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Over 70 well known Liverpool musicians and singers have come together to create Band Aid Liverpool 2020.
And his bid to help the homeless has garnered very special approval from Sir Bob Geldof.
The supergroup was the brainchild of Tony Cook, keyboardist for The Mersey Beatles. Together with the band’s drummer, Brian Ambrose, he brought together a host of musicians from Merseyside to record the new version of the classic song and raise the necessary funds for Shelter.
The duo also set out to change some of the lyrics to give them additional local meaning.
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Among those featured are Billy Kinsley, Gary Murphy, Paul Kappa, Phil Jones, Asa Murphy, Steve Charles, Jay Murray, Rosalie Galvin, Dani Graham and The Hummingbirds.
And the artists were stunned when their reworking received the stamp of approval from the song’s legendary writers, Sir Bob Geldof and Midge Ure.
At one point, Band Aid Liverpool 2020 reached number 11 on the iTunes chart.
(Image: Tony Cook)
Tony from Dingle said: “It’s been a long but absolutely brilliant road for Brian and me to get to this point and we couldn’t be happier that the single was released.
“Like many musicians, we have not played a concert since February due to the pandemic.
“At the end of August, I had this crazy dream of being on stage with a bunch of musicians from Liverpool and it made me think ‘what if that could come true?’
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“I developed the idea and while there was no way we could all physically play together on stage due to the blockage, we did our best and virtually came together to recreate a classic song with a timeless message.”
Each performer recorded their voice and instrumentation at home.
Tony said getting approval from Sir Bob and Midge to release Band Aid Liverpool’s version of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ as a single was like finding “the Holy Grail.”
(Image: Andrew Teebay / Liverpool Echo)
He added: “Warner came back saying we had his full approval.
“They loved the track and the whole concept, and having their support is like the Holy Grail for us.
“As well as bringing together over 70 highly talented local artists, we wanted to raise awareness for a really big charity and hopefully raise a good amount of cash for it as well.
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“Shelter’s incredible work with the homeless and those struggling with substandard housing inspired me.
“They say everyone is just two paychecks away from being homeless and that’s especially true in my own industry – we’re devastated.
“We have changed a couple of lyrics in the song so that people can relate them to homelessness in Liverpool.
(Image: sent)
“Instead of ‘there will be no snow in Africa’ it was very appropriate for Liverpool, so now it says’ there will be no houses in Merseyside this Christmas’ and then it says’ on the streets their numbers are growing, there is no place for them to leave.
“Now we have that which we hope will catch everyone’s attention and hopefully make the people of Liverpool smile at Christmas.”
Max Newton, Community Fundraising Director for Shelter, said: “It has been an incredibly difficult year for many people.
“The impact of the pandemic means that many people are facing homelessness for the first time; some will be forced to sleep on the streets this winter.
“Shelter is working hard to help those most affected, but as increasing numbers of people need our support, we need the support of the public.”
“That is why the support of Band Aid Liverpool means so much to Shelter here in Merseyside.
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“The money raised will help us give hope and support to those in need after a turbulent year.
“Thanks to Band Aid Liverpool; you are making a real difference for the families of people facing homelessness this Christmas in the Liverpool city region.”
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