George Michael was one. Who was the other member of the duo 'Wham'?
"first album. Michael died from heart and liver disease at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire on Christmas Day 2016. He was 53. Wham! Wham! were an English pop duo consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, formed in London in 1981. Influenced by funk and soul music and presenting themselves as disaffected youth, Wham's 1983 debut album ""Fantastic"" addressed the United Kingdom's unemployment problem for young people and teen angst over adulthood. Their second studio album ""Make It Big"" in 1984 was a worldwide pop smash hit, charting number one in both the UK and the United States. The singles"
"George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and philanthropist who rose to fame as a member of the music duo Wham! and later embarked on a solo career. He was widely known for his work in the 1980s and 1990s, including hit Wham! singles such as ""Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"" and ""Last Christmas"" and solo albums such as ""Faith"" (1987) and ""Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1"" (1990). Michael achieved seven number one singles in the UK and eight number one songs on the"
"(including two in the traditionally-black Soul/R&B category), and two Grammy Awards from eight nominations. George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and philanthropist who rose to fame as a member of the music duo Wham! and later embarked on a solo career. He was widely known for his work in the 1980s and 1990s, including hit Wham! singles such as ""Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"" and ""Last Christmas"" and solo albums such as ""Faith"" (1987) and ""Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1"" (1990). Michael achieved"
"was used by George Michael as an introduction to his song, ""Faith"", played on a church organ. Freedom (Wham! song) ""Freedom"" is a hit song by British pop duo Wham!. It became the group's second number one hit on the UK Singles Chart and reached number three in America. It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo. Wham! had already enjoyed a successful 1984 by the time ""Freedom"" was released in August of the year. ""Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"" had given them their first UK number one and had then reached the top"
"When George Michael was enrolled at the school, Ridgeley volunteered to take him under his wing. After years of playing in various music groups, the most notable being the Executive, Michael and Ridgeley formed Wham. They then approached various record labels with a homemade tape (which took 10 minutes to record in Ridgeley's living room) and signed with Innervision Records. The band left Innervision after the first album and signed with CBS. Wham enjoyed worldwide success from 1981 to 1986, selling more than 28 million records worldwide. Wham made their US debut appearance on Dick Clark's ""American Bandstand"" and became"
"as it was relayed through the speaker system. The two most notable absentees were George Michael and Bono: during Michael's line the cameras focussed on the studio audience, while Paul Weller mimed Bono's line to the camera. The charity received a further boost during Band Aid's five week tenure at the top of the UK charts with Wham! at number 2 with their double A-side ""Last Christmas""/""Everything She Wants"". Wham! singer George Michael had appeared on the Band Aid single and he and fellow band member Andrew Ridgeley donated all the royalties from their single to the Band Aid Trust."
"were credited as George Michael solo singles, they did appear on official Wham! studio albums. This compilation was compiled by George Michael to present the band as more serious artists and to draw connections with his solo career. As a result of his endorsement of it, it is more widely available than ""The Final"". Notes Released on VHS, VCD and DVD. Album Video/DVD The Best of Wham!: If You Were There... The Best of Wham!: If You Were There... is the second UK-released compilation, released in 1997 to summarize the career of British pop duo Wham!. It peaked at number"
"were the duo Wham! with an unusual mix of disco, soul, ballads and even rap, who had eleven top ten hits in the UK, six of them number ones, between 1982 and 1986. George Michael released his debut solo album, ""Faith"" in 1987, and would go on to have seven UK number one singles. The 1985 concert Live Aid held at Wembley Stadium would see some of the biggest British artists of the era perform, with Queen stealing the show. Bonnie Tyler had major hits with ""Total Eclipse of the Heart"" and ""Holding Out for a Hero"", while Robert Palmer's"
