Tsunami Charity Single Tipped as Instant No 1

A charity single in aid of the tsunami victims is being released tomorrow (24/1) and is tipped to go straight to number one.

Grief Never Grows Old is written by former DJ Mike Read and features Sir Cliff Richard, Bee Gees Robin and Barry Gibb, Boy George and Brian Wilson.

Former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman, opera singer Russell Watson and Kenny Jones of The Who also appear on the record.

It is hoped the single will raise more than £2 million for the Disaster Emergency Committee.

Sir Cliff appealed to the public to buy a copy to help rebuild devastated communities in South Asia.

“The terrible news of the Asian tsunami cast a grim shadow over all our lives,” Sir Cliff said.

“I hope this record proves effective in raising further money for what will be an ongoing tragedy for a million or more survivors well beyond 2005.”

The stars are releasing the single under the name One World and recorded their vocals as far apart as London, New York, Miami, Las Vegas, Barbados, Co Clare and Lancashire.

Backing is provided by Soul Sounds, a youth choir from Sri Lanka where many thousands of victims died.

The single looks likely to end Elvis Presley’s record-breaking run at the top of the charts – he has occupied the top spot for the past three weeks with three different songs.

Grief Never Grows Old will only need to sell around 30,000 copies to knock Elvis off the top.

Some of the artists involved have a personal connection to the tsunami tragedy.

Brian Wilson is mourning the loss of Markus Sandlund, a cellist who performed on his 2004 album Smile.

He was on holiday on the Thai island of Khao Lak when the tsunami hit. His girlfriend was swept away by the water and later rescued, but Sandlund is still missing.

This is the first of two charity singles being released as a response to the disaster.

Sharon Osbourne has assembled the likes of Sir Elton John, Pink, Rod Stewart and Gwen Stefani to record a version of Eric Clapton’s Tears In Heaven, which is due for release next month.
 
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