"That's What Friends Are For" is a song and a series of charity concerts.

Original version

The song was composed by Burt Bacharach with lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, as the end theme for the Ron Howard film Night Shift (1982). It was performed and produced by Rod Stewart and released for the movie soundtrack LP, which has yet to be released as a CD. This recording was first released on CD for the compilation album Warner Brothers 75 Years Entertaining in 1998, then Before They Were Hits or We Did It First, Vol. 2 in 2001, and Stewart's second greatest hits compilation Encore: The Very Best of Rod Stewart, Vol. 2 in 2003. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Carole Bayer Sager (born March 8, 1947 in New York City, New York) is an American lyricist, songwriter and singer best-known for writing the lyrics to many popular songs performed on Broadway and in Hollywood films. ... For other people named Ron Howard, see Ronald Howard. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... Night Shift is a 1982 comedy film, one of Ron Howards earliest directorial efforts. ... // This is the year of film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which will become the highest grossing movie for almost 15 years (until Titanic), earning double or triple against any major film of the 1980s. ... Roderick David Stewart, CBE (born January 10, 1945), is a Scottish/English singer born and raised in London. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ...

Dionne and Friends

The song is far better known for its cover version by Dionne and Friends, a one-off collaboration among Dionne Warwick featuring Gladys Knight, Elton John and Stevie Wonder. This version was released as a charity single in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1985, was recorded as a benefit for American Foundation for AIDS Research, and raised over three million dollars for that cause. The tune peaked at #1 for four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1986. In 1988, the Washington Post wrote: So working against AIDS, especially after years of raising money for work on many blood-related diseases such as sickle-cell anemia, seemed the right thing to do. "You have to be granite not to want to help people with AIDS, because the devastation that it causes is so painful to see. I was so hurt to see my friend die with such agony," Warwick remembers. "I am tired of hurting and it does hurt." In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... Marie Dionne Warrick (born December 12, 1940 in East Orange, New Jersey), known professionally as Dionne Warwick, is an African-American singer best known for her work with Hal David and Burt Bacharach as songwriters and producers. ... Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American R&B/soul singer and actress. ... Sir Elton Hercules[1] John CBE [2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is a multiple Grammy and Academy Award-winning English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ... Stevie Wonder (born Stevland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950, name later changed to Stevland Hardaway Morris),[1] is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. ... A charity record (also known as a charity single) is a release of a song for a specific charitable cause. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... The American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) is an organization dedicated to the support of AIDS research, AIDS prevention, treatment education, and the advocacy of sound AIDS-related public policy. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ...

The Dionne and Friends version of the song won the performers the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, as well as Song of the Year for its writers, Bacharach and Bayer Sager. It also was ranked by Billboard magazine as the most popular song of 1986.^[1] The Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal has been awarded since 1966. ... The Song of the Year is one of the two most prestigious awards in the Grammies, if not in all of the American music industry. ... It has been suggested that Billboard be merged into this article or section. ...

This song was also performed together live by Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, and Luther Vandross. A video of this live performance is available on the internet, on some file-sharing sites.

