A charity supergroup is a music group comprising famous musicians or other celebrities which is formed to raise funds or awareness for charities or causes. The supergroup is usually together only for a single album, performance, or single.
The concept dates to at least 1971, when George Harrison and Ravi Shankar organized The Concert for Bangladesh, and a subsequent album and film, to support UNICEF relief efforts in that country. In the 1980s, forming a one-off supergroup to record a charity single became a popular way to promote a cause; notable examples include Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1984 and USA for Africa's "We Are the World" in 1985, both recorded to support famine relief in Ethiopia.
List of notable charity supergroups
Founded Band/project name Project co-ordinator(s) Notes 1971 The Concert for Bangladesh George Harrison Ravi ShankarConcert to raise awareness of the Bangladesh Liberation War and refugee problems in the country, raised funds to benefit UNICEF relief fund, released a film of the concert and an album, The Concert for Bangla Desh 1979 Rockestra Paul McCartney Recorded "Let It Be", "Lucille", "Rockestra Theme", and "So Glad to See You Here" at the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea, to benefit people of Cambodia suffering from Pol Pot's regime; released as a promotional EP and film 1983 ARMS Charity Concert Ronnie Lane Concert at Royal Albert Hall to support multiple sclerosis research 1984 Band Aid Bob Geldof Midge Ure Recorded "Do They Know It's Christmas?" charity single for famine relief in Ethiopia 1985 Deep End Pete Townshend (The Who) David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) Jody Linscott (Elton John, Eric Clapton) John 'Rabbit' Bundrick (The Who) Billy Nicholls Simon Phillips (Toto, The Who) Chucho Merchan Cleveland Watkiss Chyna Emma Townshend Recorded "Deep End Live!" 1985 Northern Lights Bruce Allen Recorded the charity single "Tears Are Not Enough" for famine relief in Ethiopia 1985 USA for Africa Harry Belafonte Michael Jackson Quincy Jones Lionel Richie Kenny Rogers Tina Turner Diana Ross Recorded "We Are the World" charity single for famine relief in Ethiopia 1985 Hermanos Julio Iglesias Recorded "Cantaré, cantarás" charity single for famine relief in Ethiopia 1985 Tomorrow will be Better Lo Ta-yu Recorded "Tomorrow will be Better" to raise money for World Vision to help with aid to Africa. 1985 YU Rock Misija (Yugoslav Rock Mission) Vlatko Stefanovski Željko Bebek Marina Perazić Momčilo Bajagić Aki Rahimovski Slađana Milošević Dado Topić Massimo Savić Recorded "Za Milion Godina (For Million Years)" contribution of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to the famous Bob Geldof's Band Aid famine relief campaign 1985 Hear 'n Aid Ronnie James Dio Recorded the charity single and album "Stars" for famine relief in Africa 1985 Artists United Against Apartheid Steven Van Zandt Recorded the song and album "Sun City" to protest apartheid in South Africa 1985/1986 Dionne and Friends Dionne Warwick Gladys Knight Elton John Stevie Wonder Recorded the song "That's What Friends Are For" as a charity single for the United Kingdom in 1985 and the United States in 1986 for American Foundation for AIDS Research. 1986 Dance Aid Steve Walsh Steve McIntosh Paul Hardcastle Recorded the song "Give Give Give" as a charity single for the United Kingdom in 1986. 1987 Ferry Aid The Sun newspaper Recorded the song "Let it Be" as a charity single following the Zeebrugge disaster1989Concert for Democracy in ChinaJames Wong Phillip Chan Eric Tsang John ShumBenefit concert held in Hong Kong in support of the students involved in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests 1989/1990 Rock Aid Armenia Jon Dee Re-recording of "Smoke on the Water" by Ritchie Blackmore, Bruce Dickinson, Geoff Downes, Keith Emerson, Ian Gillan, David Gilmour, Tony Iommi, Alex Lifeson, Brian May, Paul Rodgers, Chris Squire, Roger Taylor and others 1989 Band Aid II Bob Geldof Midge Ure Re-recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" charity single, also for famine relief in Ethiopia1989Singers for Sight Retinitis Pigmentosa InternationalSong "Forgotten Eyes" was recorded with older celebrities including Bob Hope, Sammy Davis Jr, Dionne Warwick, Mel Torme, Jack Jones, Marilyn McCoo, Patti LaBelle, George Burns, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It was released on Motown. 1991 Voices That Care David Foster Linda Thompson Peter Cetera Recording of "Voices That Care" charity single, also for U.S. troops involved in Operation Desert Storm, as well as supporting the International Red Cross organization 1992 Rock Bottom Remainders Kathi Kamen Goldmark Dave Barry Stephen King several others Group of well-known writers, several charity concerts 1994 Music Relief '94 C. J. Lewis Andrew Roachford Yazz Aswad Edwin Starr D Ream Kim Appleby Rozalla Tony Di Bart Paul Young Recorded a cover version of Marvin Gaye's single "What's Going On" in memory of the Rwandan genocide. 