1971 'Concert for Bangladesh' goes digital

On the 40th anniversary of the groundbreaking Concert for Bangladesh, the first major music benefit for a humanitarian cause, the music community is coming together again for UNICEF.

This time it is to help provide emergency relief for children in famine and drought-affected regions in the Horn of Africa. UNICEF is calling the situation in the Horn of Africa the “worst humanitarian emergency in the world,” with Somalia being the epicenter of the crisis.

To pay tribute to the Concert for Bangladesh and its organizers George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, this August has been designated as the “Month of Giving.” During the Month of Giving all donations to the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF will benefit UNICEF’s life-saving programs for children in the Horn of Africa.

To jump start this fundraising initiative, the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF, which was founded by Olivia Harrison, wife of the late George Harrison, is immediately releasing $1 million to UNICEF for emergency efforts there.

As part of the Month of Giving, musicians and performing artists across the world will engage with fans at their concerts, and by tweeting and posting content to their websites and Facebook pages. These artists include the original Concert for Bangladesh performers Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, and Leon Russell, as well as Arcade Fire, Monty Python, Elvis Costello, Crosby, Stills and Nash, The Doors, Selena Gomez, The Go-Go’s, Brian Wilson, My Morning Jacket, Nas, Jackson Browne, and more. To see a full list of participating artists, visit theconcertforbangladesh.com.

For Shankar — who sparked the concert by telling Harrison of the plight of refugees escaping famine, flood and civil war in East Pakistan, which became Bangladesh — the release and stream are reminders of a "magic" assemblage of talent and altruism.

"It was the first of its kind, in raising money for people under such conditions," Shankar says. "Now people do this sort of thing quite often, which is wonderful."

Rolling Stone contributing editor Anthony DeCurtis confirms that the concerts, staged at New York's Madison Square Garden, were pop music's "first instance of someone trying to bring celebrity power to bear on a humanitarian crisis. There was no infrastructure then for how to pull together something like this."

The shows "were musically significant, too," he says. "Harrison hadn't really performed outside The Beatles, and the support he got was palpable. Dylan hadn't performed in years, and he was terrific; Clapton was ravaged by drugs at the time, but he was great."

To drive home the concerts' charitable aim, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF is declaring August a "Month for Giving," during which donations to the George Harrison Fund will benefit children in the famine- and drought-ravaged Horn of Africa. Artists spanning several generations, including alumni of the Bangladesh concerts, have pledged support. Starr, Clapton, Russell, Brian Wilson, Selena Gomez, Enrique Iglesias, Arcade Fire and Nas will be among those tweeting, posting Facebook content and otherwise engaging fans.

Caryl Stern, president and CEO of the U.S. Fund, notes that Harrison's widow, Olivia, "was truly committed to doing something in George's name this summer that makes a difference in the lives of children today."

Shankar says it's "a joy to see the younger generation concerned about things like this." Just don't expect the legendary sitarist, now 91, to join them in using social media or other modern technology to support the cause.