Bob Geldof’s charity work

Along with U2’s Bono, Bob devoted much time campaigning for debt relief for developing countries. 

In 1984, Bob responded to a BBC report about the famine in Ethiopia by mobilising the pop world to do something. 

With  Midge Ure of Ultravox he wrote Do They Know It’s Christmas? in order to raise funds. 

The song was recorded by various artists under the name of Band Aid.

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. 

New versions of Do They Know It’s Christmas were recorded in 1989 and 2004. 

In November 2014, Bob announced that he would be forming a further incarnation of Band Aid, to be known as Band Aid 30, to record an updated version of the charity single, with the proceeds going to treat victims of the Ebola virus in West Africa.

As for Live Aid, in 1985, Bib and Ure organised a huge event at Wembley Stadium, London and John F. Kennedy Stadium, Philadelphia. 

Thanks to an unprecedented decision by the BBC to clear its schedules for 16 hours of rock music, the event was also broadcast live in the UK on television and radio.

It was one of the most monumental stage shows in history.