Adam Charles Clayton, the oldest child of Brian and Jo Clayton, was born on 13 March 1960 in Chinnor, Oxfordshire, England. His father was a pilot with the Royal Air Force, who moved into civil aviation, and his mother was a former airline stewardess. When he was 4 years old, Clayton's father worked in Kenya as a pilot with East African Airways, the family being resident in Nairobi (Clayton regards this as the happiest period of his childhood). In 1965, the family moved to Malahide, County Dublin in the Republic of Ireland, where Clayton's brother Sebastian was born.
Style
As a bass player, Clayton's most recognizable basslines include "New Year's Day", which evolved out of an attempt to play Visage's song "Fade to Grey", and "With or Without You". His style includes Motown and reggae influences, and cites artists such as Paul Simonon of The Clash as influences on his musical style.  When Clayton first joined the fledgling U2, he did not have formal training in the bass. In the band's early years, he generally played simple parts in 4/4 time, usually strings of steady 8th notes. Bono said of Clayton's early bass playing, "Adam used to pretend he could play bass. He came round and started using words like 'action' and 'fret' and he had us baffled. He had the only amplifier, so we never argued with him. We thought this guy must be a musician; he knows what he's talking about. And then one day, we discovered he wasn't playing the right notes. That's what's wrong, y'know?" His style has remained subtle and primarily supportive, but gradually become more sophisticated by integrating elements of Motown R&B and reggae and by offering more variety in his basslines.  Clayton has sung on some occasions, including on the song "Endless Deep", the B-side to the single "Two Hearts Beat As One" from 1983. Clayton also sang backup vocals on "I Will Follow" during live performances in 1983 and 1984. He also spoke the last verse of "Your Blue Room". Clayton can be heard speaking on "Tomorrow ('96 Version)" (a rerecording of "Tomorrow" that he arranged) a song from U2's 1981 album October. He plays the guitar on a few occasions, most notably the song "40", where he and guitarist The Edge switch instruments. He also plays the keyboards on "City of Blinding Lights" and "Iris (Hold Me Close)".
What was notable about his style?
". His style includes Motown and reggae influences, and cites artists such as Paul Simonon of The Clash as influences on his musical style.
". His style includes Motown and reggae influences, and cites artists such as Paul Simonon of The Clash as influences on his musical style.