George Michael

George Michael , born the June 25th 1963 with Finchley in the North-West of London, England, of its true name Georgios Kyriákos Panayótou (in Greek Γιώργος-Κυριάκος Παναγιώτου ), Auteur-compositeur-interprète English of Cypriot origin is a Greek. He sold more than 85 million discs in the world and holds to his credit 11 individual and 7 albums n°1 in the British charts, and 6 individual n°1 with the the United States. In 2004, he was the British artist more played out of radio during these 20 last years.

Personal life & Career

Before “Wham! ”: Georgios Kyriákos Panayótou

Georgios Kyriákos Panayótou was born in the North-West from London in June 1963 from an English mother and a father of Greek origin. It quickly takes a Nom of scene, George Michael. Its career starts in 1978 with a band of buddies of college: Andrew Ridgeley (future Wham!), Paul Ridgeley (brother of Andrew), Andrew Leaver and David Mortimer (which is not other than David Austin). Together, they found the group The Executive where George is at the same time type-setter and singer. But success is not with go and the group bursts. George and Andrew decide to continue and rename the group Wham!.

The years “Wham! ”

In 1982, the world discovers the album Fantastic and succumbs to Wham vagueness! and with its tubes Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You C?) and Club Topicana . The group is composed of George Michael and her assistant Andrew Ridgeley (born Andrew John Ridgeley on January 26th, 1963, in Windlesham, Surrey). Successes are connected with other titles like Bad Boys and Young Guns (Go For It!) . If Wham! wants to be before a whole group Hédoniste (it arrives after the Punk wave), the messages were rather social at the beginning since Wham Rap! approaches the topic of unemployment.

In 1984, the album will come from the dedication Make It Big , which contains several successes such as Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go , Everything She Wants , Freedom or Careless Whisper . Wham! definitively assume their side shifted while using of the clip and presenting themselves out of shorts with the inscriptions " Choose Life" on the tee-shirts. They are then accompanied by their faithful chorus-singers " Pepsi" DeMacque (which replaced Dee C. Lee in 1983) and Shirley " Shirlie" Holliman.

With Careless Whisper , some will say that George Michael launches out in the adventure of the song in solo. But Careless Whisper belongs to the three songs of the Wham time! how George Michael wrote with Andrew Ridgeley (the two others are Wham Rap! and Club Topicana ).

During this period George Michael takes part in the collective Band Aid with Do They Know It' S Christmas and transfers all the benefit of individual the Last Christmas and Everything She Wants with this cause. One will also find it on the album Ice One Fire of Sir Elton John: In backing vocal for Nikita and in duet for Wrap Her Up . A friendship which will be prolonged on the scene of Band Aid, where he will only sing Don' T Let The Sun Go Down , Sir Elton John accompanying it with the Piano.

The same year, Wham! fact a very mediatized voyage and a round in China which will be immortalisés by the realizer Lindsay Anderson. The film will be sold in cassette VHS under the title of Wham! In Clouded: Foreign Ski . He reports all the voyage and contains four sequences in Live ( Blue (Live In Clouded) , Love Machine , Everything She Wants , and Careless Whisper ). One can see of them sequences in the clip Freedom of Wham!.

Success is enormous. But the Wham adventure! stops brutally in 1986 with The Final , a compilation together with news like Last Christmas or Blue (Armed With Love) (presents only on the Vinyl) but also innovations as has Different Corner (true first piece solo of George Michael), The Edge Of Heaven , and the recovery Where Did Your Heart Go? . On the American continent, the album will leave under the title Music From The Edge Of Heaven and will comprise only the news and innovations. End of Wham! is celebrated by a concert given to London with the Wembley Stadium in the presence of Sir Elton John and of Simon the Good (singer of the group Duran Duran).

The Career Solo: George Michael

“Faith”

The career solo of George Michael starts paradoxically with a duet with the " Queen Off Soul": Aretha Franklin. I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) is recorded with Los Angeles.

At the same time author, and Type-setter of the majority of her titles, George Michael leaves its first album solo in 1987, Faith in which it appears multi-instrumentalist on all the pieces. This album contains the song I Want Your Sex which will be a great success. Often provocant in its artistic choices, the Clip of I Want Your Sex will be censured on BBC. He 1988 he becomes the first white interpreter to sing in duet with Aretha Franklin. George Michael succeeds in at the head placing a total of six individual of the world Chart S. It raid thus a certain number of prices (Three American Music Awards in January 1989 and Grammy Award of the album of the year in February 1989) to the beard of other sizes of the world of the song like Michael Jackson, Prince or Madonna, her main competitors of the moment.

