The Dalton Brothers (band)
Encyclopedia
The Dalton Brothers were a short-lived fictional, spoof
country
band, created and performed by U2
, as their own opening act, on three dates (November 1, 1987 - Indianapolis
, November 18, 1987 - Los Angeles
and December 12, 1987 - Hampton
) of their Joshua Tree tour - "fictional" only in that they did not exist separately from U2. On those occasions, the band members appeared on stage wearing wigs, cowboy hats and country-style boots, introducing themselves with "Dalton" pseudonym
s, much in the style of the Lucky Luke Daltons
: Alton Dalton (Bono
), Luke Dalton (The Edge
), Betty Dalton (Adam Clayton
) and Duke Dalton (Larry Mullen, Jr.). In Los Angeles, Bono introduced the band by stating: "We play two kinds of music: country and western
", after which they performed two songs: U2's own composition "Lucille" and a rendition of Leon Payne
's/Hank Williams' "Lost Highway". Both songs were performed in an exaggeratedly dragged-out country and western style, and with heavy Western-American accents from Bono and The Edge, singing lead and background vocals, respectively. At their appearance in Hampton, they only performed "Lucille", after which the band simply disappeared as U2 did not perform in that guise any longer. "Lucille" never saw an official release.
A video of the whole Los Angeles performance is featured as an Easter egg
on the bonus DVD included in the Joshua Tree
20th Anniversary box set. To access the video, viewers have to enter a password by highlighting and selecting boxes with letters and numbers, the correct sequence being "Betty" - Adam Clayton
's pseudonym. Two short rehearsal excerpts of the song "Lucille" are also featured on the Joshua Tree tour
documentary Outside It's America, included on the same DVD.
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
band, created and performed by U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, as their own opening act, on three dates (November 1, 1987 - Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, November 18, 1987 - Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and December 12, 1987 - Hampton
Hampton, Virginia
Hampton is an independent city that is not part of any county in Southeast Virginia. Its population is 137,436. As one of the seven major cities that compose the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, it is on the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula. Located on the Hampton Roads Beltway, it hosts...
) of their Joshua Tree tour - "fictional" only in that they did not exist separately from U2. On those occasions, the band members appeared on stage wearing wigs, cowboy hats and country-style boots, introducing themselves with "Dalton" pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s, much in the style of the Lucky Luke Daltons
The Daltons (Lucky Luke)
The Daltons are fictional outlaws who regularly appear in the Lucky Luke comic book series and are recurrent villains. They were created by Morris and writer René Goscinny...
: Alton Dalton (Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
), Luke Dalton (The Edge
The Edge
David Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
), Betty Dalton (Adam Clayton
Adam Clayton
Adam Charles Clayton is a musician, best known as the bassist of the Irish rock band U2. Clayton has resided in County Dublin since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five years old in 1965...
) and Duke Dalton (Larry Mullen, Jr.). In Los Angeles, Bono introduced the band by stating: "We play two kinds of music: country and western
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
", after which they performed two songs: U2's own composition "Lucille" and a rendition of Leon Payne
Leon Payne
Leon Payne , "the Blind Balladeer", was a country music singer and songwriter.-Life:Leon Roger Payne was born in Alba, Texas on June 15, 1917. He was blind in one eye at birth, and lost the sight of the other eye in early childhood. He attended the Texas School for the Blind from 1924 to 1935,...
's/Hank Williams' "Lost Highway". Both songs were performed in an exaggeratedly dragged-out country and western style, and with heavy Western-American accents from Bono and The Edge, singing lead and background vocals, respectively. At their appearance in Hampton, they only performed "Lucille", after which the band simply disappeared as U2 did not perform in that guise any longer. "Lucille" never saw an official release.
A video of the whole Los Angeles performance is featured as an Easter egg
Easter egg (media)
Image:Carl Oswald Rostosky - Zwei Kaninchen und ein Igel 1861.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Example of Easter egg hidden within imagerect 467 383 539 434 desc none...
on the bonus DVD included in the Joshua Tree
The Joshua Tree
The Joshua Tree is the fifth studio album by rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 on Island Records. In contrast to the ambient experimentation of their 1984 release The Unforgettable Fire, U2 aimed for a harder-hitting sound on The Joshua...
20th Anniversary box set. To access the video, viewers have to enter a password by highlighting and selecting boxes with letters and numbers, the correct sequence being "Betty" - Adam Clayton
Adam Clayton
Adam Charles Clayton is a musician, best known as the bassist of the Irish rock band U2. Clayton has resided in County Dublin since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five years old in 1965...
's pseudonym. Two short rehearsal excerpts of the song "Lucille" are also featured on the Joshua Tree tour
Joshua Tree Tour
The Joshua Tree Tour was a concert tour by the Irish rock band U2, which took place during 1987, in support of their album The Joshua Tree. The tour was depicted by the video and live album Live from Paris.-Itinerary:...
documentary Outside It's America, included on the same DVD.
External links
- The Dalton Brothers on @U2.com - fan page with "biography" and lyrics.