Artists United Against Apartheid was a protest group founded by activist performer Steven van Zandt to protest the existence of apartheid in South Africa. Activism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change. ... Steven van Zandt (born November 22, 1950 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American musician, actor, and radio disk jockey. ... A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ...

Van Zandt, who had parted with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band at the height of their success to go out on his own, had traveled to South Africa to research his next record. He was interested in South Africa because he had read that the apartheid system was actually modeled after America's system of Indian reservations, an issue that was his major passion. While in South Africa, he was most distressed by a place called Sun City, an interracial gambling resort located in a "bantustan", a nominally-independent area supposedly ruled by black Africans, in the middle of an impoverished rural homeland. Bruce Springsteen on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. ... Sun City is the name (or part of the name) of four places in the United States: Sun City West, Arizona Sun City, California Sun City Center, Florida Sun City Hilton Head, Bluffton, SC and the name of a large resort and associated community in South Africa: Sun City, South... Bantustan refers to any of the territories designated as tribal homelands for black South Africans during the Apartheid era. ...

Van Zandt was interested in writing a song about it to make parallels with the plight of native Americans. Danny Schechter, a journalist who was then working with ABC News' 20/20, suggested turning the song into a different kind of "We Are the World," or as Schechter explains, "a song about change not charity, freedom not famine." (From The More You Watch, The Less You Know by Danny Schechter) 20/20 is an American television newsmagazine broadcast on ABC since June 6, 1979. ... We Are the World is a 1985 song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, produced by Quincy Jones and recorded by a supergroup of popular musicians billed as USA for Africa. ...

As Van Zandt was writing it, Schechter suggested that he name the names of the artists who had played Sun City in defiance of a UN-sanctioned cultural boycott. "I was probably still thinking of [20/20's] exposé of conservative Africanists fifteen years earlier," says Schechter. Van Zandt wasn't sure that was wise, but did it anyway, asking in one of the original lyrics, "Linda Ronstadt, how could you do that?" and singling out Julio Iglesias, Queen, the O'Jays, Ray Charles and Rod Stewart. Van Zandt wasn't enthusiastic about writing those lyrics and soon dropped them to avoid offending those artists. Linda Ronstadt on the cover of her 2002 collection The Very Best of Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer. ... Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva aka Julio Iglesias (born September 23, 1943) in Madrid is Spains best selling singer in history and one of the best selling Spanish singers of all time. ... The word Queen may have many meanings: Political A queen regnant is a female monarch. ... The OJays were a 1970s Philadelphia soul group, originally consisting of Walter Williams, Bill Isles, Bobby Massey, William Powell and Eddie Levert. ... Ray Charles at the piano. ... Rod Stewart Roderick David Stewart (born January 10, 1945 in Highgate, London) is an English singer and songwriter of Scottish descent, most known for his uniquely raspy, gravelly voice and personable singing style, as exemplified in his signature song Maggie May. In a career now entering its fifth decade, Stewart...

