Inspiring People

Bob Geldof

Some of the qualities of Bob Geldof are that he is very generous, honest and over the years he has demonstrated great kindness.

Bob Geldof was born in the Republic of Ireland, to Roman Catholic parents. He became the lead singer of the band The Boomtown Rats, a rock group closely linked with the punk movement.

Geldof co-organized Live Aid (in 1985). The show, and its spin-off albums and movies, raised considerable sums of money for Amnesty, and raised public consciousness about human rights. With some of his musician friends he organized a show called Band Aid. The show, and its spin-off albums and movies, raised considerable sums of money for Amnesty, and raised public consciousness about human rights.

He organized for popstars to sing 'Do they know Its Christmas time?'. In its first week of release the single became the UK's fastest seller of all time, entering the chart at number one and going on to sell over three million copies, making it the biggest-selling single in UK history up to that point, a title it held for almost 13 years and eventually it raised over £8 million.

Following this massive success preparations were started for the biggest rock concerts the world had ever seen, the following summer.

During the broadcast of Live Aid, Geldof shocked viewers into giving cash by slamming his fist on the table and practically ordering them not to go out to the pub, but to stay in and watch the show. In total, Live Aid raised over £150 million for famine relief. Much of the money raised by Live Aid went to NGOs in Ethiopia.

In January 2004, on a visit to friends in Ethiopia, Geldof came to believe that more people were at risk of starvation there than had died in the famine of 1984/85 which had prompted Live Aid. He rang the British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The result was the Commission for Africa.

There is no disputing the impact of Geldof in popularizing the cause of the poor of Africa. Live Aid in 1985 and Live8 in 2005 were both watched by more than half the world's population. At Gleneagles he was key in persuading the G8 to pledge the equivalent of a million times the amount raised by Live Aid. His work has changed countless lives in the Third World and inspired millions of activists. Extraordinary for acting where others too scared, for being very forceful with presidents and prime ministers, many say he speaks truth.