For today’s Music Monday, we’re going back to the very beginning (of Farm Aid): 1985! Our new intern, Toni, has been uploading lots of diverse and classic Farm Aid videos, from bluesman Delbert McClinton, to folk singer Hoyt Axton, all the way to the punk band X. But today, we’ll feature a couple different legends who performed on-stage in Champaign, Illinois on that September 22.
First up is the amazing B.B. King, who is still performing at age 87 and has played over 15,000 shows over the last 64 years. Here he is performing "How Blue Can You Get," "Everyday I Have the Blues," and "Ain’t Nobody’s Bizness."
And finally, here’s Roy Orbison’s Farm Aid performance. He died just three years later at age 52. I’m thrilled that Toni has re-uploaded these videos because an earlier version I posted had audio that was out of sync. Finally his performance can be fully appreciated here, with “Mean Woman Blues,” Crying,” and "Oh, Pretty Woman."
Our YouTube channel has nearly 800 Farm Aid videos! Which one’s your favorite?
