Wendy Dio, the widow and longtime manager of Ronnie James Dio, has reiterated her intention to reissue “Stars,” the 1985 charity single for famine relief originally released under the HEAR ‘N AID banner
Back in May 1985, an assembly of 40 artists from the metal music community converged at A&M Records Studios in Hollywood, California. Their mission was to contribute to the creation of a record titled “Stars,” a crucial part of a special fundraising initiative initiated by Ronnie James Dio under the banner of HEAR ‘N AID. “Stars,” in both single and video documentary form, served as a powerful tool for generating funds dedicated to famine relief efforts in Africa and across the globe.
These 40 artists, including members from renowned bands like MÖTLEY CRÜE, JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, QUIET RIOT, TWISTED SISTER, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, and even SPINAL TAP, alongside countless volunteers, dedicated their time and talents for over four months to transform HEAR ‘N AID into a reality. “Stars” stood as a heartfelt plea for global unity against the scourge of world hunger.
Due to contractual disagreements with record labels, “Stars,” both the song and the album, remained unreleased until New Year’s Day in 1986, and they were exclusively available on vinyl and cassette formats. Nevertheless, Wendy Dio persists in her endeavors to rectify this situation.
“Well, we’ve talked about it a lot,” she said during an appearance earlier today (Monday, September 25) on SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “I never seem to have the time, but it will be down the pipeline. I’d like to add some new stuff to it, to get some new, younger bands in there as well to record some stuff along with the old stuff.
“Obviously all the money will go to [Ronnie James Dio] Stand Up And Shout [Cancer Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable fund dedicated to support research and education that furthers early detection, prevention and treatment of prostate, colon and stomach cancers]. But it is in the works, but we just have to have the time.
“Maybe next year I’ll have some time to get together with doing it. It’s such a lot of things with… The bands are always great and the musicians are always great. It’s all of the red tape behind it with the managers and the record labels, and that’s what we have to deal with. But we will do it. It will be there sometime soon.”
The HEAR ‘N AID project in 1985 featured a remarkable lineup of musicians from the metal and rock music community. Some of the prominent musicians and bands involved in the project included:
Ronnie James Dio (Dio, Black Sabbath, Rainbow)
Vivian Campbell (Dio, Def Leppard)
Jimmy Bain (Dio, Rainbow)
Rob Halford (Judas Priest)
Geoff Tate (Queensrÿche)
Don Dokken (Dokken)
Dave Murray (Iron Maiden)
Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden)
Yngwie Malmsteen
Mick Mars (Mötley Crüe)
Tommy Aldridge (Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake)
Ted Nugent
Brad Gillis (Night Ranger, Ozzy Osbourne)
George Lynch (Dokken)
Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Rod Stewart)
Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne)
Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Dio)
Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot)
Donnie Vie (Enuff Z’Nuff)
Robbin Crosby (Ratt)
Kevin DuBrow (Quiet Riot)
Eric Bloom (Blue Öyster Cult)
Buck Dharma (Blue Öyster Cult)
Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister)
Dee Snider (Twisted Sister)
Chris Holmes (W.A.S.P.)
SPINAL TAP (a fictional band from the film “This Is Spinal Tap“)
These are just some of the musicians who participated in the HEAR ‘N AID project. The initiative brought together a diverse and talented group of artists to raise funds for famine relief efforts.