The idea of a charity single seems like a fairly straightforward one, right? Well, what if we were to tell you that they weren’t a thing in the music business until 1971? Until George Harrison released the single “Bangla Desh” and organized the Concert for Bangladesh to raise money for the people entrenched in the genocide of the country brought on by the Bangladesh Liberation War.
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From March 26, 1971, to December 16, 1971, Bangladesh fought for independence from Pakistan and achieved it. During the conflict, the people of Bangladesh were victims of a mass genocide conducted by the Pakistani military and several paramilitary groups. As a result of this harrowing tragedy, George Harrison created the idea of the charity single/concert and made history not just in regard to the Bangladesh Liberation War, but also in regard to philanthropic efforts in the music business as a whole.
How George Harrison Made Humanitarian History
By 1985, Harrison’s single “Bangla Desh”, the Concert for Bangladesh, and its spinoff content raised $250 million. Those funds were then donated to UNICEF for Bangladesh’s benefit, according to Billboard. Concerning the inspiration for the philanthropic effort, Harrison stated, “Um, it came, really it was Ravi Shankar’s idea”.
“He wanted to do something like this, and he was talking to me and telling me about his concern for the thing and asking me if I had any suggestions, and then after half an hour, he talked me into being on the show, and so once I decided I was going to go onto the show then that was it,” added Harrison per George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters. Surprisingly, he was the first major artist to do something like this.
As stated previously, Harrison’s act was not only beneficial for Bangladesh, as it inspired generations of generous musicians to come. There is no way to truly know if somebody wouldn’t have thought of this idea had it not been Harrison. However, Harrison’s action on this front seemingly gave way to groundbreaking charitable music efforts such as We Are The World, Live Aid, and Farm Aid.
The masses praise George Harrison for being one of the most talented musicians of all time, and that is certainly true. Although this fact certainly deserves to be more widely celebrated. With this act, George Harrison changed the world, and we don’t believe that is an understatement. Not in the slightest, as his idea led to billions of dollars generated by the industry for causes in need.
Photo by RB/Redferns
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