"Edgar Winter, Aaron Neville and Elton John. He most recently produced and co-wrote songs for aspiring singer Julie Anne. Deon Estus Deon Estus (born Jeffery Deon Estus, July 4, 1956, Detroit, Michigan) is an American bassist and singer, best known as the bass player of Wham! and as the bassist on George Michael's first two solo projects. Estus' single ""Heaven Help Me,"" with additional vocals by George Michael, reached Number 5 on the ""Billboard Hot 100"" chart in 1989. Estus was born in Detroit and graduated from Northwestern High School in 1974. He sang second tenor in the choir at"
"Freedom (Wham! song) ""Freedom"" is a hit song by British pop duo Wham!. It became the group's second number one hit on the UK Singles Chart and reached number three in America. It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo. Wham! had already enjoyed a successful 1984 by the time ""Freedom"" was released in August of the year. ""Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"" had given them their first UK number one and had then reached the top of the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 in the United States. George had then gone to number one with"
"with their song ""Sometimes"" reaching number two in the autumn; this success would be followed by many more hits throughout the decade. After four successful years, the band Wham! split up in the spring. Made up of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, they finished with a farewell concert at Wembley Stadium, a greatest hits album ""The Final"" which reached number 2, and the single ""The Edge of Heaven"", their fourth and final number 1. George Michael also reached number 1 this year with a solo release, ""A Different Corner"", and went on to have a highly successful solo career. The"
"David (Austin) Mortimer, Andrew Leaver and Paul Ridgeley. When this group split, Michael and Ridgeley eventually formed Wham, signing with Innervision Records. British graphic design studio Stylorouge was credited with adding the exclamation point to the name of the band. Michael took on the majority of roles and responsibilities within the band—composer, producer, lead singer, and occasional instrumentalist. Still teenagers, they promoted themselves as hedonistic youngsters, proud to live a carefree life without work or commitment. This was reflected in their earliest singles which, part-parody, part-social comment, briefly earned Wham a reputation as a dance protest group. The debut record"
"Deon Estus Deon Estus (born Jeffery Deon Estus, July 4, 1956, Detroit, Michigan) is an American bassist and singer, best known as the bass player of Wham! and as the bassist on George Michael's first two solo projects. Estus' single ""Heaven Help Me,"" with additional vocals by George Michael, reached Number 5 on the ""Billboard Hot 100"" chart in 1989. Estus was born in Detroit and graduated from Northwestern High School in 1974. He sang second tenor in the choir at Northwestern under the direction of Brazel Dennard. His bass (guitar) teacher was the late James Jamerson of Motown's The"
"all go to number 1, following Gerry & The Pacemakers twenty years earlier; however, it would be their last. Their album ""Welcome to the Pleasuredome"" also reached number 1. Wham! had their first number 1 single this year after four earlier top 10 hits, the upbeat ""Wake Me Up Before You Go Go"". This would soon be followed by their second, ""Freedom"" later in the year, and their second album Make It Big also reached the top. One of the members of the band, George Michael, also released a solo single this year, the ballad ""Careless Whisper"" co-written by his"
"band member of what became Wham!, but like her friend Dee C. Lee, was paid on a per performance basis as a backing singer, and continued to live with her parents. After Lee left to join The Style Council and later marry its lead singer Paul Weller, she was replaced by ""Pepsi"" DeMacque, and this duo performed on all the Wham! songs and concerts. As George Michael desired to create music targeted to a more sophisticated audience than Wham!'s primarily teenage fan base, the announcement of Wham!'s break-up was made in the spring of 1986, with a grand finale concert"
"already enjoyed a solo number one on the UK Singles Chart in 1984 with ""Careless Whisper"", which was credited as Wham! featuring George Michael in the US. After radio DJ Simon Bates first aired ""A Different Corner"" on Radio 1, he rated the song so highly that he immediately played it again from the beginning. Michael went back to the top of the UK chart with ""A Different Corner"", becoming the first solo act in the history of the UK chart to reach number one with his first two releases, although he was hardly an unknown or new act on"
"Make It Big Make It Big is the second and final studio album from British pop duo Wham!, released in 1984. It was mostly recorded at Studio Miraval in Southern France to escape the press and enable George Michael to work peacefully and mixed at Good Earth Studios in London and Marcadet Studios in Paris. In comparison to their earlier work, the duo had more control over the album's production, as George Michael became the sole credited producer, a position he would subsequently hold on all future releases until the group split in 1986. The album was a critical and"