Musically speaking, it was a cutting edge fusion of hip-hop (which was still in its early development), r&b, and hard rock. When Van Zandt was finished, he and Schechter spent the next several months searching for artists to participate. Van Zandt initially refused to invite Springsteen, not wanting to take advantage of their friendship, but Schechter had no problem asking himself; Springsteen accepted the invitation. Van Zandt was also shy about calling legendary jazz artist Miles Davis, whom Schechter also contact; with minimal persuasion, Miles also accepted. Eventually, Van Zandt and Schechter would gather a wide array of artists including Bob Dylan, Herbie Hancock, Lou Reed, Run DMC, Peter Gabriel, Darlene Love, Afrika Bambaataa, Kurtis Blow, Jackson Browne, Bono, George Clinton, Keith Richards, Ron Wood, Bonnie Raitt, Hall & Oates, Jimmy Cliff, Big Youth, Grandmaster Melle Mel, and Joey Ramone. Miles Dewey Davis III (born May 26, 1926 – died September 28, 1991), one of the most influential and innovative musicians of the twentieth century, was an African-American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. ... Portrait photograph of Bob Dylan taken by Daniel Kramer Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman May 24, 1941) is widely regarded as one of Americas greatest popular songwriters. ... Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is a jazz pianist and composer from Chicago, Illinois, USA. Hancock is one of jazz musics most important and influential pianists and composers. ... Lou Reed Lewis Allen Reed, known as Lou Reed (born on March 2, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York), is a rocknroll singer-songwriter with a lasting musical influence on punk and alternative rock. ... Run-DMC is a hip hop crew founded by Jason Jam Master Jay Mizell that included Joseph Run Simmons and Darryl DMC McDaniels. ... Peter Brian Gabriel (born February 13, 1950, in Cobham, Surrey, England) is an English musician. ... Darlene Love is one of the legends of popular music. ... Afrika Bambaataa (born April 10, 1960) is a DJ and community leader from the South Bronx, who in the late 1970s, was instrumental in the early development of hip hop. ... Kurtis Blow, (born Curtis Walker on August 9, 1959), is one of the most influential early rappers and hip hops first mainstream star. ... Jackson Browne Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an influential American singer-songwriter. ... Bono Paul David Hewson (born May 10, 1960, Dublin, Ireland), nicknamed Bono Vox, stage name Bono, is the lead singer of the Irish rock band, U2. ... George Clinton is the name of several notable people: George Clinton (royal governor) (c. ... Album photograph by Sante D’orazio Keith Richards (born December 18, 1943 in Dartford, Kent), is a British guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with The Rolling Stones, the band he founded with vocalist Mick Jagger and Brian Jones in 1962. ... Ron Wood (born June 1, 1947 in London) is a British rock guitarist and best known as a member of The Rolling Stones and The Faces. ... Bonnie Raitt on the cover of her album Silver Lining Bonnie Raitt, (born November 8, American singer, songwriter, and guitar virtuoso who was born in Burbank, California, the daughter of Broadway musical star John Raitt. ... Daryl Hall and John Oates. ... Jimmy Cliff, real name James Chambers (born April 1, 1948) is a Jamaican reggae musician, best known among mainstream audiences for songs like Many Rivers to Cross from The Harder They Come, a film soundtrack which helped break reggae into markets across the world. ... Big Youth (Manley Augustus Buchanan) is a Jamaican DJ in the toasting tradition, mostly known for his albums during the 1970s. ... Melle Mel (born Melvin Glover in New York City, New York) is a hip-hop musician, one of the pioneers of old school hip hop as a member of Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five with his brother Kid Creole. ... Jeffrey Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), better known as Joey Ramone, was the vocalist for the legendary punk rock group The Ramones. ...

It was under the aegis Artists United Against Apartheid that these internationally-known entertainers recorded the 1985 song "Sun City", and vowed never to perform at the resort "Sun City" because to do so would in their minds seem to be an acceptance of apartheid. 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation. ... Entrance to one of the casinos Sun City is a luxury South African casino resort, situated in the North West Province. ...

Schechter had also taken on the job of documenting the sessions on video and producing a behind-the-scenes documentary. He invited MTV to get involved and asked a friend, Hart Perry, to film the sessions. During the course of the film, Schechter asks the artists to explain their involvement in the project in their own words; "Sun City's become a symbol of a society which is very oppressive and denies basic rights to the majority of its citizens," said Jackson Browne. "In a sense, Sun City is also a symbol of that society's 'right' to entertain itself in anyway that it wants to, to basically try to buy us off and to buy off world opinion."

Recalls Schechter, "I was surprised that many of the best-known rock 'n' rollers were so publicity shy. Most of them had publicists who staged their media appearances. They weren't used to cameras poking them in the face. Bruce Springsteen at first turned down my request for an interview, but just as I was walking away from him dejected, he ran after me and agreed to say a few words for the documentary.

"When Miles started improvising in the studio...Steven and Arthur [Baker] insisted I not approach him with a camera. 'It's Miles, man," Baker said. "He's erratic, idiosyncratic, explosive. Wild. Don't mess with him when he's playing...' I barged into the booth while Davis was setting up, introduced myself and asked if we could videotape him. Through the glass I could see Steve and Arthur, heads in hands, convinced that I had blown it. Miles smiled. 'Bring it on,' he ordered, 'bring it on.' And we did, getting priceless footage in the bargain."

There were 303 tracks on "Sun City," which is possibly a record for a pop single. A music video directed by Jonathan Demme with Godley and Creme was also produced. A book, study guide, and the aforementioned documentary would also be released to coincide with the single.

In addition to "Sun City," a number of other tracks were recorded, completing an album's worth of material. Drummer-musician Keith LeBlanc and Schechter came up with "Revolutionary Situation," an audio-collage set to music that took its title from the words of South Africa's then-interior chief Louis Nel condemning the "revolutionary situation." Amid a background of yapping police dogs, sounds of mayhem and revolt in the township, LeBlanc and Schechter mixed in angry declarations by activists like Alan Boesak, Bishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela's daughter Zindzi, looped with what was at that time the most recent interview with her father, recorded in 1961. Reverend Allan Boesak (23 February South African Dutch Reformed Church cleric and was a politician and anti-apartheid activist. ... Archbishop Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (b. ... President Nelson Mandela, 1995-1999 Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, OM CC, (born 18 July 1918) was the first democratically-elected President of South Africa. ...

