Sir Paul McCartney and U-2 front man Bono were among the stars who have agreed to perform in a new recording of 'Do They Know It's Christmas'. The song was first in a series of all-star music productions designed to raise money for charity. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Band-Aid, which was originally formed to raise money for starving children in Africa.
Bono was expected to sing vocals on the track while McCartney will play bass. Other performers expected to appear in the band, named 'Band-Aid 20', include Robbie Williams, Dido and Snow Patrol.
The single is expected to be released on November 29th in the U.K. with proceeds again going to African famine relief with an emphasis on the Darfur region of the Sudan where starvation is rampant and Arabs continue a policy of genocide against non-Arabs.
The original Band-Aid consisted of mostly British acts including McCartney, Bono, George Michael and Sting. It created the inspiration for later all-star rock charity events like 'USA for Africa' and 'Live Aid'.
Fran Healy of the rock group Travis, who was scheduled to play guitar on the recording, was very enthused. 'It's dead exciting', Healy told Billboard.com. 'What I will say is you've got to buy the record because it's the only record that's going to save lives this side of Christmas, and you can't ask for more than that.