"to tour China with Wham! and later backed Wham! frontman George Michael on his Faith tour. He also participated in the late-1980s collective Boogie Box High, which was spearheaded by George Michael's cousin, Andros Georgiou, and featured Michael along with other high-profile musicians; Estus appears on the group's only album, ""Outrageous"", released in 1989. Estus later performed with Michael at Rock in Rio and has continued to play bass as part of Michael's backing band. In 1989, Estus released a solo album entitled ""Spell"", produced by Colin Campsie and George McFarlane, with several tracks produced by George Michael. Released before"
"announced the breakup of Wham in the spring of 1986. Before going their separate ways, a farewell single ""The Edge of Heaven"", and a greatest hits album titled ""The Final"" would be forthcoming, along with a farewell concert entitled ""The Final"". Announcing the breakup, Michael said: ""I think it should be the most amicable split in pop history."" The farewell single reached No. 1 in June 1986. ""Where Did Your Heart Go?"" was the group's final single in the United States. The song, originally recorded by Was (Not Was), was a gloomy and sombre affair. The duo's last release was"
"included members of the Chinese government, and Chinese television presenter, Kan Lijun, who was the on stage host, spoke of Wham!'s historic performance; The tour was documented by film director Lindsay Anderson and producer Martin Lewis in their film ""Foreign Skies: Wham! In China"". With the success of Michael's solo singles, ""Careless Whisper"" (1984) and ""A Different Corner"" (1986), rumours of an impending break up of Wham! intensified. The duo officially separated in 1986, after releasing a farewell single, ""The Edge of Heaven"" and a singles compilation, ""The Final"", plus a sell-out concert at Wembley Stadium that included the world"
"to become the first ever Western pop artist to play in communist China. They eventually played a concert there in April 1985 at the Worker's Stadium in Beijing. At the end of 1985, Wham! ended its relationship with Napier-Bell and Summers when George Michael left Wham! for a solo career. Napier-Bell went on to manage the duo Blue Mercedes, who had one worldwide hit, ""I Want To Be Your Property"" (1987), which stayed at No. 1 in the US dance charts for 14 weeks. He arranged for the defunct pop group Boney M. to reform and had all their old"
"before releasing an album. In the 1990s Noel Ram became a dance producer, performing and remixing a number of singles. 7"" Singles: 12"" Singles: Two People (band) Two People was a mid-1980s British band consisting of Mark Stevenson (lead vocals/guitar) and Noel Ram (guitar/vocals). They released a number of singles between 1985 and 1987, scoring two minor hits in the UK Charts with the songs ""This is the Shirt"" and ""Heaven"". They featured on BBC Radio 1 In Concert in 1985, backed by their live band Brad Lang (bass), Ian Penman (keyboards) and Steve Creese (drums). Their record producers included"
"by the two Frankie Goes to Hollywood tracks, ""Two Tribes"" and ""Relax"", Stevie Wonder with ""I Just Called to Say I Love You"", and Band Aid's ""Do They Know It's Christmas?"". The song also topped the charts in 25 other countries, including the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 in the United States in February 1985 under the credit ""Wham! featuring George Michael"", Spending three weeks at the top in America, the song was later named ""Billboard""s number-one song of 1985. Despite the success, Michael was never fond of the song. He said in 1991 that it ""was not an integral part of"
"as a studio guest on the first series of the BBC 2 programme ""Fantasy Football League"" in 1994. In 2005, Ridgeley and Michael made plans to reunite as Wham for Live 8, but Ridgeley reportedly pulled out at the last minute. In 2012, Michael dismissed rumours that he and Ridgeley were set for a Wham reunion to mark the 30th anniversary of the group's first record. Michael said that there was no truth in speculation the group would reform for a one-off concert. Upon hearing of Michael's death on 25 December 2016, Ridgeley paid his respects on Twitter, saying, ""Heartbroken"
"premiere of the China film. The Wham! partnership ended officially with the commercially successful single ""The Edge of Heaven"", which reached No. 1 on the UK chart in June 1986. The beginning of his solo career, during early 1987, was a duet with Aretha Franklin. ""I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"" was a one-off project that helped Michael achieve an ambition by singing with one of his favourite artists. It scored number one on both the UK Singles Chart and the US ""Billboard"" Hot 100 upon its release. For Michael, it became his third consecutive solo number one in"
