Famed rock musician, author and philanthropist Bob Geldof was born Robert Frederick Xenon Geldof on October 5, 1951, in Dublin, Ireland. Geldof is best known as the singer of the punk Bands the Boomtown Rats and for his political activism, particularly his anti-poverty efforts in Africa, with the organizations Bands Aid and Live Aid.In July 2005, Geldof organized Live 8 charity pop concerts that were timed to coincide with the G8 summit on world poverty, held in Perthshire, Scotland. In support of the Make Poverty History campaign, performances were broadcast in 10 cities around the world, including London and Philadelphia. That same year, Geldof presented Geldof in Africa for BBC 1 and wrote a book to accompany the series. At the 2005 Brit Awards, Geldof was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Additionally, he received an honorary knighthood in 1986, and was awarded the freedom of the City of Dublin in 2005.
