September 22, 1985 | The Historic First Farm Aid Concert
On September 22, 1985, some of the biggest names in American music gathered at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, for the first Farm Aid. What began as an ambitious benefit concert became one of the most enduring music-driven charitable movements in American history.
The idea emerged during the severe farm crisis of the 1980s. At Live Aid in July 1985, Bob Dylan publicly raised the issue of struggling American farmers. Willie Nelson responded by organizing a concert with Neil Young and John Mellencamp. Remarkably, the event was assembled in only about six weeks.
The result was enormous. Approximately 80,000 people packed the University of Illinois’ Memorial Stadium for a marathon show lasting about 14 hours. More than 50 performers participated, bringing country, rock, blues, folk and new wave together on one stage.
The lineup reads like an ’80s music fan’s dream: Dylan, Billy Joel, B.B. King, Loretta Lynn, Roy Orbison, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Foreigner, Don Henley, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Joni Mitchell, Lou Reed and many others joined Nelson, Young and Mellencamp. Even the Beach Boys, Bon Jovi and the punk/new-wave band X were part of the sprawling bill.
Farm Aid also demonstrated the enormous reach benefit concerts could achieve during the television era. The event was carried nationally by The Nashville Network, exposing millions of households to both the music and the worsening economic conditions facing family farmers.
By the end of the event, the first Farm Aid had raised more than $7 million to support struggling family farmers and grassroots organizations.
What happened on September 22, 1985, ultimately went far beyond a single concert. Farm Aid became an ongoing organization and annual music event. Four decades later, the original concert remains a striking example of how the star power of ’80s music could be harnessed for something much larger than selling records.
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