It takes part during this period in famous “Mandela Day” also known under the names of “Free Nelson Mandela Concert” and of “Freedomfest”, given to Wembley Stadium on June 6th, 1988. George Michael will sing there three songs Village Ghettoland of Stevie Wonder, If You Were My Woman , and Sexual Healing of Marvin Gaye.

The Nineties

In 1990, George Michael knows its first relative commercial failure (since it is in comparison with the success of the album Faith ) with the album Listen Without Prejudice, vol. 1 . Sober small pocket: it is a photograph of the photographer Weegee (Crowd At Coney Island, 1940). But no trace of George Michael on the case, just a simple photograph of the artist (in black and white) inside the booklet. However, the album has songs of quality like Praying For Time , Freedom 90 , Cowboys And Angels , Heal The Pain , as well as a recovery They Won' T Go When I Go (Stevie Wonder) and a wink with the Rolling Stones with Waiting For That Day whose music is not other than You Can' T Always Get What You Want (of Mick Jagger & Keith Richards).

The album Listen Without Damage, vol. 2 will never be born. George Michael enters in conflict with the house Sony Music. It engages in a lawsuit without precedent in the history against the prestigious recording company, and loses it. These years of absence will be remembered by some important collaborations for the artist as his participations in the collectives “Red Hot + Dance” in 1992 (George Michael will imply himself in this project in favor of the fight against the AIDS by composing three titles, Too Funky , Do You Really Want To Know , and Happy , like Crazyman Dance , a face B for individual the Too Funky ) and Five Live (1993), an album of five titles in concert with the members of the group Queen and LISA Stansfield. Part of the songs of Five Live ( Somebody To Love and These Are the Days off Our Lives ) comes from “Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness” of April 20th 1992 in Wembley Stadium in London. The three others ( Killer , Papa Has Rollin' Stone and Calling You ) result from a personal concert of George Michael going back to 1991. All the benefit of Five Live were transferred in Mercury Phoenix Trust.

In 1993, the name of George Michael appears on CD Two Rooms: Celebrating The Songs Off Elton John & Bernie Taupin beside those of the Beach Boys, Kate Bush, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker spaniel, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart, Sting, Tina Turner and The Who. It is about a tribute . George Michael interprets there the song Tonight , last title of the album. Sony Music agrees to release it. It negotiates an new agreement with Virgin (for Europe) and Dreamworks (for America). Older leaves in 1996: it is revolving for George Michael who does not hesitate to thank her fans for their long delay. The artist changes style and surfe on the wave R' B. In spite of the changes, success is with go. On the personal level, George Michael is very tested by the death in 1993 of her companion, the Brazilian Styliste Anselmo Feleppa. This loss inspires the song Jesus To him has Child , three years later. Jesus To has Child is the first song of the album Older which contains also Fast Love , Older , Spinning The Wheel , The Strangest Thing , Star People , and You Have Been Loved . This album is dedicated to Anselmo Feleppa and to the musician Antonio Carlos Jobim.

The culminating point of this period is its service given at the time of a Unplugged concert which it gives for MTV to Three Mills Island Studios in London, on October 11th, 1996: George Michael one is miraculé of the star system . Service which will never be born out of CD (except in the form of B-sides of individual for certain pieces) because George is dissatisfied result. There will be right in his compilation Ladies & Gentlemen, The Best Of George Michael (1999) with a version studio of its recovery at the time of the concert of I Can' T Make You Love Me . The mother of the artist is in the room; Lesley Angold Harrison Panayiotou dies a few months later, on February 26th, 1997, of the continuations of a cancer. Ladies & Gentlemen is dedicated to him.

It launches with its label “Ægean” of other artists of which Toby Bourke. He sings in duet with him the ballade “Waltz Away Dreaming” (1997) which one finds on the album Room 21 of Toby Bourke (in 2001) in the form of two versions: that of individual and another known as new version .

In 1998, it is implied in a scandal in Los Angeles. It is made challenge by an civil police in public toilets for immoral behavior. It is in the obligation to reveal its homosexuality following this business. It is a George Michael subtle who denounces with much humor about this business a blow assembled in the show of David Letterman. It rebounds by composing the song Outside whose clip shows homosexual police officers having fun the festival in toilets with the pace Disco. The revelation of its homosexuality, which was not any doubt for many Fan S, does not carry damage to its career. George Michael joins again very quickly with success: it benefits from it to leave Ladies & Gentlemen, The Best Of George Michael , a compilation of its career solo also containing news of which “Outside” and a resumption of Stevie Wonder: “Ace”, sung in duet with Mary J. Blige.