1988 benefit concert

In 1993, on ABC's Day One, a primetime news magazine hosted by Forrest Sawyer, claimed that Dionne Warwick had managed to pass on only $56,000 from $2.1 million her Warwick Foundation had raised for AIDS charities from an extravagant benefit concert, That's What Friends Are For: AIDS Concert '88, held June 12, 1988 at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. The concert had appearances by celebrities and entertainers including Byron Allen, Burt Bacharach, Expose, Howard Hewett, Lena Horne, Elton John, George Kirby, Gladys Knight, Barry Manilow, Sugar Ray Leonard, Holly Robinson, Yakov Smirnoff, Robert Townsend, Leslie Uggams, Blair Underwood, Luther Vandross, Mary Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Stevie Wonder and then House Speaker Jim Wright.^[2] This never made it to court, and Warwick vigorously disputed the figures. When asked about it, she explained: "If you're going to give your time, then make it comfortable for me, you know?" She said she needed a limousine and a two-bedroom hotel suite, and she didn't want anyone next to her on the plane.^[3] Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... The American Broadcasting Company ( oftenly known as ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... Day One was a television news magazine produced by ABC News from 1993 to 1995, hosted by Forrest Sawyer and Diane Sawyer. ... Forrest Sawyer on the live debate episode of The West Wing in 2005. ... is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... The Kennedy Center as seen from the Potomac River. ... Byron Allen (born Byron Allen Folks on April 22, 1961, in Detroit, Michigan, USA) is an American stand-up comedian and television talk show host. ... Exposé is a popular music girl group of the 1980s formed by record producer and songwriter Lewis A. Martineé. // Exposé was initially formed in 1984 when Martineé and his Pantera Productions talent scouts hired Sandra Casanas (Sandeé), Aléjandra Lorenzo (Alé), and Laurie Miller as the groups lineup. ... Howard Hewett (Born: October 1st, 1955 in Akron, Ohio) is the former lead vocalist of the R&B group, Shalamar, from 1979 to 1985. ... Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (born June 30, 1917 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York) is a popular African American singer. ... George Kirby (June 8, 1923 – September 30, 1995) was an American comedian, singer, and actor from Chicago, Illinois. ... Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus, June 17, 1943[1] in Brooklyn, New York) is an American singer and songwriter best known for his recordings I Write the Songs, Mandy and Copacabana. His career achievements include selling more than 75 million records worldwide. ... Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956 in Wilmington, North Carolina) is a retired professional boxer. ... Holly Robinson Peete Holly Robinson-Peete (born September 18, 1964, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) (known before her marriage as Holly Robinson) is an American actress. ... Yakov Smirnoff (born January 24, 1951) is, according to his own description, a Ukrainian-born American comedian and painter. ... Robert Townsend (born February 6, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois) is an African American film director, writer, and actor. ... Leslie Uggams (born May 25, 1943 in New York City) is American actress and singer, best known for her Tony Award-winning work in Hallelujah, Baby! Uggams first started in show business as a child in 1950, playing the niece of Ethel Waters on the television series Beulah. ... Blair Underwood (born August 25, 1964, in Tacoma, Washington) is an American television and film actor. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Mary Wilson (born 6 March 1944 in Greenville, Mississippi) is an American singer best known for her work as a member of the Motown soul and pop group The Supremes. ... Nancy Wilson (born February 20, 1937) is an African-American singer whose sixty-plus albums have blended jazz and pop music. ... James Claude Wright, Jr. ... Look up limousine in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A suite in a hotel, mostly denotes a class of luxury rooms. ...

