Bob Geldof

Robert Frederick Xenon Geldof, KBE (born October 5, 1954 in Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin) is an Irish singer, songwriter, actor and political activist, known simply as Bob Geldof. He is of Irish and Belgian extraction.

Charity work

The Band Aid single

By 1984 the Boomtown Rats' career had declined sharply. In November Geldof saw a BBC news report by Michael Buerk on the famine in Ethiopia and vowed to use the situation to do something. He called Midge Ure from Ultravox, and together they co-wrote the song, "Do They Know It's Christmas?".

Related Topics:
1984 - BBC - Michael Buerk - Famine - Ethiopia - Midge Ure - Ultravox - Do They Know It's Christmas?

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Geldof kept a November appointment with BBC Radio 1 DJ Richard Skinner to appear on his show, but instead of discussing his new album as planned he used the airtime to publicise the idea for the charity single. This generated intense media interest in the subject.

Related Topics:
BBC Radio 1 - DJ

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He put together a group called Band Aid, consisting of leading British and Irish rock and pop musicians, all of whom were at the top of the industry.

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The single was released just before Christmas 1984 with the aim of raising money for the relief of the famine. Geldof's somewhat cautious hope was for 70,000 pounds. Ultimately, however, the song raised many millions of pounds and became the biggest-selling single in UK chart history (until 1997). The song was re-recorded and released in 1989 under the Band Aid II banner, featuring artists such as Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan. It was re-recorded again and released just before Christmas 2004 with a new group of musicians called Band Aid 20.

Related Topics:
Christmas - 1984 - 1997 - 1989 - Band Aid II - Kylie Minogue - Jason Donovan - 2004 - Band Aid 20

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The idea was copied in the States a few months later, with the song "We Are The World", co-written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, who was Geldof's first point of contact. It topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Geldof attended the recording, which took place immediately after the January 28, 1985 American Music Awards, and he sang on the chorus at the end.

Related Topics:
We Are The World - Michael Jackson - Lionel Richie - Atlantic - January 28 - 1985

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The Live Aid concert

Using the enormous success of the Band Aid single, Geldof went on to organise (and perform with the Rats at) the massive charity concert Live Aid, which raised unprecedented sums for the cause in June 1985. He travelled to many places, raising money. He even challenged Margaret Thatcher, leading to a major re-evaluation of British government policy towards famine relief.

Related Topics:
Live Aid - 1985 - Margaret Thatcher

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Geldof has received many awards for this work, including an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. As he is not a British or Commonwealth citizen, Geldof is precluded from using the title "Sir". Regardless, the nickname "Sir Bob" has stuck, and even media reports will frequently refer to him as "Sir Bob Geldof". On July 7 2005, Geldof was nominated for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prizehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4657627.stm because of his dedication to fight poverty and AIDS in Africa.

Related Topics:
Knighthood - Queen Elizabeth II - British - Commonwealth - July 7 - 2005 - 2006 - Nobel Peace Prize

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Today Geldof works closely with DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa), an organization founded by U2's Bono to advocate for Africa.

Related Topics:
DATA - U2 - Bono

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The Live 8 concerts

On March 31, 2005 Geldof announced the Live 8 project to raise awareness of issues that he claims burden Africa, such as government debt, trade barriers, and AIDS issues. Geldof organised 5 concerts on Saturday July 2, 2005; in London with Elton John, U2, Coldplay, Madonna, Paul McCartney; another in Paris with Andrea Bocelli, Youssou N'Dour; in Rome with Duran Duran, Faith Hill; in Berlin with Brian Wilson, Crosby Stills & Nash; and, in Philadelphia with 50 Cent, Dave Matthews, Sarah McLachlan, and Stevie Wonder and Barrie with Neil Young, The Barenaked Ladies, Bryan Adams, Deep Purple, Gordon Lightfoot and the Tragically Hip.

Related Topics:
Live 8 - Africa - July 2 - 2005 - London - Elton John - U2 - Coldplay - Madonna - Paul McCartney - Paris - Andrea Bocelli - Youssou N'Dour - Rome - Duran Duran - Faith Hill - Berlin - Brian Wilson - Crosby Stills & Nash - Philadelphia - 50 Cent - Dave Matthews - Sarah McLachlan - Stevie Wonder - Barrie - Neil Young - The Barenaked Ladies - Bryan Adams - Deep Purple - Gordon Lightfoot - The Tragically Hip

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The rock band Pink Floyd also performed together in London, in its classic lineup, for the first time since 1981.This was considered by many to be the highlight of the chorus of shows.

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The shows were free, and were scheduled just days before world leaders gathered in Scotland for the G8 economic summit, on July 6. "The boys and girls with guitars will finally get to turn the world on its axis," Geldof said in a statement (01/06/05). A text message competition was organised for tickets on the pretext of raising money for the running of the event, however the majority of the funds were diverted to Geldof's bank account in the Cayman Islands.

Related Topics:
Scotland - G8 - July 6

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Criticism of Live 8

Some claimed that Live 8 is more about rehabilitating the careers of aging rock stars, including Geldof himself, than it is about the poor people of Africa. There were no African or black artists scheduled to play until criticism forced Geldof to change the line/ups in some of the concerts. However Geldof supporters argue that the concert was about capturing attention for the issue of justice for Africa in the run-up to the G8 meeting. Therefore needed to use established names and artists, rather than artists who would be unknown. It was further argued that because there was little public interest in African music among the concert's target markets in Europe and the United States, including African artists at the expense of recognised artists, would have proved counterproductive and undermined the effect of the concert.

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There are also accusations that Live 8 gave unflinching support to Tony Blair's and Gordon Brown's personal and political agendas. This led to accusations that Geldof had compromised his cause, and several charites and NGO's asked Geldof to remove himself from the Make Poverty History campaign.

Related Topics:
Tony Blair - Gordon Brown - Make Poverty History

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In contrast with the media support given to Live Aid, Live 8 was subject to considerable media criticism in some quarters.

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