Irish singer-songwriter and political activist (born 1951)
Bob Geldof
KBE
Geldof in 2009
Born
Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof
(1951-10-05) 5 October 1951 (age 72)
Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, Ireland
Occupations
Singer-songwriter
political activist
Years active
1975–present
Spouses
Paula Yates
(m. 1986; div. 1996)
Jeanne Marine
(m. 2015)
Children
4, including Peaches, Pixie, and Tiger Lily
Musical career
Genres
Rock
pop
Instrument(s)
Vocals
guitar
harmonica
Labels
Polydor
Atlantic (US)
Member of
The Boomtown Rats
Formerly of
Band Aid
Musical artist
Robert Frederick Zenon GeldofKBE (/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. A single father, Geldof has also been outspoken for the fathers' rights movement.[10]
Geldof was granted an honorary knighthood (KBE) by 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'.[11][12][13] 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.[14][15] In 2005, he received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.
^"Geldof". Collins English Dictionary.
^ abAnalysis Section Staff Writer (29 July 2006). "Tell me why they don't like Geldof". The Irish Independent. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
^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.
^"Geldof and Fingers reach settlement over 'I Don't Like Mondays'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
^ abCite error: The named reference GeldofBio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^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)
^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.
^"Live Aid duo win second Ivor gong", 4 June 2005, Music Week, p.1
^Simmons, Virginia (11 June 2009). "DATA Report Launch Videos". ONE International. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
^Elliott, John (7 September 2003). "Geldof lashes courts over fathers' rights". The Times. London. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
^"Front Row Interviews: Sir Bob Geldof". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
^"Bob Geldof: Life is the hardest thing, but if you do it you get through it". The Irish News. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
^"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.
^"Geldof 'would consider peerage'". BBC News. 4 January 2005.
^"Bob Geldof receives peace award". BBC News. 24 November 2005. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof KBE (/ˈɡɛldɒf/; born 5 October 1951) is an Irish singer-songwriter and political activist. He rose to prominence in the late...
Little Pixie Geldof (born 17 September 1990) is an English model and singer. She is the third daughter of BobGeldof and Paula Yates. Geldof is the third...
by her mother's former husband, Irish singer-songwriter and activist BobGeldof of Irish punk band the Boomtown Rats, after both of her parents died when...
scrutiny, owing to her popularity and her relationships with musicians BobGeldof and Michael Hutchence. Born on 24 April 1959 in Colwyn Bay, Wales, to...
initiative held on Saturday 13 July 1985. The original event was organised by BobGeldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine...
This is the discography of solo recordings by the singer-songwriter BobGeldof who is also known as the lead vocalist of the Irish new wave band Boomtown...
Cott (rhythm guitar), Simon Crowe (drums), Johnnie Fingers (keyboards), BobGeldof (vocals) and Garry Roberts (lead guitar), plus Fingers' cousin Pete Briquette...
recording, suggested that he did not want to partake because the organizer, BobGeldof, called him a "creep". During the session, Richie spoke with Prince on...
182 television networks and 2,000 radio networks. Live Aid organiser BobGeldof announced the event on 31 May. Many former Live Aid acts offered their...
When Harvey Met Bob is a 2010 television film, written by Joe Dunlop, dramatising the relationship between musician BobGeldof and concert promoter Harvey...
Ball and it became a part of me. It sowed a seed...". In 1984, musician BobGeldof enlisted Bono to participate in the Band Aid charity single "Do They Know...
of a City, and then for his "convincingly exasperated" caricature of BobGeldof in an episode of the Sky Arts anthology series Urban Myths. The following...
organiser BobGeldof. Media scrutiny was intense, and Hutchence assaulted a photographer who had followed them. Yates' separation from Geldof in February...
Festival. He portrayed musician BobGeldof as he organises the 1985 Live Aid concert in the television film When Harvey Met Bob, which was broadcast on BBC...
Band Aid. The group was announced on 10 November 2014 by BobGeldof and Midge Ure, with Geldof stating that he took the step after the United Nations had...
UK chart history. Ure co-organised Band Aid, Live Aid and Live 8 with BobGeldof. He acts as a trustee for the charity and also serves as an ambassador...
respective lists by Total Guitar and Louder. Irish singer-songwriter BobGeldof said that "without question, [Moore] was one of the great Irish bluesmen"...
and Pixie Geldof, fathered by BobGeldof; and Tiger Lily Hutchence Geldof, fathered by Michael Hutchence and legally adopted by BobGeldof in 2007. Green's...
Geldof is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: BobGeldof (born 1951), Irish singer, songwriter, author, and political activist Peaches...
the atrocities committed by the Burmese military". On 13 November 2017, BobGeldof returned his Freedom of the City of Dublin award in protest over Aung...
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