April 10th, 1999, George Michael takes part in the Royal Albert Hall in “There And Everywhere - has Concert For Linda”, a homage to Linda McCartney, in the presence of Paul McCartney, The Pretenders, Elvis Costello, Tom Jones, Sinead O' Connor, Des' ree, Heather Small (of the Mr. People), Johnny Marr (ex Smiths), Neil Finn (ex Crowded House), Marianne Faithfull and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. On this occasion, he sings The Long And Winding Road (Lennon/McCartney) and Faith .

The end of the year 1999, George Michael joins a veteran music, the producer Phil Ramone (known to have produced Burt Bacharach, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart, Liza Minnelli, or Barry Manilow), and leaves unexpected the Songs From The Last Century (1999), an album of recoveries such as Roxanne , My Baby Just Cares For Me or Wild Is The Wind . George Michael makes a success of her conversion into Crooner with this album voted by plebiscite by criticism (a nomination in Grammy Award in the category “Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album” in February 2001).

It connects in 2000 with an unexpected duet with the singer Whitney Houston. Together, it create the surprise by interpreting “Yew I Told You That”, a resumption of the best album of the star American “My Love Is Your Love”.

The years 2000

After a passage missed at Polydor: George Michael leaves two individual who will not walk: Freeek! and Shot The Dog . In the first title George Michael fustigates the media and draws an alarm bell against the pornography, while the second is a true indictment against the war, not hesitating to ridicule the president of the United States and British the Prime Minister in a clip in the form of Cartoon.

George Michael definitively buries the hatchet with Sony Music (with which it had left “Ladies & Gentlemen, The Best Of George Michael”) with her last album: Patience .

Patience is an album which feels nostalgia as testify it to the songs such as John And Elvis Are Dead or the very personal My Mother Had has Brother , one of the pieces headlights. Autobiographical album with many regards, in addition to “My Mother Had has Brother”, one also finds there “Patience”, “American Angel”, and “Please Send Me Someone (Anselmo' S Song)”. But it is also the album of a true pop melodist of the beginning of century with “Amazing”, “Bus And Trains”, “Flawless (Go to the City)”, like “Freeek! ”, and “Shot The Dog” which were integrated there.

Before taking part in compilation “Hope” (Warchild, 2004) in favor of the stop of the Guerre in Iraq where it takes again The Grave Don McLean, George Michael announces on March 10th 2004 with the Radio operator BBC that Patience is its last commercial album. According to its own consents: " Now I would really like that people can download my songs on Internet, free, with the possibility for them n the other hand of making a gift with a work of charité". Then to continue: " Believe me, in the modern world, if you are not in any classification, if you do not save money with anybody, if you do not make lose money with anybody, you then present very little interest for the presse" and to finish by: " And I will be then a man much more heureux" (Radio operator BBC, on March 10th, 2004).

In 2005, the realizer Southan Morris proposes in George Michael to make a film on his life. George Michael accepts. George Michael, has Different Story (distributed in France under the title George Michael, My History ), is documentary recalling the career of the artist. Accompanied by talks with George Michael himself, Andrew Ridgeley its comparse of Wham! , of the chorus-singers Shirlie Holliman-Kemp and Pepsi Demacque-Crockett, David Austin (ex-Tea Executive and one of the closest friends of the star), Jack Panayiotou (his/her father), Sir Elton John, Paul Gambaccini (historian and journalist), Geri Halliwell (Spice Girl, a friend), Kenny Goss (his/her current companion), Mariah Carey, Boy George, Martin Kemp (bass player of the group Spandau Ballet), Sting, Phil Cleans (Producing of “Songs From The Last Century”) and No5el Gallagher (Oasis), this documentary rather traditional in his construction (chronological to be more precise) informs us on the business which opposed at Sony Music, and on subjects as significant as the loss of his/her companion (Anselmo Feleppa) and of his mother, like on her political commitments and social. This documentary will be sold in DVD exclusively during the world world tour which will follow.

The same year, George Michael will make the Guest star in Live 8 at the side of Sir Paul McCartney to sing a duet with the Beatle “Drive My Because” (Lennon/McCartney).

In 2006, George Michael launches out in a round to celebrate her 25 years of career: They is the “25 Live Tour” which will be prolonged during the summer 2007. This round is the occasion for George Michael to leave “Twenty Five”, a compilation of its Wham years! and its years in solo. Compilation leaves in two forms: An double album made up of CD of slow fox trots and CD of its pieces more dancing. The other support is triple album (in digipack) for more the fans including/understanding two quoted CD and CD moreover. To note two important points in this new compilation: The presence of the individual noveau “This Is Not Real Coils”, sung with Mutya, and a new duet with Sir Paul McCartney where the two stars take again together “Heal The Pain” of George Michael.

The most outstanding event of this round (a true show on behalf of an artist until the fans waited since of the years: He had not come in concert to Paris since 1988 for “The Faith Tour”) is the moment when on the scene a giant inflatable doll of George W. Bush with a dog equipped with the British flag appears, making a fellatio with the president of the U.S.A. while George Michael sings Shoot The Dog .

