1986 Supergroup Record Featuring 40 Rock Stars Was Ranked 'No. 1 Metal Moment' of All Time
In 1986, a group of heavy metal legends took matters into their own hands with "Stars." The one-off charity single, by a supergroup of 40 metal musicians dubbed Hear ‘n Aid, was released to raise money for famine relief in Africa on the heels of Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and USA For Africa's "We Are The World."
"Stars" peaked at No. 26 in the UK and hit No. 39 on Billboard's U.S. Bubbling Under 100 chart, according to Ultimate Classic Rock. It also received heavy airplay on MTV's Headbangers Ball and on VH1.
The single, which raised more than a million dollars for charity, was ranked the No. 1 most metal moment in the VH1 special The 100 Most Metal Moments. The song beat out Ronnie James Dio's famous devil horns symbol, Motley Crue's tell-all bio The Dirt, and the This is Spinal Tap parody film.
The rock website Bravewords noted: "The biggest names in metal, from Judas Priest to Motley Crue, come together in a charity recording and video for starving people in Africa. It's rumored that pop charity types don't approve, but the song and video for ‘We're Stars' stands as a stirring tribute to all things metal."
Dozens of hard rockers contributed to the project
"Stars" brought together the top musicians of the 1980s heavy metal scene. It featured epic guitar solos and the biggest voices of the era.
The brainchild of Dio members Ronnie James Dio, Jimmy Bain, and Vivian Campbell, the recording also featured band members from Judas Priest, Blue Öyster Cult, Dokken, Quiet Riot, Y&T, Rough Cutt, Queensrÿche, King Kobra, Night Ranger, Giuffria, W.A.S.P., Yngwie Malmsteen, Mötley Crüe, Twisted Sister, Vanilla Fudge, Journey, Iron Maiden, and more.
Lead vocals were performed by Dio, Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Geoff Tate (Queensrÿche), Kevin DuBrow (Quiet Riot), Don Dokken (Dokken), Eric Bloom (Blue Öyster Cult), Paul Shortino (Rough Cutt), and Dave Meniketti (Y&T).
The song was recorded at A&M Studios in Los Angeles on May 20 & 21, 1985, per a message on Dio's official website. But according to UCR, legal clearances for the dozens of artists involved in the project resulted in a delay of the record's release. It took until January 1986 for the Hear 'n Aid album to come out once all of the permissions were granted.
According to Classic Rock magazine, Dio once said that while there were "a lot of Fred Bloggses who wanted to get involved…. the project needed heavyweights to sell it."
Dios' wife Wendy added, "I think Rob Halford of Judas Priest was the first to say yes… Then Queensrÿche, Twisted Sister… came aboard pretty quick. And they were all on their best behavior – even Ted Nugent. The great, the good, and the rest give it their best shot to fight famine in Africa."
While egos were checked at the door, Campbell noted there was some competition in a non-musical area. "You put a bunch of eighties guitarists in the same room and, of course, there's going to be competition for bragging rights. They were even arguing about who had the biggest hair," the rocker recalled.
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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 6:52 AM.