For a time, they were making the record without a record company or any outside financial support. Van Zandt financed much of it while producer Arthur Baker (New Order) donated studio time. Manhattan Records, under Bruce Lundvall's direction, came on board, acquiring the record and enabling them to pay some of the bills. A committed record company attorney, the late Rick Dutka, also donated his time, as well as Van Zandt's assistant, Zöe Yanakis. Arthur Baker was the creator of a distinctive and dramatic style of brush and pen calligraphy. ... New Order, 2005 Promotional shot New Order are an English electronic dance/rock crossover group, which formed in 1980 from Joy Division following the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis. ...

Schechter's connections with ABC News posed some risks. "I couldn't tell ABC what I was doing on the side," recalls Schechter. "They would not have approved. I knew I couldn't propose a story about Sun City either, because I had stepped over the line and become part of the story. I tried and mostly succeeded in keeping my name out of the papers and my mug out of the video. I was terrified that 20/20 would dump me if they knew what I was doing, especially if my affiliation with ABC was dragged into it, even though the network had nothing to do with the project. I worked even harder at ABC, producing more stories than many of my colleagues, so I couldn't be accused of slacking off." 20/20 is an American television newsmagazine broadcast on ABC since June 6, 1979. ...

The record never achieved the financial success of "We Are the World," although Oliver Tambo and the ANC's school in Tanzania "was sure happy when we gave them a big check," according to Schechter. "Sun City" was picked as record of the year by many of the most influential music critics, topping the prestigious Pazz & Jop Critics Poll for best single of the year (it gained 101 votes; second place was Aretha Franklin's "Freeway Of Love" with 59 votes). That same year, the album Sun City reached #5 on the Pazz & Jop Critics Poll for albums, right behind Tom Waits's Rain Dogs and just ahead of Husker Du's Flip Your Wig. We Are the World is a 1985 song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, produced by Quincy Jones and recorded by a supergroup of popular musicians billed as USA for Africa. ...

Unfortunately, only about half of American radio stations played "Sun City," with some objecting to the explicit criticism of President Ronald Reagan's policy of "constructive engagement." Some r&b stations felt it was too rock-oriented, while some rock stations considered it too steeped in hip-hop and r&b. Not surprisingly, the song was banned in South Africa. Order: 40th President Vice President: George H.W. Bush Term of office: 20 January 1981 – 20 January 1989 Preceded by: Jimmy Carter Succeeded by: George H.W. Bush Date of birth: 6 February 1911 Place of birth: Tampico, Illinois Date of death: 5 June 2004 Place of death: Bel-Air...

Van Zandt and Schechter also struggled to get the documentary seen. PBS refused to air the non-profit The Making of "Sun City" even though it won the International Documentary Association's top honors in 1986; PBS claimed the featured artists were also involved in making the film, and as a result, in their logic, were "self-promoting." (It's worth noting that PBS did broadcast The Making of "Raiders of the Lost Ark", which was made as a promotional exercise by the for-profit Paramount Pictures and LucasFilm Productions.)

Regardless, the album and single raised more than a million dollars for anti-apartheid projects. It premiered at the United Nations thanks to the Special Committee Against Apartheid and such UN officers as Aracelly Santana. The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945 and now made up of 191 states. ...

In South Africa, "Sun City" would later inspire musician Johnny Clegg to create a similar local organization, and "Sun City" also became the catalyst for the South Africa Now TV series.

With the end of the apartheid regime in 1994 and the reintegration of Sun City and other former nominally-independent regions into the South African state, "Sun City" ceased to be a contemporary protest and became a historical document; any pledge to boycott Sun City or other similar places in South Africa became superfluous. 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

In 1993, Sun City was issued on CD by Razor & Tie, but after the end of apartheid, the album eventually went out-of-print, becoming a highly-sought collectible item.

In 1997, in a somewhat bizarre twist of history, the man who created Sun City, Sol Kerzner, came to America to build the Mohegan Sun, an Indian gambling casino. Sol Kerzner (born 1935) is a South African hotel and gambling magnate. ...

Release information

Side A:

1. Sun City 7:09
2. No More Apartheid 7:09
3. Revolutionary Situation 6:07

Side B:

1. Sun City (Version II) 5:42
2. Let Me See Your I.D. 7:29
3. The Struggle Continues 7:01
4. Silver And Gold 4:41

Copyright 1985, Words and music by Little Steven (Van Zandt).

A2 features: Peter Gabriel, Shankar. A3 compiled and edited by Keith Le Blanc and The News Dissector. B2 features: Gil Scott-Heron, Miles Davis, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Peter Wolf, Sonny Okosuns, Malopoets, Duke Bootee, Ray Baretto, Peter Garrett. B3 features: Miles Davis, Stanley Jordan, Herbie Hancock, Sonny Okosuns, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Richard Scher.

