When Bob Dylan asked the audience at Live Aid “Wouldn’t it be great if we did something for our own farmers right here in America?” most people probably shrugged the idea off as another public service announcement from a celebrity.

Rock musicians Neil Young and John Mellancamp joined forces with country legend Willie Nelson in September of 1985 to host the very first Farm Aid festival as a direct result of that question. And they chose Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois as the perfect location for the first event.

The show was put on at a breakneck pace and was a total success, bringing in 80,000 people and raising $9 million for America’s family farmers. Since that first event, Farm Aid has been hosted in Illinois three more times, and the board of directors has grown to include Dave Matthews. On September 22, 2015, Farm Aid will celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Learn more:
The Official Farm Aid Homepage
Footage from this year's concert
Farm Aid's YouTube Channel