Bob Geldof

Bob Geldof
KBE
Geldof in 2009
Born
Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof

(1951-10-05) 5 October 1951 (age 73)
Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, Ireland
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • political activist
Years active1975–present
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1986; div. 1996)​
  • Jeanne Marine
    ​
    (m. 2015)​
Children4, including Peaches, Pixie, and Tiger Lily
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
Labels
Member ofThe Boomtown Rats
Formerly ofBand Aid

Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof KBE (/ˈɡɛldɒf/;[1] born 5 October 1951) is an Irish singer-songwriter and political activist. He rose to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead singer of the Irish rock band the Boomtown Rats, who achieved popularity as part of the punk rock movement. The band had UK number one hits with his co-compositions "Rat Trap" and "I Don't Like Mondays".[2][3][4] Geldof starred as Pink in Pink Floyd's 1982 film Pink Floyd – The Wall. As a fundraiser, Geldof organised the charity supergroup Band Aid and the concerts Live Aid and Live 8, and co-wrote "Do They Know It's Christmas?", one of the best-selling singles to date.[2][5][6]

Geldof is widely recognised for his activism, especially his anti-poverty efforts concerning Africa.[7] In 1984, he and Midge Ure founded the charity supergroup Band Aid to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia.[5] They went on to organise the charity super-concert Live Aid the following year and the Live 8 concerts in 2005.[8] Geldof currently serves as an adviser to the ONE Campaign, co-founded by fellow Irish rock singer and activist Bono,[9] and is a member of the Africa Progress Panel (APP), a group of ten distinguished individuals who advocate at the highest levels for equitable and sustainable development in Africa.

Geldof was granted an honorary knighthood (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1986 for his charity work in Africa: it is an honorary award as Geldof is an Irish citizen, but he is often referred to as 'Sir Bob'.[10][11][12] He is a recipient of the Man of Peace title which recognises individuals who have made "an outstanding contribution to international social justice and peace", among numerous other awards and nominations.[13][14] In 2005, he received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.

  1. ^ "Geldof". Collins English Dictionary.
  2. ^ a b Analysis Section Staff Writer (29 July 2006). "Tell me why they don't like Geldof". The Irish Independent. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  3. ^ Smith, David (30 January 2005). "We should share in 'Saint' Bob's Brit award, complain former Rats". The Guardian. London – The Observer home. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  4. ^ "Geldof and Fingers reach settlement over 'I Don't Like Mondays'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference GeldofBio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Staff Writer, BBC Radio 2 (21 December 2008). "Do They Know It's Christmas? Band Aid 20". BBC. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. Retrieved 2 July 2009.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Linklater, Magnus (8 June 2005). "Bob Geldof's brazen appeal to popular outrage won't make poverty history". The Times. London. Retrieved 1 July 2009.[dead link]
  8. ^ "Live Aid duo win second Ivor gong", 4 June 2005, Music Week, p.1
  9. ^ Simmons, Virginia (11 June 2009). "DATA Report Launch Videos". ONE International. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  10. ^ "Front Row Interviews: Sir Bob Geldof". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Bob Geldof: Life is the hardest thing, but if you do it you get through it". The Irish News. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  12. ^ "My Splendid Isolation: Sir Bob Geldof – 'I've written CovAid on my face mask in lipstick'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  13. ^ "Geldof 'would consider peerage'". BBC News. 4 January 2005.
  14. ^ "Bob Geldof receives peace award". BBC News. 24 November 2005. Retrieved 30 June 2009.