Sun City 7:09
Artists Against Apartheid, featuring: Zak Starkey, Ringo Starr - drums
full credit listing: (covers entire lp)
Little Steven (vocals, guitar, drum programming)
Ray Barretto (vocals, conga)

Peter Wolf, Kurtis Blow, Duke Bootee, David Ruffin, Eddie Kendrick, Joey Ramone, Jimmy Cliff, Daryl Hall, Lou Reed, Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Nona Hendryx, Kashif, Big Youth, Peter Garrett, Malopoets, Sonny Okosuns, Gil Scott-Heron, Afrika Bambaataa, Ruben Blades, Bono, George Clinton, Peter Gabriel, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Bonnie Raitt, Run DMC, Bruce Springsteen, John Oates, Michael Monroe, Darlene Love (vocals), Zak Starkey, Tony Williams, Ringo Starr (drums), Sonny Okosuns (talking drums); Keith LeBlanc(drums, drum programming); Benjamin Newman (drum programming), Pete Townshend, Stanley Jordan, Keith Richards, Ron Wood (guitars), Shankar (double violin); Clarence Clemmons (saxophone); Miles Davis (trumpet), Herbie Hancock, Richard Scher, Robbie Kilgore, Zoe Yanakis, (keyboards), Doug Wimbish (bass); Ron Carter (acoustic bass), Jam Master Jay, DJ Cheese (scratches), Daryl Hannah, B.J. Nelson, Lottie Golden, Tina B., Kevin McCormick, The Dunnes Stores Strikers, Annie Brody, Dutka And The I.D., Robert Gordon, Steve Walker (background vocals)

No More Apartheid 7:09
Peter Gabriel and Shankar

Revolutionary Situation 6:07
Rap Artists from Artists Against Apartheid, compiled and edited by Keith Le Blanc and The News Dissector

Sun City (Version II) 5:42
Artists Against Apartheid, see title track credits

Let Me See Your ID 7:29
Rap and Jazz Artists from Artists Against Apartheid
features: Gil Scott-Heron, Miles Davis, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Peter Wolf,Sonny Okosuns, Malopoets, Duke Bootee, Ray Baretto, Peter Garrett

The Struggle Continues 7:01
Jazz Artists from Artists Against Apartheid
features: Miles Davis, Stanley Jordan, Herbie Hancock, Sonny Okosuns, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Richard Scher

Silver And Gold 4:41
Bono with Keith Richards and Ron Wood.

Sun City (The Last Remix) (9:35)
Artists Against Apartheid
Bonus track - only on Razor & Tie CD re-issue (previously only available on the 12" single) see title track credits

Lyrics to "Sun City"

Words & music by Little Steve

(Blue Midnight Music, 1985)

(Opening trumpet solo by Miles Davis)

We're rockers and rappers united and strong (Run DMC)
We're here to talk about South Africa we don't like what's going on (Grandmaster Melle Mel & Duke Bootee)
It's time for some justice it's time for the truth (Afrika Bambaataa & Kurtis Blow)
We've realized there's only one thing we can do (Big Youth & all rappers)

Chorus:
I ain't gonna play Sun City...

Relocation to phony homelands (David Ruffin)
Separation of families I can't understand (Pat Benatar)
23 million can't vote because they're black (Eddie Kendrick)
We're stabbing our brothers and sisters in the back (Bruce Springsteen)

Repeat chorus

Our government tells us we're doing all we can (George Clinton)
Constructive Engagement is Ronald Reagan's plan (Joey Ramone)
Meanwhile people are dying and giving up hope (Jimmy Cliff & Daryl Hall)
This quiet diplomacy ain't nothing but a joke (Darlene Love)

Repeat chorus

Boputhuswana is far away (Run DMC)
But we know it's in South Africa no matter what they say (Kurtis Blow, Run DMC, Afrika Bambaataa)
You can't buy me I don't care what you pay (Duke Bootee, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Afrika Bambaataa)
Don't ask me Sun City because I ain't gonna play (Linton Kwesi Johnson & all rappers)

Repeat chorus

It's time to accept our responsibility (Bonnie Raitt)
Freedom is a privilege nobody rides for free (Ruben Blades & John Oates)
Look around the world baby it can't be denied (Lou Reed)
Why are we always on the wrong side (Bobby Womack)

Repeat chorus

Relocation to phony homelands (Bob Dylan & Jackson Browne)
Separation of families I can't understand (Peter Garrett)
23 million can't vote because they're black (Nona Hendryx & Kashif)
We're stabbing our brothers and sisters in the back (Bono)

Repeat chorus