who did quincy jones invite to we are the world ~~
Quincy Jones personally helped assemble an all-star supergroup of around 45–46 major artists for “We Are the World,” drawing largely on singers he already knew well and had worked with before.
Who Quincy Jones Invited
Quincy has said he was comfortable taking on the project because he had already worked with more than half of the singers who ended up in the studio, meaning many of the invitations went to his own artistic circle and frequent collaborators. The final session included about 46 musicians, while roughly 50 more hopefuls were turned away because the room was already full.
Some of the key stars he helped bring together included:
- Lionel Richie
- Michael Jackson
- Stevie Wonder
- Bruce Springsteen
- Ray Charles
- Tina Turner
- Billy Joel
- Diana Ross
- Dionne Warwick
- Kenny Rogers
- Paul Simon
- Cyndi Lauper
- Bob Dylan
In addition to these soloists, there was a large chorus of other big names from pop, rock, R&B, and even actors like Dan Aykroyd, all grouped under the banner USA for Africa.
How the Invitations Worked
The idea for an American famine-relief single grew out of Harry Belafonte’s push to do a U.S. answer to Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and manager Ken Kragen’s organizing work; they turned to Quincy Jones to produce it and help recruit the top-tier talent. Kragen coordinated outreach (often via managers and award-show connections), while Quincy’s reputation and personal relationships persuaded many of the biggest stars to say yes on short notice.
Most artists were told to come to A&M Studios in Los Angeles immediately after the 1985 American Music Awards, which allowed Quincy to get so many celebrities into one room in a single night. For security and to avoid chaos, the exact studio details were kept quiet until the day of recording.
Quincy’s Famous “Check Your Ego” Sign
When the invited artists arrived, Quincy greeted them with a simple but powerful message taped to the door: “Check your ego at the door.” With dozens of stars in one studio, he knew the only way this could work was if everyone focused on the song and the cause, not on who got the biggest line or the most camera time.
That sign has since become one of the most famous little details in pop-music history, often mentioned whenever people talk about how Quincy Jones managed to keep such a superstar crowd under control long enough to record “We Are the World” in a marathon overnight session.
TL;DR: Quincy Jones invited a hand‑picked group of about 46 top artists—many of whom he’d already worked with—such as Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, and more, all gathered under the USA for Africa banner after the American Music Awards to record “We Are the World” in one night.
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