In February 1985, British reggae artists united for a charity effort called the British Reggae Artists Famine Appeal (Brafa) in response to famine in Ethiopia. Leon Leiffer, a founding member of The Blackstones, spearheaded this initiative after being moved by news reports on starvation. With over 200 musicians participating, the group recorded a charity single titled "Let's Make Africa Green Again." Initially planning a concert at the Royal Albert Hall, Leiffer encountered challenges but found inspiration from the Live Aid announcement, motivating him to proceed with the fundraising efforts.
On Sunday 24 February 1985, lines of musicians and bystanders squeezed into a north London recording studio to record a charity single. Over 200 or more people were there, says Leon Leiffer, the man behind the British Reggae Artists Famine Appeal team (Brafa). I had phoned Aswad, Janet Kay, Trevor Walters, Christine McNabb... There's so many names.
Leiffer says he began making calls to put on a charity concert at the Royal Albert Hall, but after a couple of weeks he abandoned his plans as others tried to take over. However, seeing Bob Geldof and Midge Ure announce their own event inspired him to push forward.
Collection
[
|
...
]