George Michael is present on two CD in homage to two large artists of the music: “Genius & Friends” where he sings in duet with Ray Charles “Blame It One The Sun”). The piece had been recorded a little before the death of Ray Charles but the album left only in 2005 at Rhino/WEA. In “Duets: Is An American Classic”, it with the crooner Tony Bennett that he interprets the song “How Do You Keep The Music Playing? ”.

Cinema

Contrary to singers like Sting, Prince or Madonna, George Michael have a very poor catalog of films as an actor. But its music is very much used with the cinema and on television.

In 2007, a song of George Michael is with the honor for the exit of a cartoon film produced by the Dreamworks studios: It is “Freedom 90” for the film Bee Movie (Bee Movie: Funny Of Bee) of Steve Hickner and Simon J. Smith.

It is not the first time that a song of George Michael is used in a film. Thus, one could hear: “I Want Your Sex” in Beverly Hills COP II ( the Cop De Beverly Hills 2 , 1987) of Tony Scott, “Monkey” in The Prince Of Tides ( the Prince Of the Tides , 1991) of Barbra Streisand, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” in Charlie' S Angels ( Charlie And Its Funny Ladies , 2000) of McG, like in Zoolander (2001) of Ben Stiller and Talladega Nights: The Balad Off Ricky Bobby ( Ricky Bobby: King Of the Circuit , 2006) of Adam McKay, “I Can' T Make You Coils Me” in Maybe Baby (2000) of Ben Elton, “Faith” in Bitter Moon ( the Moons Of Gall , 1992) of Roman Polanski, but also in Very Bad Things (1998) of Peter Berg and in The Rules Of Attraction ( Laws Of Attraction , 2002) of Roger Avary, and more recently “Last Christmas” in The Holiday (2006) of Nancy Meyers.

One can also hear songs of George Michael by other artists as in the removed from rim comedy has Night At The Roxbury ( One Night In Roxbury , 1998) of John Fortenberry where a version of “Careless Whisper” by Tamia is diffused.

The songs of George Michael are also very present in the televised series such as Beavis And Butt-Head (1993) of Mike Judge (“Dad/Killer Has Rollin' Stone” and “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”), Scrubs (2001) of Bill Lawrence (“Faith”), Cold Case (2003) of Meredith Stiehm (“Faith”), and more recently still Nip/Tuck (2003) of Ryan Murphy where one hears “Jesus To has Child”).

As an actor, George Michael appears in guest in the televised series Eli Stone in 2007.

Discography of Wham!

1982 : Fantastic (Epic/Sony)
1984: Make It Big (Epic/Sony)
1986: Final The (Epic/Sony - Europe)
1986: Music From The Edge Off Heaven (Epic/Sony - America)
1997: Yew You Were There: The Best Off Wham! (Epic/Sony)

Discography of George Michael

1987 : Faith (Epic/Sony)
1990: Listen Without Damage, vol. 1 (Epic/Sony)
1991: Red Hot + Dance (Epic/Sony)
1993: Five Live (EMI Records)
1996: Older (Virgin in Europe, Dreamworks in America)
1996: Older & Upper (Virgin, collector in limited edition)
1998: Ladies And Gentlemen (Epic/Sony)
1999: Songs From The Last Century (Virgin)
2004: Patience (Sony the U.K.)
2006: Twenty Five (Sony the U.K.)

Videotex of Wham! & George Michael

1984 : Wham! Video The (CBS/Fox, in cassette VHS)
1985: Wham! 85 (CBS/Fox, in cassette VHS)
1986: Wham! In Clouded: Foreign Ski (CBS/Fox, in cassette VHS)
1986: Wham! Final The (CBS/Fox, in cassette VHS)
1987: George Michael: I Want Your Sex (CBS/Fox, in cassette VHS)
1988: George Michael: Faith (MVC, in cassette VHS)
1988: Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute (MVC, in cassette VHS)
1990: George Michael: Documentary (Made For L.W.T.) (MVC, in cassette VHS)
2000: George Michael: Ladies & Gentlemen - The Best Off George Michael (Sony/Columbia)
2001: Wham! The Best Off Wham! (Sony/BMG)
2001: George Michael: Shot The Dog/Freeek! (Universal Island)
2002: The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert (Parlophone)
2005: Live Aid - July 13,1985 (Warner Vision France)
2005: Live 8 - July 2nd, 2005 (EMI Music)
2006: has Different Story, George Michael (Year Ægean Film, DVD sold exclusively during Twenty Five Tour)
2006: George Michael: Twenty Five (Sony/BMG)

See too

Reference

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