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 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".

Returning to Ireland in 1975, he became lead singer of the Boomtown Rats, a rock group closely linked with the punk movement.

In 1978, The Boomtown Rats had their first No. 1 single in the UK with "Rat Trap", the first new wave chart-topper in Britain.

In 1979, they gained international attention with their second UK No. 1, "I Don't Like Mondays".

This was both successful and controversial.

Geldof had written it in the aftermath of Brenda Ann Spencer's attempted massacre at an elementary school in San Diego, California, in 1979.

In 1980, The Boomtown Rats released the album Mondo Bongo.

Geldof became known as a colourful interview subject.

The Boomtown Rats' first appearance on Ireland's The Late Late Show saw Geldof as deliberately brusque to host Gay Byrne and during his interview he attacked Irish politicians and the Catholic Church, which he blamed for many of the country's problems.

He responded to nuns in the audience who tried to shout him down by saying they had "an easy life with no material worries in return for which they gave themselves body and soul to the church".

He also criticised Blackrock College.

The interview caused uproar, making it impossible for The Boomtown Rats to play in Ireland again.

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.

Geldof is widely recognised for his activism, especially his anti-poverty efforts concerning Africa.

In 1984, he and Midge Ure founded the charity supergroup Band Aid to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia.

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'.

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.

Geldof left the Boomtown Rats in 1986 to launch a solo career and publish his autobiography, Is That It?, which was a UK best-seller.

His first solo records sold reasonably well and spawned the hit singles "This Is The World Calling" (co-written with Dave Stewart of Eurythmics) and "The Great Song of Indifference".

In 1992, he performed at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert with the surviving members of Queen at the old Wembley Stadium, singing a song he jokingly claimed to have co-written with Mercury, called "Too Late God".

(The song was actually co-written by Karl Hyde.)

Geldof has also worked as a DJ for XFM radio.

In 1998, he erroneously announced Ian Dury's death from cancer, possibly due to hoax information from a listener who was disgruntled at the station's change of ownership.

He also occasionally performed with other artists, such as David Gilmour and Thin Lizzy; a performance of "Comfortably Numb" with Gilmour is documented in the DVD release David Gilmour in Concert (2002).

They went on to organise the charity super-concert Live Aid the following year and the Live 8 concerts in 2005.

Geldof currently 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.

A single father, Geldof has also been outspoken for the fathers' rights movement.

In 2005, he received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.

Geldof was born and brought up in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, a son of Robert and Evelyn Geldof.

His paternal grandfather, Zenon Geldof, was a Belgian immigrant and a hotel chef.

His paternal grandmother, Amelia Falk, was a British Jew from London of German-Jewish descent.

When Geldof was six years old, his mother Evelyn died at age 45 of a cerebral haemorrhage.

Geldof attended Blackrock College, where he was bullied for being a poor rugby player and for his middle name, Zenon.

After working as a slaughterman, a road navvy and pea canner in Wisbech, England, he was hired as a music journalist in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for The Georgia Straight.

He briefly guest hosted the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation children's program Switchback.

In January 2013, Geldof announced The Boomtown Rats would be reforming to play together for the first time since 1986 at that year's Isle of Wight Festival in June.

They have subsequently announced further tour dates and released a new CD Back to Boomtown: Classic Rats Hits.