‘We Are the World’ at 30: Where are they now? | CNN

'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

A crowd of famous musicians and performers gathered to sing "We Are the World," a fund-raiser for African famine relief, on January 28, 1985. Here's what some of them have done in the years since:

'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

Famed composer and producer Quincy Jones oversaw the song. Jones, now in his 80s, won an album of the year Grammy for 1989's "Back on the Block" and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. There's even a Los Angeles elementary school named for him.

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

Lionel Richie, who co-wrote "We Are the World," hit No. 1 with his 2012 album "Tuskegee" and continues to tour, where you can hear him sing such hits as "Hello" and "All Night Long."

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

The legendary singer and multi-instrumentalist Stevie Wonder recently collaborated with DJ Mark Ronson on his album "Uptown Special."

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

Paul Simon has stayed active, going on tour with Sting and even making an occasional appearance with old mate Art Garfunkel. In 2011 he released his album, "So Beautiful or So What."

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

Kenny Rogers has been on TV in recent years in a GEICO ad using his song "The Gambler," but he's also been a restaurant maven (with Kenny Rogers Roasters) and, yes, he still sings. Rogers was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013.

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

Michael Jackson, who was very much the king of the whole music business in 1985, was preparing for a series of comeback performances when he died on June 25, 2009. He was 50 years old.

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

James Ingram, known for such hits as "Baby, Come to Me" and "Yah Mo B There," later topped the charts with 1990's "I Don't Have the Heart." The balladeer made a guest appearance on the TV show "Suburgatory" in 2012.

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

Tina Turner remains as exciting and soulful as ever. The "What's Love Got to Do with It" singer's life was turned into an Oscar-nominated 1993 film, and she continues to perform and tour. The 75-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer had a 50th-anniversary tour in 2008-09 and appeared on the cover of German Vogue in 2013.

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

Billy Joel still tours and has booked monthly gigs at New York's Madison Square Garden. After "We Are the World," he had a No. 1 single with 1989's "We Didn't Start the Fire" and hit the top with his albums "Storm Front" and "River of Dreams." However, his only album of new material since "Dreams" has been a classical record, "Fantasies & Delusions," from 2001.

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

Diana Ross appeared in some TV movies in the '90s and was awarded a Kennedy Center Honor in 2007. She received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Ashlee Simpson is now her daughter-in-law, having married Ross' son, Evan, in 2014.

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

For all her musical success, Dionne Warwick was probably best known in the '90s for her commercials for the Psychic Friends Network. But she continues to sing and has been particularly active in charitable endeavors, even appearing on "The Celebrity Apprentice" in 2011 for the Hunger Project.

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

Now in his 80s, Willie Nelson maintains the schedule of a much younger man. He put out two albums in 2014 -- including the well-received "Band of Brothers" -- had his famous braided hair sold at auction for $37,000 and stayed on the road. He was key to organizing Farm Aid, which raises money for family farmers, and started a company, BioWillie, to produce biodiesel fuel.

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

After "We Are the World," Bob Dylan had an up-and-down '80s, though he sounded like he was having a blast with his friends in the Traveling Wilburys. But he put out three of his best albums in the late '90s and 2000s -- "Time Out of Mind," "Love and Theft" and "Modern Times." Now in his 70s, he remains on his Never-Ending Tour. Oh, yeah, there was also a radio show, an Oscar, a Pulitzer Prize citation and, in 2016, a Nobel Prize.

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

The sweet tones of jazz singer Al Jarreau could be heard on the theme to the TV show "Moonlighting" and his biggest post-1985 hit, 1988's "So Good." Jarreau inspired a children's book, "Ashti Meets Birdman Al." He died in 2017 at age 76.

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

After "We Are the World," Bruce Springsteen retired from music. Just kidding! The peripatetic guitarist and singer still puts on marathon live shows and releases best-selling albums, including 2014's "High Hopes," which became his 11th No. 1. His pre-1985 albums were recently remastered and reissued in a boxed set.

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

Kenny Loggins had continued success in the '80s with hit songs from movie soundtracks. He put out a children's album in 1994 and regrouped with his old duet partner, Jim Messina, for a 2005 tour. He's lent his voice to "Grand Theft Auto V" and appeared as an animated version of himself to the series "Archer."

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

Steve Perry, the Journey lead singer, had just issued his first solo album when "We Are the World" came out. He returned to Journey in 1996 for the album "Trial by Fire" as well as for a Hollywood Walk of Fame appearance in 2005. Perry, now in his 60s, survived a skin cancer scare in 2013 and has been a regular visitor to San Francisco Giants games during the team's World Series runs. Journey was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates has put out a handful of solo records -- one of them, "Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine," produced a hit single, "Dreamtime." He has occasionally toured with John Oates (who's also on "We Are the World," though in the chorus). The pair was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. Hall has also hosted a successful video series, "Live from Daryl's House."

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

Huey Lewis of Huey Lewis and the News popped up in a small role in 1985's "Back to the Future" and still sings with the News. In honor of the group's biggest album, 1983's "Sports," he sang their hit "The Heart of Rock and Roll" on "Dancing With the Stars" in 2013. Lewis has also played harmonica for a variety of artists.

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

Cyndi Lauper's distinctive voice sang the theme song to "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" and on her followup to "She's So Unusual," 1986's "True Colors." But in recent years, her biggest success has been on Broadway: Lauper composed the music for 2013's "Kinky Boots" and won a Tony for her effort.

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

Raspy-voiced Kim Carnes, best known for "Bette Davis Eyes," moved to Nashville in the '90s and has had great success writing country songs, including 1993's "The Heart Won't Lie" for Reba McIntire and Vince Gill. Her studio album, "Chasin' Wild Trains," was released in 2004.

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'We Are the World': Where are they now? —

The great Ray Charles had a chart resurgence towards the end of his life, with his 2004 album, "Genius Loves Company," hitting No. 1 just after he died at age 73. His version of "America the Beautiful," perhaps the greatest performance of that song, was heard frequently after 9/11, and he was the subject of a movie biography, "Ray," for which Jamie Foxx won an Oscar.

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'We Are the World': Where are they now?

Story highlights

Three dozen stars recorded "We Are the World" 30 years ago on January 28, 1985

"We Are the World" was meant to raise money to fight a famine in Africa

CNN —

Thirty years ago Wednesday, more than three dozen stars – many fresh from the American Music Awards – checked their egos at the door and piled into a recording studio to record “We Are the World.”

The basic tracks for the Lionel Richie-Michael Jackson composition had been done a week earlier, but it was this January 28, 1985, session that counted – the one that included Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Billy Joel and many other of the biggest artists of the day (and, in many cases, of all time).

“We Are the World” was a way to raise money to fight a famine in Ethiopia and other parts of Africa, following in the harmonious path blazed by Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” The single, credited to USA for Africa, sold more than 20 million copies and topped the charts for four weeks in April and May.

It was a big deal at the time. Even “Doonesbury’s” Garry Trudeau got involved.

In the decades that have followed, there have been other attempts at all-star charity records and performances, some hugely successful, others all but ignored. (Quincy Jones helmed both the original 1985 record and its remake, a 2010 fund-raiser for Haiti, which wasn’t as big a hit.) The original song – and video – have been widely parodied.

And we won’t even mention “Hands Across America.” (Whoops.)

It was a long time ago, wasn’t it? Check the gallery to see how the soloists fared in the years since.