Sir Bob Geldof
Biography
Creative, driven, and always direct, Sir Bob Geldof has gone from singer to activist, and has become the driving force between the link between music and politics. Bob was born in Dun Laghaire, Ireland, in 1951, and attended Blackrock College before moving to Vancouver. Frustrated with the strict Catholic structure of his school and the subsequent doldrums of working life, he formed the group The Boomtown Rats, which helped to pioneer the "New Wave" movement. The band produced hit songs ranging from the hypnotic "Banana Republic" to the gritty "I Don't Like Mondays." He went solo in the mid 80s, and has continued to sing and write. Moved by a news report on the poverty in Ethiopia, Geldof organized several pop music forces together under the name Band Aid. He wrote the song "Do They Know it's Christmas?" and organized the Live Aid concert to raise awareness of African poverty, and organized the Live Aid concert. In 2005 he created the largest concert series in history, Live 8, an eight venue concert series intended to rouse the G8 nations into action. The concerts managed to draw together the diverse star power of U2, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, The Who, Linkin Park, Green Day, Madonna, and Jay-Z. With an uncompromising and charismatic drive, Sir Bob continues to work for Africa and to promote activism among his fellow musicians.
Quotations
"Everything that's rock n roll is ever meant to be is happening now. I need to get over the shock that that thing is actually happening and that thousands of millions of people around the world are watching."
"It's really very simple, Governor. When people are hungry they die. So spare me your politics and tell me what you need and how you're going to get it to these people."
"Music is something I must do, business is something I need to do, and Africa is something I have to do. That's the way it breaks down in my life."
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