Zak Starkey has called on Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose to hand over the master recording of an all-star cover of T. Rex’s ‘Children of the Revolution’, saying the track could raise up to $2 million for Teenage Cancer Trust.
The recording features Rose alongside Guns N’ Roses bandmates Slash and Duff McKagan, with guest contributions from Elton John and Starkey’s father, Ringo Starr. Despite the star power involved, the track has never been officially released.
According to Loudwire, the collaboration was first conceived in 2017 after Guns N’ Roses and The Who performed ‘Children of the Revolution’ live together at Rock in Rio. Following the performance, the musicians recorded a studio version for a planned charity album that was ultimately shelved.
Starkey – long-time drummer for The Who and son of Ringo Starr – has now made a public appeal for the recording to be made available. He believes that releasing the track could generate significant funds for Teenage Cancer Trust, the UK charity that provides specialist care and support to young people with cancer.
Taking to Instagram, Zac Starkey wrote: “Dear Axl Rose, please give me my master of this track back. Me and Sshh [Liguz, Starkey’s wife] spent three years making this Bolan tribute for teen cancer and without the master of the children of the revolution which my dad, sshh and I arranged to include a modulating section for Slash’s guitar, another for Duff’s bass solo and plenty of room for Elton before you asked Sshh if you could sing it”.
“It’s a drag that the record is on the shelf, as Christie’s [auction house] have advised it could generate $2M for teen cancer,” he concluded. “C’mon bro.”
Starkey shared details about the star-studded T-Rex cover last year, and leaked the song on social media earlier this year. “Ringo/Elton/Axl/Duff/Slash. C’mon amazing people — let’s get this record out and [help] these teenagers who, as musicians, we rely on so much,” he shared in April.
“If we wait much longer some of these brave young people may not have enough time to hear it,” he added. “This is the first half, then it gets wild!!! Everything generated by this record … goes to teenage cancer – if it gets released, which depends totally on the amazing participants giving us the green light.”
As for the entire charity album, Starkey hinted at other guest contributors, saying: “It’s a full album with more than one Beatle, a Smith a Pretender, an Ashcroft, an Iggy, and many more … Soon come”.
Teenage Cancer Trust has a long-standing link with The Who through Roger Daltrey, who serves as an honorary patron and was the driving force behind the charity’s annual concert series at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Starkey’s appeal follows in that tradition, urging Rose to help bring the unreleased recording to light for a cause that has raised millions over the past two decades.
In case you missed it, MXDWN’s recent coverage of Robert Smith taking over Daltrey’s position in curating the 2026 Teenage Cancer Trust shows can be read here.
