Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof ( 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 rockband 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“.Geldof starred as Pink in Pink Floyd‘s film Pink Floyd – The Wall(1982).
Geldof is widely recognised for his activism, especially his anti-poverty efforts concerning Africa. In 1984, Geldof and Midge Ure organised the charity supergroup Band Aid for famine relief in Ethiopia, and co-wrote the best-selling single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” They organised the charity super-concert Live Aid the following year and the Live 8 concerts in 2005. Geldof serves as an adviser to the ONE Campaign, co-founded by fellow Irish rock singer and activist Bono, 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 was an honorary award as Geldof is an Irish citizen, but he is often referred to as ‘Sir Bob’. Among numerous other awards and nominations he was a recipient of the Man of Peace title, which recognised individuals who had made “an outstanding contribution to international social justice and peace”. In 2005, he received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.