1990 benefit concert

On March 17, 1990 an AIDS benefit titled That's What Friends Are For: Arista Records 15th Anniversary Concert was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. One month later, CBS aired a two-hour version of the concert on television. The celebrity guests and Arista label performers were: Air Supply, Lauren Bacall, Burt Bacharach, Eric Carmen, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Clive Davis, Taylor Dayne, Michael Douglas, Expose, Whoopi Goldberg, Melanie Griffith, Hall & Oates, Jennifer Holliday, Whitney Houston, Alan Jackson, Kenny G, Melissa Manchester, Barry Manilow, Milli Vanilli, Jeffrey Osborne, Carly Simon, Patti Smith, Lisa Stansfield, The Four Tops, and Dionne Warwick. "That's What Friends Are For" was the finale song sung by Warwick and cousin Houston before being joined on the stage by the other guests of the event. Over $2.5 million was raised that night for the Arista Foundation which gave the proceeds to various AIDS organizations. is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Radio City Music Hall at Christmas 2005 Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... CBS is one of the largest radio and television networks in the United States. ... Air Supply is a duo of death metal musicians who had a succession of hits worldwide through the late 1970s and early 1980s. ... This biographical article needs additional references for verification. ... Eric Howard Carmen (born August 11, 1949, in Cleveland, Ohio, USA) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist. ... Chevy Chase (born October 8, 1943) is an Emmy Award-winning American comedian, writer, and television and film actor. ... Jane Curtin - Promo Picture from 3rd Rock from the Sun Jane Therese Curtin (born September 6, 1947) is an American actress and comedian, from Cambridge, Massachusetts. ... Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is a Grammy Award winning record producer and a leading music industry executive. ... Taylor Dayne (born Leslie Wunderman, March 7, 1962, in Baldwin, Nassau County, New York) is an American pop vocalist, dance artist and actress. ... For other people bearing this name, see Michael Douglas (disambiguation). ... Whoopi Goldberg performing stand-up at a benefit for Rainforest Action Network. ... Melanie Griffith (born August 9, 1957 in New York City) is an Academy Award-nominated American film actress. ... Hall & Oates is a popular music duo made up of Daryl Hall & John Oates. ... Jennifer Holliday (born Jennifer-Yvette Holliday on October 19, 1960 in Riverside, Texas) is an American singer and actress. ... Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) is an American pop and R&B singer, songwriter, actress, film producer, and former model. ... Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter. ... Kenneth Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), better known by his stage name Kenny G, is an American saxophonist whose fourth album, Duotones, brought him breakthrough success[1] in 1986. ... Melissa Manchester (born on February 15, 1951 at New York, New York) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. ... Milli Vanilli (milli is a word meaning national in Turkish, picked up by the artists while visiting Turkey on one of its national days) was a duo, Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus, formed in Germany in the mid-1980s. ... Jeffrey Osborne is a funk musician from the band LTD. He started his career in 1969. ... Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1945 in New York City) is an Academy Award, Golden Globe and two-time Grammy Award winning American musician who emerged as one of the leading lights of the early 1970s singer-songwriter movement. ... Patricia Lee (Patti) Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American musician, singer, and poet. ... Lisa Stansfield on the cover of her debut album Affection Lisa Jane Stansfield (born on April 11, 1966) is an English R&B/Soul/House music singer from Rochdale, Greater Manchester. ... The Four Tops are an American Motown musical quartet, whose repertoire has included doo-wop, jazz, soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, and showtunes. ...

Other versions

Other recordings are Shirley Bassey (1991), Helen Reddy (for The Burt Bacharach Album: Broadway Sings the Best of Burt Bacharach in 1998). Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey, DBE (born January 8, 1937 ) (age 70) in Cardiff, Wales), is a Welsh singer, perhaps best-known for performing the theme songs to the James Bond films Goldfinger (1964), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Moonraker (1979). ... 2003 Greatest Hits compilation Helen Reddy (born October 25, 1941 in Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian pop singer and actor. ...

In the UK on the 16th December 2006, the major television network ITV aired the final series of X-Factor, where all hopeful contestents who made it to the aired episodes performed this song live to an audience of several million. Independent Television (generally known as ITV but also as ITV Network or Channel 3) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK. Since 1990... The X Factor is a British TV music talent show contested by aspiring pop singers drawn from public auditions. ...

In 2007 on It Takes Two in Australia, All Saints' Jolene Anderson and her partner David Campbell sang this song and were TV viewer's favorite couple and they won the competition. It Takes Two video tape cover // Plot Line of It Takes Two Spoiler warning: It Takes Two is a 1995 movie about when two young girls, who happen to look identical, meet unexpectedly. ... The festival of All Saints, also sometimes known as All Saints Day, All Hallows or Hallowmas (hallows meaning saints, and mas meaning Mass), is a feast celebrated in the honour of all the saints, known and unknown. ... Jolene Anderson (born 1980 in Kempsey, New South Wales) is an Australian actress. ... David Campbell (musician), a Canadian musician David Campbell (politician), a Canadian politician David Campbell (Virginia), a Democratic Governor, 1837-1840 David Campbell (musician, Australian musician David Campbell ...

References

1. ^ Billboard, December 27, 1986
2. ^ That's What Friends Are Here For: All Over Town, Stars Turn Out to Raise Funds for AIDS Education, accessed December 14, 2006
3. ^ Can't buy me love, accessed November 16, 2006