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The Concert For Bangladesh is the event title for two concerts held on the afternoon and evening of August 1, 1971, playing to a total of 40,000 people at Madison Square Garden in New York . Political turmoil caused by East Pakistan struggling to break away from West Pakistan to become the separate state of Bangladesh led to refugee problems, as large numbers of people took to the roads to escape the violence. This problem was compounded by torrential rains causing devastating floods and threatening a humanitarian disaster.
Ravi Shankar (born in Bangladesh) was distressed by the situation and consulted his friend George Harrison regarding a means of providing help. Harrison recorded the single "Bangladesh" to help raise awareness and also had Apple Records release Shankar's single "Joi Bangla" in a dual-pronged effort to raise funds.
Shankar also asked Harrison's advice regarding a small fund-raising concert in the United States. Instead, Harrison took over and persuaded his other friends to join him at a large concert at Madison Square Garden. The event was organised within 5 weeks.
Harrison asked his fellow Beatles to appear. John Lennon was going to play but left New York two days beforehand in a fit of pique (and nerves) when Harrison insisted Yoko Ono would not be able to join them onstage. Paul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born June 18, 1942), much better known simply as Paul McCartney is a British musician, composer and producer. He was born at Walton Hospital, located in northern Liverpool near his teenage home, where his mother had worked a declined because of the bad feelings caused by The Beatles' legal problems on their break-up. Ringo StarrRichard Starkey, MBE (born July 7, 1940) is best known by his stage name, Ringo Starr as the drummer for The Beatles from August 16, 1962 (when he replaced Pete Best) until their breakup in 1970. Ringo is known for his reliable, steady drumming and innova readily agreed to appear.
Shankar opened the concert with a 25-minute recital of Indian music. Eric ClaptonEric Clapton CBE (born Eric Patrick Clapp March 30, 1945 in The Green, Ripley, Surrey), is a British guitarist and composer, nicknamed slowhand or, in the 1960s, God . Born as an illegitimate son of the 16 year old Patricia Molly Clapp and Edward Walter F made his first appearance since the end of the 5-month Derek and the Dominos tour the previous December, still in the grip of his heroinHeroin or diamorphine ( INN) (colloquially referred to as junk, babania, horse, brown, smack, black tar, big H, lady H, dope, skag, juice, etc is an alkaloid opioid. Heroin is the 3,6- diacetyl derivative of morphine (hence diacetylmorphine and is synthes habit. He had to have heroin available before going onstage - apparently, it had been cut with talcum powder and he collapsed; a doctor gave him methadone linctus to revive him and get him through the performance. Musical help was also on hand from Billy PrestonSoul musician Billy Preston was born on September 2, 1946 in Houston, Texas and raised mostly in Los Angeles, California. He began playing piano while sitting on his mother's lap at age three. He has collaborated with some of the greatest names in the mus, Leon RussellLeon Russell born Claude Russell Bridges on April 2 1942 in Lawton, Oklahoma, is a singer, songwriter, and pianist, he also plays guitar. Known mostly as a session musician, Russell has played with artists as varied as Jerry Lee Lewis, Phil Spector and Th, Klaus VoormannKlaus Voormann was the sleeve designer of The Beatles' Revolver and Anthology albums and member of both the 1960s band, Manfred Mann and John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band. He was also the producer of TRIO. External links http://www. com/ Voormann, Klaus. and Badfinger (along with Jim Horn , Carl Radle , Jesse Ed Davis , Don Preston and a host of backing singers organized by Don Nix).
Bob Dylan made his first stage appearance since the Isle of Wight Festival in August 1969. Apart from sitting in for a few numbers with The Band on New Year 1972, he did not play live again till January 1974.
The event was recorded for an album and released as a triple- LP box set (later a 2- CD set), produced by Harrison and Phil Spector. This record was Dylan's first official live release. The concert was also filmed (although Harrison later complained that half the cameramen appeared to have been indulging in illegal substances, which left the focus of some shots rather soft) There was a theatrical release for the film and it was later issued on video.
The 2-CD set was re-released in 2001 and Harrison had been working on an expanded 'de-luxe' edition prior to his death but there has been no news of any release date so far (as of Feb. 2003).
