1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:09,280 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:12,760 Speaker 1: a show that keeps the past alive one day at 4 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:16,920 Speaker 1: a time. I'm Gabe Lousier and today we're looking at 5 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:19,480 Speaker 1: the time when some of the biggest names in music 6 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: joined forces to help small time farmers keep their land. 7 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 1: The day was Sunday, September Nearly eighty thousand people gathered 8 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: in the rain to watch the first ever farm Aide 9 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:49,959 Speaker 1: concert at a university stadium in Champagne, Illinois, with more 10 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: than fifty artists performing, including Lauretta Lynn, Bob Dylan, and 11 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: Johnny Cash. Tickets for the show sold out in less 12 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: than twenty four hours. In the end, the inaugural concert 13 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: raised over seven million dollars for American family farmers. The 14 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:11,039 Speaker 1: idea of holding a benefit concert for US farmers has 15 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 1: a very interesting origin. It can be traced back to 16 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:17,920 Speaker 1: an off the cuff remark made by Bob Dylan during 17 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:22,800 Speaker 1: his performance at Live Aid five months earlier. Live Aid 18 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:26,759 Speaker 1: was a two venue benefit concert for African famine relief, 19 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 1: with shows taking place simultaneously at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia 20 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:36,479 Speaker 1: and at Wembley Stadium in London. When Bob Dylan took 21 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: the stage in Philadelphia after being introduced by actor Jack Nicholson, 22 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:44,679 Speaker 1: he surprised viewers around the world by suggesting that some 23 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 1: of the money raised be given to a different cause 24 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: than the one he was performing for. Dylan said, quote, 25 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:54,920 Speaker 1: I hope that some of the money that's raised for 26 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 1: all the people in Africa, maybe they can just take 27 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 1: a little bit of it, maybe one or two million 28 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 1: maybe and use it, say, to pay the mortgages on 29 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:07,320 Speaker 1: some of the farms that the farmers here oh to 30 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:11,400 Speaker 1: the banks. The crowd in Pennsylvania seemed to like the 31 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 1: idea well enough, but the lead organizer of Live Aid, 32 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:20,400 Speaker 1: Bob Geldoff, did not. He was furious with Dylan for 33 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 1: his remarks, later writing that quote it was a crass, stupid, 34 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 1: and nationalistic thing to say, And yeah, Geldof had a point. 35 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:35,800 Speaker 1: It was inappropriate to suggest that funds donated specifically to 36 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:39,920 Speaker 1: help relieve famine in Africa be used instead to pay 37 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: American mortgages. That seems pretty obvious in hindsight, but in 38 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: that moment on stage, Dylan just didn't think it through. 39 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: He had chosen the wrong time and place to raise 40 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: the issue, but he was right that America's farmers were 41 00:02:56,280 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 1: in trouble. In the nineteen eighties, the US was facing 42 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:04,240 Speaker 1: the worst economic conditions it had seen since the Great Depression. 43 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 1: Interest rates climbed higher and higher, while property values sank. 44 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 1: To make matters worse, farmers were also dealing with record 45 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:18,959 Speaker 1: setting droughts, which decimated their crops and their income. Thousands 46 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 1: of family farmers went bankrupt and lost their land of foreclosure. 47 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:26,280 Speaker 1: But that wasn't even the worst of it. According to 48 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 1: a study by the National Farm Medicine Center, the number 49 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:34,080 Speaker 1: of suicides among farmers in the Upper Midwest reached double 50 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: the national average in the early nineteen eighties. As you 51 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 1: might expect, none of the money raised for Live Aid 52 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 1: wound up going to American farmers. But Bob Dylan's idea 53 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:50,160 Speaker 1: had caught the ear of some of his fellow musicians. 54 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:54,880 Speaker 1: Just six weeks later, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John 55 00:03:54,960 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: Mellencamp announced their plans for farm made appropriate at Lee 56 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 1: given the cause. The lineup for the concert drew heavily 57 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: from the worlds of country and folk music. In addition 58 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 1: to Bob Dylan and the three main organizers, there were 59 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:16,480 Speaker 1: genre heavies like Emmy Lou Harris, John Denver Waylon Jennings, 60 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:21,560 Speaker 1: Merle Haggard, and Joni Mitchell. Future farm Aides have stuck 61 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: to country and folk artists for the most part, but 62 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: that first concert actually featured a much broader range of 63 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:33,479 Speaker 1: musical styles. Lou Reid, Tom Petty, BB King, and a 64 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:36,279 Speaker 1: host of others from the worlds of blues, jazz, and 65 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: rock all came together to help support a good cause. 66 00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: The fourteen hour concert and telethon not only raised millions 67 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 1: of dollars for farm families, it also raised awareness of 68 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: the problem and what could be done to solve it. 69 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:55,320 Speaker 1: Three days before the first Farm Aide was held, Willie 70 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 1: Nelson and Neil Young appealed to Congress to improve farming 71 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 1: laws and pass a farm arm relief bill. And they 72 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: didn't stop once the first concert was over either. For 73 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:09,960 Speaker 1: years after, the artists continued holding protest rallies and advocating 74 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 1: for farm friendly legislation in Washington, and of course, the 75 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:18,760 Speaker 1: Farm Aide concerts also continued. Willie Nelson thought Farm Made 76 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:21,840 Speaker 1: would only last one year, but a new concert has 77 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 1: been held just about every year since. In that time, 78 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:31,280 Speaker 1: the Farm Made organization has raised nearly sixty million dollars 79 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:35,480 Speaker 1: to support small farmers and promote a more sustainable system 80 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 1: of agriculture. I'm Gabe Lousier and hopefully you now know 81 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 1: a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 82 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:47,159 Speaker 1: If you liked what you heard, you can follow the 83 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:51,120 Speaker 1: show on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at t d i 84 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:55,840 Speaker 1: HC Show, and if you have any comments or suggestions 85 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:58,680 Speaker 1: for future topics, you can send them my way at 86 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:03,240 Speaker 1: this day at i heart media dot com. Thanks as 87 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:06,640 Speaker 1: always to Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thank 88 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 1: you for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow 89 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:22,360 Speaker 1: for another day in History class. For more podcasts from 90 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 1: my Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 91 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:26,840 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite show.