Irish rocker and charity organizer Bob Geldof has announced he is organizing a new recording of the 1984 single "Do They Know It's Christmastime?" to raise money for the fight against the Ebola virus.
Geldof, organizer of charity events to fight hunger in Ethiopia and human rights abuses in Darfur, announced Monday that he and musician Midge Ure will organize a live recording of the charity hit on Saturday at a studio in London.
He said stars slated to participate include Bono of rock band U2, Irish singer Sinead O'Connor, British singers Ellie Goulding and Chris Martin of Coldplay, and boy band One Direction. He said separate versions of the song will be recorded using popular artists in the U.S., France, and Germany.
After the artists record their updated version of the song, with lyrics adjusted to reflect the current crisis, it will be available for purchase as a download or a CD on November 17.
Geldof said he decided to organize the event after being approached by the United Nations, which has been struggling to raise enough money to fund the fight against Ebola.
The virus has killed nearly 5,000 people in West Africa this year.
Geldof appealed to fans to buy the recording instead of streaming it or watching it on the Internet.
