Pop singer jokes Madonna 'needed a helping hand' during performance at Live Aid 1985
Pop singer jokes Madonna 'needed a helping hand' during performance at Live Aid 1985
Fran Winston & Hollie BealeSun, August 23, 2026 at 1:21 AM UTC
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Thompson Twins star Tom Bailey performed at Live Aid with Madonna and Nile Rogers -Credit:Getty
Chart-topping 1980s icon Tom Bailey has quipped that "Madonna needed a helping hand in her career" after the pop superstar provided backing vocals for his band, Thompson Twins, at Live Aid.
The 72-year-old musician, renowned for classics like Hold Me Now and Doctor, Doctor, looked back on the legendary benefit concert held on Saturday, July 13, 1985, acknowledging that he and his group were essentially improvising since their regular backing musicians remained in the UK.
Tom, performing alongside bandmates Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway, was stateside during the worldwide charity event and took the stage at Philadelphia's John F. Kennedy (JFK) Stadium.
Looking back, he remembers: "It was an amazing event, of course, and it was also back in the day when you still felt the kind of revolutionary aspect of rock and roll still had a burden to carry, which was that we had to change the world for the better. And therefore it felt like the right thing to do, and for a moment you could turn away from making money for the tour and make money for a charity instead, you know, which was a nice thing."
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Despite their eagerness to participate, logistical challenges arose, and he admitted they had to call in favors on the day due to circumstances beyond their control. "We didn't even have our own band at that point because we were working in New York and it was just too difficult to go back to the UK, get our band rehearsed and then bring them over, so we just found friends in New York that would play with us and threw together a band with one rehearsal," he smiled.
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"So it was a little bit nerve-racking, and not everything goes according to plan on the day, but it was a great thing to do," reports the Express.
In a memorable moment, Madonna, who just marked her 68th birthday, lent her voice to the Thompson Twins' backing vocals, with the band reciprocating during her performance. Tom attributes this collaboration to their shared producer, the iconic Nile Rodgers of Chic fame.
Thompson Twins legend Tom Bailey is getting set to do a UK tour in September 2026 -Credit:Roasline Shahnavaz
"I always joke that [Madonna] needed a helping hand in her career, so we gave her one, and she never looked back after that date," he chuckles. "We were working with Nile recording, and he had just made her album...and we came up with this idea, why don't we sing on each other's albums in each other's backing bands.
"So we sang on hers, and she sang on ours, and we were lucky enough to have other random superstars - like Steve Stevens from Billy Idol's band play guitar with Nile and us played, of course," he said.
The remaining members of the impromptu supergroup came from late-night host Dave Letterman's band. "[They] had the day off because it was Live Aid, so we said, ' Right, you're in the Thompson Twins for the day," he laughed.
Both Madonna and Tom continue to thrive, though their paths have diverged considerably. While she ascended to pop icon status, Tom has shifted his focus to film scoring in recent years, though he continues to perform under the name Thompson Twins.
He's preparing to hit the road again alongside his 80s synth-pop peers Blancmange, and admitted he appreciates the rhythm of his current career. "I really enjoy being on tour, especially with my current band and doing the Thompson's repertoire, but it's also nice to have long breaks as well. I usually go back to New Zealand for the southern summer to write and arrange, and it's a much more casual pace. You know, I think I've earned a little bit of a rest occasionally," he grins.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
