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Subject: We Are The World...NEED INFO!!!
??? ??? ???
Does ANYONE know the actual back-up band for We Are The World. There are about 50 musician/producer/singers but I need to know who was the actual band. Like was it Lionel Richie's or Quincy Jones's... PLEASE HELP!!!
Subject: Re: We Are The World...NEED INFO!!!
Michael Boddicker - Synthesizers, Programming
Paulinho da Costa - Percussion
Louis Johnson - Bass
Michael Omartian - Keyboards, Producer
Greg Phillinganes - Keyboards
John Robinson - Drums
I don't have any clue if this is an actual band or just musicians and if they are members of a band, I don't know the name of it. Maybe you can do a Google search with the names I've given you.
Subject: Re: We Are The World...NEED INFO!!!
I think I remember some members of bands playing their instruments in the background. I think I remember Roger Taylor of Duran Duran playing the drums. My memory's getting foggy in my old age. :P
Subject: Re: We Are The World...NEED INFO!!!
Is that Band Aid that Roger Taylor particpated in? I don't know either. I'm with you on the foggy memory thing. :)
Quoting:
I think I remember some members of bands playing their instruments in the background. I think I remember Roger Taylor of Duran Duran playing the drums. My memory's getting foggy in my old age. :P
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Subject: Re: We Are The World...NEED INFO!!!
Quoting:
Is that Band Aid that Roger Taylor particpated in? I don't know either. I'm with you on the foggy memory thing. :)
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Oh Shoot!! :o :P :P :P :o
What was I thinking????? :o
I don't know where my head was when I read the post and typed that. I was thinking of "Band Aid". Truly sorry. ;D ;D ;D
Subject: Re: We Are The World...NEED INFO!!!
I think We Are the World (USA for Africa) was the American "answer" to Band Aid or at least that was the rumor.
Subject: Re: We Are The World...NEED INFO!!!
Was this the song that SNL did a take off on? David Spade was Tom Petty, Adam Sandler did Dylan, Cris Farley did meatloaf, that was one of thefunniest things I ever saw!!!
Subject: Re: We Are The World...NEED INFO!!!
Yes it was...and it was funny! ;D
Quoting:
Was this the song that SNL did a take off on? David Spade was Tom Petty, Adam Sandler did Dylan, Cris Farley did meatloaf, that was one of thefunniest things I ever saw!!!
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Subject: Re: We Are The World...NEED INFO!!!
Quoting:
Michael Boddicker - Synthesizers, Programming
Paulinho da Costa - Percussion
Louis Johnson - Bass
Michael Omartian - Keyboards, Producer
Greg Phillinganes - Keyboards
John Robinson - Drums
I don't have any clue if this is an actual band or just musicians and if they are members of a band, I don't know the name of it. Maybe you can do a Google search with the names I've given you.
End Quote
Those guys worked with different artists. Michael Omartian and Paulinho da Costa worked with Peter Cetera and Chicago as did Boddicker. Not sure about the others.
Subject: Re: We Are The World...NEED INFO!!!
What ON EARTH was Dan Akroyd doing singing in "We Are The World" ? ??? ??? ???
Subject: Re: We Are The World...NEED INFO!!!
Quoting:
What ON EARTH was Dan Akroyd doing singing in "We Are The World" ? ??? ??? ???
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He's not even a singer. ;D
Howard
Subject: Re: We Are The World...NEED INFO!!!
Quoting:
He's not even a singer. ;D
Howard
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He is! Think The Blues Brothers. 8)
Subject: Re: We Are The World...NEED INFO!!!
Quoting:
He is! Think The Blues Brothers. 8)
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Oh yeah I forgot.Thanks Spray! ;D
Howard
Subject: Re: We Are The World...NEED INFO!!!
There's a radio station in Cleveland that has been asking this question every day for 2 weeks. The DJs swear they have a group name for the musicians that made up the backing band, but no one can find it.
Jeff
Subject: Re: We Are The World...NEED INFO!!!
Here's info from this very website! I don't think the back up band had any name and an explanation for the appearance of Dan Akroyd:
Harry Belafonte originally wanted to put together a benefit concert featuring black musicians to raise money for Africa. Ken Kragen (who became president of the originization United Support of Artists for Afica) thought an American version of "Band Aid" would be a better idea. Ken Kragen is an owner of a personal management and television production company. One of his clients was Lionel Ritchie, so he called him with the idea. Lionel's wife talked to Steve Wonder's wife and arranged to line him up for the song.
Quicy Jones was lined up as the producer, and Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie were the song writers. The recording took place on the night of the American Music Awards, January 28th, 1985. This was the perfect way to assure that most of the artists would all be free on a single date.
The instrumental tracks were recorded ahead of time and sent out to the interested musicians. With each tape, he sent a letter that stated they should "check their ego at the door." When they arrived in the studio, there was a piece of tape on the floor for each person to stand on, arranged around six microphones in a semi-circle.
800,000 copies arrived in stores on Tuesday, March 7th 1985. There were sold out by the first weekend. It entered the Billboard Hot 100 on March 23rd, at number 21. At the time it was the highest debuting single since John Lennon's "Imagine" and was number one in three weeks, which at the time was the fastest rising chart-topper since Elton John's "Island Girl" in 1975. It was the eighth consecutive year the Lionel Ritchie had written a number one song. It won Grammys in 1985 for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
Dan Aykroyd also sings on We Are the World. You can see him in the top row in the video. Dan Aykroyd was in the Blues Brothers was a band before it was a SNL sketch (and then a movie), hence he was a musician. VH-1's "Pop-Up Video" states he's there to represent the American film industry,
Subject: Re: We Are The World...NEED INFO!!!
Bit more trivia about WATW (before it drops off the board...!)
Not that it needed much publicity (but every little helps!), it was aired simultaneously on 5,000 radio stations around the globe (don't ask me to name 'em!) at 3.50pm GMT* on the 5th April 1985 - possibly the first ever song to have this honour...
*you can probably work out your own time zone!
Subject: Re: We Are The World...NEED INFO!!!
Quoting:
There's a radio station in Cleveland that has been asking this question every day for 2 weeks. The DJs swear they have a group name for the musicians that made up the backing band, but no one can find it.
Jeff
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If they have a group name, they probably invented it. I've been sent trivia about this for years as a result of having one of the first "We Are the World" web pages on the Net. I've never seen any reference to the group of musicians playing on the song made. I have even received email from someone who was a fan of one of the studio people involved, and he never mentioned a band name either.
If there is a name for the backing band, it's certainly nothing published anywhere, and is probably just a nickname or something.
Subject: Re: We Are The World...NEED INFO!!!
Other than USA for Africa, but that should include singers and musicians. Good luck!