Historical Figure
Bob Geldof
b. 1951
Irish singer-songwriter and political activist (born 1951)
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Biography
Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof 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". Geldof starred as Pink in Pink Floyd's film Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982).
Timeline
The story of Bob Geldof, told in moments.
The Boomtown Rats' "I Don't Like Mondays" hit number one in 32 countries. Geldof wrote it after watching a news story about a 16-year-old girl who opened fire on a schoolyard and gave that phrase as her only explanation.
Watched a BBC news report on the Ethiopian famine and called Midge Ure. Within weeks they'd assembled Band Aid and recorded "Do They Know It's Christmas?" It sold 3.5 million copies in the UK alone.
Organized Live Aid, dual concerts in London and Philadelphia broadcast to 1.9 billion people across 150 countries. Raised over $125 million for famine relief. The largest satellite link-up in history at the time.
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