Band Aid

Years Active: 1984

Genre/s: Christmas music, synth-pop

Label/s: Phonogram (UK), Columbia (US)

Members: Paul Young, Boy George, George Michael, Simon Le Bon, Sting, Bono, Phil Collins, Tony Hadley, Paul Weller, Glenn Gregory, Sting, Marilyn, David Bowie, Annie Lennox, Bananarama, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Status Quo, Ultravox, Jody Watley, Paul McCartney, Trevor Horn

Founded by Bob Geldof in 1984, Band Aid was a supergroup featuring members of prominent ’80s Irish and UK acts, including Duran Duran, Culture Club, Wham!, and U2. ∙ The group’s single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?,” recorded as a benefit for Ethiopian famine relief, spent five weeks at No. 1 in the UK and is the region’s second-best-selling single of all time. ∙ Band Aid’s success inspired a number of charity musical endeavors, including U.S.A. for Africa’s global No. 1 hit “We Are the World” and the massive 1985 transcontinental concert Live Aid. ∙ The video for “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Music Video, Short Form.