"along to the radio while dancing to the rhythm. When she tried to tell Joe of Michael's talent, though, he brushed her aside, but she insisted. A year later, Joe enlisted Michael and older brother Marlon Jackson into the group not as vocalists, but as backing instrumentalists, playing percussion. In 1966, Joe began to see seven-year-old Michael's overall talents three years after Jackson's discovery. Beforehand, Michael had performed onstage without his father's knowledge at several school recitals starting at five. By the end of 1966, Michael was positioned as the second front man of the group after Jermaine. Acting on"
"Faith (George Michael song) ""Faith"" is a song written and performed by George Michael, from his 1987 debut solo album of the same name. It held the number one position on ""Billboard"" Hot 100 chart for four weeks and, according to ""Billboard"" magazine, it was the number one single of the year in the United States in 1988. The song also reached number one in Australia and Canada and number two on the UK Singles Chart. In 2001 it placed at number 322 on the Songs of the Century list. Having disbanded Wham! the previous year, there was a keen"
"despite the album including tracks that were not released as singles. Bad Boys (Wham! song) ""Bad Boys"" is a song by British pop duo Wham! which was a hit in 1983. It was written by George Michael, one half of the duo, and released on Innervision Records. The song was an energetic but endearing tale of a rebellious teenage lad's struggle against his parents who are concerned about his late-night activities. Although George wrote and sang it from the teenager's perspective (he was himself only 19 when he composed it and the character refers to being that age in the"
"and Shirlie Holliman. The scenario saw George Michael ""floating about on a lilo in his Speedoes and shades"", relaxing with the boys by Pike’s pool sipping cocktails. The scene of the trumpet-playing took place in the pool itself. Tony Pike got on well with the band and he was persuaded to take a small part in the video as the barman in one of the scenes. The success of the video and Wham!'s status at the time firmly placed Pike’s Hotel in the circles of the music industry and within a short time the hotel was attracting other stars and"
"The Final (concert) The Final was the farewell concert by English musical duo Wham!. It was held at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 28 June 1986. A total of 72,000 people attended the event, which included support artists and special guests, such as Elton John. Wham! had announced the breakup in 1986. During late February Michael was a guest on the talk show ""Aspel & Company"", he announced that Wham! were to break-up and were to perform one last show. During production rehearsals for the Wembley concert, Wham! performed two warm-up shows in aid of Capital radio’s “Help a London"
"on the large screens. 21. ""I'm Your Man"" Source: Guests The Final (concert) The Final was the farewell concert by English musical duo Wham!. It was held at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 28 June 1986. A total of 72,000 people attended the event, which included support artists and special guests, such as Elton John. Wham! had announced the breakup in 1986. During late February Michael was a guest on the talk show ""Aspel & Company"", he announced that Wham! were to break-up and were to perform one last show. During production rehearsals for the Wembley concert, Wham! performed two"
"With Michael keen to move into a more adult market, Wham broke up after a farewell concert entitled ""The Final"" in front of 72,000 people at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 28 June 1986. On 27 January 1991, Ridgeley joined Michael on stage for a few songs at the encore of his performance at the Rock in Rio event at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Since 1991, Ridgeley has generally shunned the limelight, but he did agree to give an interview on camera for a 2005 documentary, ""A Different Story"", about the life of George Michael. Ridgeley also appeared"
"1.4 million copies in the UK. Wham donated all their royalties from the single to the Ethiopian famine appeal to coincide with the fund-raising intentions of Band Aid's ""Do They Know It's Christmas?"", the song which kept them out of the top spot. Nevertheless, Band Aid's success meant that Michael had achieved #1 status in the UK within three separate entities in 1984—as a solo artist, as one half of a duo, and as part of a charity ensemble. At the end of 1985, the US ""Billboard"" charts listed ""Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"" as the number-three song and"