1997 Perfect Day BBC Music Lou Reed Recording of "Perfect Day" originally used as an advertisement for BBC Music. Due to popularity it was released as a charity single raising over £2 million for Children in Need 2001 Artists Against Aids Worldwide Jermaine Dupri Bono Recorded several cover versions of "What's Going On" to benefit AIDS programs in Africa and other impoverished regions, with a portion of the proceeds going to the American Red Cross' September 11 fund 2004 Band Aid 20 Bob Geldof Midge Ure Re-recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" 20th anniversary charity single, for famine relief in Ethiopia 2005 The North American Hallowe'en Prevention Initiative (NAHPI) An all star cast of rock artists recorded a satire of the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" named Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?, all proceeds being donated to UNICEF. 2005 One World Project Recorded the charity single "Grief Never Grows Old" to benefit 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami relief 2005 Tears in Heaven Ozzy Osbourne Sharon Osbourne Recording of "Tears in Heaven" to benefit 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami relief 2008 S↑2C Stand Up 2 Cancer telethon Katie Couric Entertainment Industry Foundation Recorded the charity single "Just Stand Up!" to benefit the Stand Up To Cancer telethon. 2009 Peter Kay's Animated All Star Band Peter Kay UK children's characters recorded the charity single "The Official BBC Children in Need Medley" to benefit Children in Need 2009. 2010 Artists for Haiti Quincy Jones Lionel Richie Recorded "We Are the World 25 for Haiti", a remake of the original "We Are the World", to benefit the people of Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. 2010 Young Artists for Haiti Bob Ezrin K'naan Canadian singers and musicians who recorded K'naan's song "Wavin' Flag" to benefit the people of Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. 2011 WhoCares Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) Jason Newsted (Metallica) Jon Lord (Deep Purple) Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden) Mikko Lindström (HIM) Raising funds to support the rebuilding of a music school in Gyumri, Armenia.Ian Gillan – Caramba! 2011 BackBone Meat Loaf John Rich (Big & Rich) Lil Jon (lil Jon & The East Side Boyz) Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray) Singers and Musicians on The Celebrity Apprentice 4, all proceeds from their songs go to their respective charities that they chose on the show. 2012 The Justice Collective Peter Hooton (The Farm) Recorded "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", in aid of charities associated with the Hillsborough disaster of 1989. 2014 The Impossible Orchestra BBC Music Organised for Children in Need 2014 to record "God Only Knows" 2014 Band Aid 30 Bob Geldof Midge Ure Re-recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" 30th anniversary charity single, for Ebola Crisis Appeal.2014Africa Stop Ebola Tiken Jah Fakoly Salif Keita Amadou & Mariam Mory Kanté Oumou Sangaré Sia Tolno Barbara Kanam Mokobé Marcus (from the band Banlieuz'Arts) Didier Awadi Carlos Chirinos 3D FamilyWest African artists recorded the song "Africa Stop Ebola" to raise awareness about Ebola in West Africa and released in France to support Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The song inspired the "Africa Stop Ebola" Song Contest in Conakry, Guinea in July 2015. Africa Stop Ebola was the recipient of the "Fighting Ebola: a Grand Challenge for Development" award by the White House Office of Science and Technology, the Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Defense and the United States Agency for International Development USAID. 2014 Imagine UNICEF Ban Ki-moon David Guetta Recording of "Imagine" to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 2017 Artists for Puerto Rico Lin-Manuel Miranda American songwriter of Puerto Rican descent, Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote and recorded the song Almost Like Praying featuring numerous other artists under the collective name Artists for Puerto Rico to support relief efforts in Puerto Rico in response to Hurricane Maria, which struck the island in September 2017. 2019 —Lil Dicky American rapper and comedian Lil Dicky invites 30 artists and they all recorded "Earth" for Earth Day.2020Live Lounge Allstars 5 Seconds of Summer AJ Tracey Anne-Marie Bastille Biffy Clyro Celeste Chris Martin (of Coldplay) Dermot Kennedy Dua Lipa Ellie Goulding Grace Carter Hailee Steinfeld Jess Glynne Mabel Paloma Faith Rag’n’Bone Man Rita Ora Royal Blood Sam Fender Sean Paul Sigrid Yungblud Zara LarssonRecorded a cover version of Foo Fighters' "Times Like These" to raise funds for Children in Need, Comic Relief and the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund during the COVID-19 pandemic.
See also Supergroup (music) Charity record Band Aid USA for Africa
References