Rock Star Bob Geldof Sings to Raise Money to Combat Ebola Virus

Musician and philanthropist Bob Geldof, who in 1984 inspired a generation of rock stars to record a charity single for Africa, promised to raise money to combat Ebola with a new version of the song.

Geldof, frontman for Irish new wave band “The Boomtown Rats, pulled together the Band Aid super group for “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” three decades ago to help those affected by famine in Ethiopia.

He confirmed on Monday at a conference in London, that the song would be re-recorded.

Geldof said the new line-up was expected to include boy band One Direction and singers Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith.

He said the original song, which raised $11 million, featured some of the era’s biggest acts including U2’s Bono, George Michael and David Bowie.

It has been re-recorded twice in 1989 and 2004.

Geldof co-wrote the song with Ultravox singer Midge Ure  and topped the charts in 1984 and sold millions of copies, with proceeds going to Ethiopian famine relief.

They followed it up with Live Aid in 1985, a transatlantic concert that raised an estimated 100 million dollars for Ethiopia.

Ebola has killed 4,950 people out of more than 13,000 infected since it broke out in West Africa earlier this year, according to the World Health Organisation, mostly in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

Photo Credit:  Markwaters/Dreamstime.com