George Michael

George Michael was an English singer, songwriter, and record producer, born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou on 25 June 1963 and passing away on 25 December 2016. He remains one of the best-selling musicians globally, with estimated sales ranging between 100 million to 125 million records. A significant figure in popular music, Michael was renowned for his creative prowess in songwriting, vocal performance, and visual presentation. His achievements include 10 number-one songs on the US Billboard Hot 100 and 13 number-one songs on the UK Singles Chart. Throughout his career, Michael garnered numerous music awards, clinching two Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, and four MTV Video Music Awards. Notably, he was recognized by Billboard as one of the "Greatest Hot 100 Artists of All Time" and by Rolling Stone as one of the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time". The Radio Academy crowned him the most played artist on British radio between 1984 and 2004. In 2023, George Michael was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.


Born in East Finchley, Middlesex, George Michael rose to prominence after co-founding the pop duo Wham! alongside Andrew Ridgeley in 1981. The duo's initial albums, "Fantastic" (1983) and "Make It Big" (1984), achieved chart-topping success, reaching number one on both the US Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart. Wham! enjoyed commercial triumph with hit singles such as "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)", "Young Guns (Go for It)", "Bad Boys", "Club Tropicana", "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Last Christmas", "Everything She Wants", "Freedom", and "I'm Your Man". Notably, their 1985 tour in China marked the first visit by a Western pop act and garnered extensive global media attention. Furthermore, George Michael contributed to Band Aid's chart-topping single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1984 and graced the stage at the subsequent Live Aid concert the following year.


In 1998, George Michael publicly acknowledged his sexual orientation, coming out as gay, and subsequently became an active advocate for LGBT rights and a committed fundraiser for HIV/AIDS charities. Despite his philanthropic efforts, Michael's personal struggles, including drug use and legal issues, attracted significant media attention, particularly following a 1998 arrest for public lewdness and various drug-related offenses. The 2005 documentary "A Different Story" provided insights into his career trajectory and personal challenges. From 2006 to 2008, Michael embarked on the extensive 25 Live tour, captivating audiences worldwide. In 2011, he faced a life-threatening bout of pneumonia, slipping into a coma before ultimately recovering. His final live performance took place at London's Earls Court in 2012. Tragically, George Michael succumbed to heart disease on Christmas Day in 2016, passing away at his residence in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.


George Michael, originally named Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, entered the world on 25 June 1963, in East Finchley. His father, Kyriacos "Jack" Panayiotou, hailed from Patriki, Cyprus, and ventured to England in the 1950s, where he pursued a career as a restaurateur. Michael's mother, Lesley Angold, an English dancer, passed away in 1997. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in June 2008, Michael revealed that his maternal grandmother, of Jewish descent, married a non-Jewish man and concealed their Jewish heritage from their children due to wartime fears. George Michael's formative years were predominantly spent in Kingsbury, London, residing in the family home since his birth. He attended Roe Green Junior School and later Kingsbury High School. Michael shared his upbringing with two sisters, Yioda (born 1958) and Melanie (1960–2019). During a broadcast of the BBC's Desert Island Discs, he recounted how his passion for music blossomed following a childhood head injury around the age of eight.


During Michael's early teenage years, his family relocated to Radlett. At this juncture, Michael commenced his education at Bushey Meads School in Bushey, where he, under the moniker "Yog", encountered and struck up a friendship with his future Wham! collaborator, Andrew Ridgeley. Both harbored aspirations of pursuing careers in music. Michael took to busking on the London Underground, treating commuters to renditions of tunes like "'39" by Queen. His immersion in the music scene commenced with gigs as a DJ, entertaining patrons at the Bel Air Restaurant in Northwood, London, as well as at various clubs and local schools across Bushey, Stanmore, and Watford. Subsequently, Michael ventured into the formation of a short-lived ska ensemble named the Executive, featuring Ridgeley, Ridgeley's sibling Paul, Andrew Leaver, Jamie Gould, and David Mortimer, later recognized as David Austin.


In 1981, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley joined forces to establish the iconic duo, Wham! Recognizing the importance of accessibility on the brink of stardom, Michael opted to legally change his name to George Michael. The duo's debut album, "Fantastic," swiftly ascended to the top spot on the UK charts in 1983, birthing a string of top 10 hits like "Young Guns," "Wham Rap!," and "Club Tropicana." Their sophomore effort, "Make It Big," replicated this success by claiming the No. 1 position on the US charts. Noteworthy singles from this album included "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" (a chart-topper in both the UK and US), "Freedom," "Everything She Wants," and "Careless Whisper," the latter marking Michael's maiden solo venture as a single. Released in December 1984, "Last Christmas" became an instant classic. In recognition of his songwriting prowess, George Michael received the first of his three Ivor Novello Awards for Songwriter of the Year from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors in 1985.


