has recorded 15 studio albums with U2.
This article is about the musician. For the footballer, see Adam Clayton (footballer).
Adam Clayton
Adam Charles Clayton
13 March 1960
Chinnor, Oxfordshire, England
Dublin, Ireland
Musician, songwriter
Bass guitar
1976–present
Clayton's bass playing style is noted for its "harmonic syncopation", giving the music a driving rhythm. He is well known for his bass playing on songs such as "Gloria", "New Year's Day", "Bullet the Blue Sky", "With or Without You", "Mysterious Ways", "Vertigo", "Get On Your Boots", and "Magnificent". He has worked on several solo projects throughout his career, such as his work with fellow band member Larry Mullen Jr. on the 1996 version of the "Theme from Mission: Impossible".[2] As a member of U2, Clayton has received 22 Grammy Awards[3] and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.
Clayton’s first bass was a walnut brown Ibanez Musician, which he played heavily from the recording of Boy and well though the War era. Two years later, at 16, Clayton asked his father Brian to purchase a second-hand Precision for him when Brian travelled to New York, as he felt he needed a better guitar to master the instrument.[7] For the rest of his career, he has mainly been known for using various Fender Precision and Jazz basses. Clayton's Precision basses have been modified with a Fender Jazz neck. In an interview with Bass Player magazine, he said that he prefers the Jazz bass neck because it is more "lady-like" and is a better fit in his left hand.[22]
In 2011, the Fender Custom Shop produced a limited-edition signature Precision Bass built to Clayton’s own specifications in a limited run of 60 pieces, featuring an alder body and a gold sparkle finish. In 2014, Fender announced a signature Adam Clayton Jazz Bass guitar, modelled after a Sherwood Green 1965 Jazz Bass he played during the 2001 Elevation Tour.[28] In 2023, Fender unveiled a signature model of bass guitar amplifier designed in collaboration with Clayton, the ACB 50. It is a 50-watt, all-tube combo amplifier that emphasises mid-range distortion.[29]
Clayton's basses include:
For amplification Clayton started out on Ashdown amplifiers, and later switched to Aguilar amplifiers.
Charity work[edit]
In 2011 Clayton became an ambassador for the Dublin-based St Patrick's Hospital's Mental Health Service "Walk in My Shoes" facility.[52]