Band Aid

musical group

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 22, 2026

Quick Summary

Band Aid was a British charitable supergroup founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure. The group brought together prominent musicians, including Sting, Bono, George Michael, and Boy George, to record the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?". The single's success in raising funds for famine relief in Ethiopia inspired Geldof and Ure to organize the global Live Aid concert in 1985, which further raised millions for famine relief efforts.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Bob Geldof
Band Aid
…was marketed under the name Band Aid. It was the number-one Christmas hit that year and the best-selling British pop single for nearly 15 years. More than three million copies were sold, with £0.96 (just over $1 in 2023) from each being donated to charity and all royalties going to…
Read More
…was marketed under the name Band Aid. It was the number-one Christmas hit that year and the best-selling British pop single for nearly 15 years. More than three million copies were sold, with £0.96 (just over $1 in 2023) from each being donated to charity and all royalties going to…
Read More

Live Aid
From Band Aid to Live Aid
…and marketed under the name Band Aid, sold more than three million copies and inspired similar all-star benefit projects. Most notable among these was Quincy Jones’s USA for Africa, which hinged on the recording of “We Are the World” in January 1985.
Read More
…and marketed under the name Band Aid, sold more than three million copies and inspired similar all-star benefit projects. Most notable among these was Quincy Jones’s USA for Africa, which hinged on the recording of “We Are the World” in January 1985.
Read More