Professor of Rock

Kenny Loggins tells the story of the #1 Hit "We are the World". Prince was supposed to show up and sing a solo line, but in his regular fashion, he didn't show up, so Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones asked Kenny...Who should we put in his place to sing the solo line. and Kenny said Huey Lewis. Huey killed it and then the song became an all time #1 hit. Later in a separate interview, I share that news with Huey Lewis that it was Kenny who suggested him. Interview with Kenny Loggins and Huey Lewis on the 80s hit We are The World. #classicrock #shorts #80smusic #onehitwonder Hey Music Junkies, Professor of Rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. If you remember spending hours at the video stores trying to figure out what movies to pick out for the weekend, you’ll dig this channel of pure musical nostalgia. Make sure to subscribe below right now and click the bell so that you always know when our new ones drop. Also, check out our exclusive content on Patreon and our latest merch… I’m excited to bring you another episode from our series Revelations, where featured artists go deep on their greatest songs and albums. Stories and tidbits from rock and pop history that you won’t find anywhere else. This is one for the ages. It was a night unlike any other night before, there was the internet, 24-hour news, and AI. The date was January 28th, 1985, and a legendary producer would gather the greatest legends of rock and pop music underneath he same roof to assemble the greatest supergroup in the history of the world, but it would only be for one song and only take place over one night… Every 80s kid remembers this event…it was a key part of our childhood. I’m talking about the group USA for Africa and the multiplatinum #1 smash We Are The World. The charity single that was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian. the song would go on to sell over 20 million copies making if one of the biggest selling singles ever and today I’ve got a half dozen interviews with legends sharing some of the key experiences from that magical night. Inspired by Band Aid, who had just released Do They Know It’s Christmas just a month before. The late musician activist Harry Belafonte wanted to help, and he enlisted fundraiser and humanitarian, and artist manager Ken Kragen to help implement his vision. They got hold of Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, who had been a client in the past, and they started to write the song. It was finished a mere 7 weeks after Do They Know It’s Christmas and just before they assembled the superstars and legends to record the song. In fact, they were still trying to put the finishing touches on the song as people were arriving. They carefully planned the session to be right after the American music awards so that many of the artists would be able to make to the studio right after the show’s taping. Harry Belafonte deserves a lot of credit for putting together the initial idea or organizing the recording of the song, and for having the best-known artists participate. He would have the proceeds donated to an organization called United Support of Artists for Africa, known as USA for Africa. The non-profit would, in turn, get food to starving people in Ethiopia where a famine was taking place.