In the original 1984 Band Aid recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas?", George Michael's vocals feature prominently, positioned third in the song's lineup following Paul Young and Boy George. The track soared to the summit of the UK Christmas charts, with Michael generously donating the proceeds from "Last Christmas" and "Everything She Wants" to charity. At the historic Live Aid concert held at Wembley Stadium in London on 13 July 1985, Michael delivered a memorable performance alongside Elton John, captivating audiences with their rendition of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". Additionally, Michael lent his background vocals to David Cassidy's 1985 hit "The Last Kiss" and contributed to Elton John's chart-toppers "Nikita" and "Wrap Her Up". Michael acknowledged Cassidy as a significant influence on his career and engaged in an insightful interview with him for David Litchfield's Ritz Newspaper.


Wham!'s groundbreaking tour of China in April 1985 marked a historic moment as the first visit by a Western popular music act to the country, attracting widespread global media attention, particularly focused on George Michael. The Chicago Tribune captured the essence of the event with the headline: "East meets Wham!, and another great wall comes down". Prior to Wham!'s arrival, various forms of music in China were prohibited, making the concert a landmark cultural event. Simon Napier-Bell, the band's manager, dedicated 18 months to persuade Chinese officials to permit the duo's performance, which even drew members of the Chinese government to attend. Chinese television presenter Kan Lijun, reflecting on Wham!'s historic show, recounted the astonishment and excitement among the audience, despite concerns from authorities about potential disturbances.


Wham!'s electrifying performances, featuring scantily clad dancers and pulsating disco lights, left a lasting impression. George Michael's attempt to engage the audience in clapping along to "Club Tropicana" was met with initial confusion, as the Chinese spectators misunderstood his intentions. However, some eventually caught on to the beat. Despite the energetic atmosphere, reports from the UK embassy in China noted that most of the lively dancing came from Western audience members.


The tour was immortalized in the documentary "Wham! in China: Foreign Skies", directed by Lindsay Anderson and produced by Martin Lewis. As rumors swirled regarding the future of Wham!, fueled by George Michael's solo successes with "Careless Whisper" (1984) and "A Different Corner" (1986), anticipation mounted for the duo's eventual separation. In 1986, Wham! officially bid farewell with the release of the single "The Edge of Heaven", their compilation album "The Final", and a memorable sold-out concert at Wembley Stadium, which also featured the premiere screening of their China tour documentary. The dissolution of Wham! was cemented with the chart-topping success of "The Edge of Heaven" in June 1986, marking the end of an era for the iconic duo.


In early 1987, at the dawn of his solo career, George Michael unveiled "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)", a duet featuring the legendary Aretha Franklin. The collaboration fulfilled Michael's long-held ambition of singing alongside one of his musical idols. Upon its release, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" swiftly ascended to the top of both the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100, marking Michael's third consecutive solo chart-topper in the UK after 1984's "Careless Whisper" and 1986's "A Different Corner". Notably, it was the first solo endeavor by Michael where he hadn't penned the lyrics himself. The co-writer, Simon Climie, initially obscure, later found success as a performer with the band Climie Fisher in 1988. The dynamic duo of Michael and Franklin clinched a Grammy Award in 1988 for Best R&B Performance – Duo or Group with Vocal for their stellar performance.

References

1.  "George Michael". Desert Island Discs. 5 October 2007. BBC Radio 4. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
2. a b c "Troubled personal life of pop superstar George Michael". Sky News. 27 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
3. a b "KEEPING FAITH! WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC RENEWS PUBLISHING DEAL WITH GEORGE MICHAEL'S ESTATE" (Press release). PR Newswire. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
4. a b Rubiner, Julia (1993). Contemporary Musicians: Profiles of the People in Music, Volume 9. Gale Research, Incorporated. p. 169. As a solo artist George Michael has been hailed as a leading creative force in popular songwriting. With fame approaching, Michael decided to change his name from the intimidating Georgios Panayiotou to the more accessible George Michael.
5. ^ "The 20 best male singers of all time, ranked in order of pure vocal ability". Smooth Radio. 9 April 2020. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
6. ^ "George Michael's Style: Remembering His Top 5 Iconic Looks". Billboard. 27 December 2016. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
7. ^ "Pop icon George Michael was a music video master". Mashable. 25 December 2016. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.

^ "The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. 1 January 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.