Bob Geldof

Singer Bob Geldof, KBE, was a founding member of the Irish New Wave/punk group the Boomtown Rats, but their string of hit singles was largely eclipsed by his work as a Nobel Prize-nominated political activist whose most notable contributions were serving as co-founder of the Band Aid charity, which recorded the 1984 single "Do They Know Its Christmas?" to benefit relief efforts in Ethiopia, and organizing the international Live Aid and Live 8 concert events. Geldof's tenure with the scabrous Rats, which scored two U.K. No. 1 hits with "Rat Trap" and the controversial "I Don't Like Mondays," seemed incongruent with his later philanthropic activities, but the same outspoken attitude he wielded in his band were also significant assets to his charity efforts. Geldof corralled some of the biggest stars in U.K. pop and rock to record "Christmas," which became one of the best-selling songs in music history, and later used its influence to bring together dozens of groups, both new and legendary, to perform at the historic Live Aid concert in 1985. His efforts to bring attention to famine relief in Africa resulted in a knighthood and increased awareness for international aid campaigns, which he continued to address throughout the next two decades through the Live 8 concerts in 2005. Geldof also continued his music career during this period, releasing five solo albums between 1986 and 2011. Ultimately, political activism would define Bob Geldof's career and give him a place in the history books as rock's most ambitious and successful philanthropist.