Summer 2026

184 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 6 Legends Give Back BANC Raises Over $10 Million for Char ity Through Music B Y M I CHA E L CHAT F I E LD T he concept of rock stars using their star power to benefit humanity can be traced to 1971 when former Beatle George Harrison mounted the Concerts for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden that featured some of his famous friends, including Ravi Shankar, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan and Ringo Starr. Several other endeavors followed over the years, including Band Aid’s “Do They Know it’s Christmas,”Willie Nelson’s Farm Aid, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie’s “We Are the World,” and the biggest of them all, Live Aid, the enormous 1985 transcontinental concerts that showcased nearly all the top acts of the day.That spirit of giving back continues to this day, notably with a group of a couple dozen accomplished musicians who have raised more than $10 million over 10 years for organizations that help to cure disease, give kids an alternative to the streets, and support animal rights. The Benevolent Artists National Charity (BANC) was conceived by the seemingly unlikely duo of a rock star and a philanthropist. Bassist Rudy Sarzo has performed at the top of the rock pile for nearly five decades, beginning with his entry into that rarified world with Quiet Riot and moving on to tenures with Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake and many others. Retired Canadian advertising executive J.C. “Jim” Carter met Sarzo while attending a “Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp” on a lark at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. “Jim came in to sing dressed for the boardroom,” Sarzo says with a laugh. “I told him he needed to lose the suit. The next day he returned with a full Elvis-style leather suit.” An extremely charismatic individual, Carter soon won the admiration of all Noted bassist Rudy Sarzo has performed with many big-name rock acts, including Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne. He teamed up with Canadian philanthropist Jim Carter to form a nonprofit to raise funds for a variety of charitable causes. Photo: Benjamin Laird