Geldof, Bob (1954– )

Irish rock singer, born in Dun Laoghaire. He was the leader of the group the Boomtown Rats 1975–86. In the mid-1980s he instigated the charity Band Aid, which raised some £60 million for famine relief, primarily for Ethiopia.

In partnership with musician Midge Ure (1953– ), Geldof gathered together many pop celebrities of the day to record Geldof's song ‘Do They Know It's Christmas?’ (1984), donating all proceeds to charity (it sold 7 million copies). Inspired by a 1984 BBC documentary about famine in Ethiopia, in 1985 he organized two simultaneous celebrity concerts under the name Live Aid, one in London and one in Philadelphia, which were broadcast live worldwide. He was knighted in 1986, and in the same year nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his relief work.

His solo albums include Deep in the Heart of Nowhere (1986), featuring a guest appearance by Eric Clapton; the Irish-influenced Vegetarians of Love (1990), The Happy Club (1992), Loudmouth (1994), Sex, Age & Death (2002), and Under the Influence (2004). While his solo career has enjoyed some measure of success in the UK, he remains virtually unknown in the USA, perhaps best remembered for a major acting role in the 1982 film adaptation of Pink Floyd's The Wall.