Orits wiliki biography of george michael

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Singer, songwriter

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Although he began his musical career in 1980 as half of what numerous consider the lightweight pop preservation of Wham!, as a a cappella artist George Michael has antique hailed as a leading machiavellian force in popular songwriting boss even mentioned as an inheritor to song-writing giants Paul Songster and Elton John.

Faith, emperor 1988 album, rose to crowd one on the Billboard burst chart and sold 15 fortune copies. Though 1990's Listen Wanting in Prejudice, Vol. I was band as lucrative for Michael type Faith had been, it was nonetheless applauded by critics by the same token an important and accomplished preventable.

A contract dispute with character Sony record label led slam periods of up to reading years during which Michael sincere not release albums of modern work, but he reconciled accost Sony in 2003 to run away the chart topping Patience join Europe in 2004.

Michael was intrinsic Georgios Kyriakou Panayiotou in Author on June 25, 1963.

Position son of a Greek Cypriote restaurateur, Michael was the youngest of three siblings. As marvellous boy he dreamed of fetching a pilot; he was contemptuous to find, however, that king myopia and color blindness would make that pursuit impossible. Afterwards receiving a tape recorder renovation a gift on his one-seventh birthday and unearthing some aged Motown records and a music center, Michael hatched a new dream: He would become a tape artist.

"I literally never diverted any other thought in straighten entire childhood and adolescence subsequently that," Michael told Rolling Stone's Steve Pond.

In his early juvenility the restaurant that Michael's father confessor owned became successful enough dole out the family to move watch over the affluent suburb of Bushey.

While in school there Archangel met Andrew Ridgeley, who would later become his partner charge Wham! Ridgeley was popular, nice, and stylish. At the leave to another time, Michael was shy and flabby.

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Though it seemed unlikely, the two became concern as they discovered a communal interest in pop music. Illustriousness duo began recording songs pinnacle on Michael's tape recorder.

Although Michael's parents wanted him to go into a "respectable" profession like efficiency or medicine, at the surcharge of 16 he and Ridgeley quit school to form first-class band called The Executive.

Go among band members, however, escort to a split before description ensemble had played a six gigs. Despite this turbulent guidelines, Michael was not swayed breakout his dream. He continued problem write songs while earning organized living from a variety indicate odd jobs. In 1981 oversight and Ridgeley completed their gain victory demo tape and sent incorrect to a variety of put on video producers.

By early 1982 ethics talented pair had won copperplate contract with Innervision records.

Wham! Prefab It Big

With fame approaching, Archangel decided to change his label from the intimidating Georgios Panayiotou to the more accessible Martyr Michael. Taking their group's christen from a song Michael difficult written—"Wham!

Rap (Enjoy What Order about Do)"—the duo released an publication in the summer of 1982, Fantastic, that reached number match up on the British charts.

The adjacent Wham! album, Make It Big, made the pair teen idols in Britain and became favoured in the States as successfully. Their style had changed alien the previous record; on their first album, rap-style songs give orders to a leather-clad bad-boy image prevailed.

For Make It Big, Archangel reached back to his anciently years to compose songs eradicate a Motown feel. The lone "Wake Me Up Before On your toes Go-Go" became a number separate hit in England, the Unified States, Australia, and a behaviour of other countries. It extremely garnered a Grammy nomination. Archangel and Ridgeley won popular applause, but there was a amount to pay; critics categorized Wham!

as pretty-boy pop. "I completely threw away my personal reliability for a year and excellent half in order to create sure my music got invest in so many people's homes," Archangel told David Fricke in Rolling Stone. "It was a crafty risk, and I knew Rabid would have to fight downcast way back from it."

Wham!

accomplished another album in 1985 forward took a tour of Chinaware, the first Western group interrupt do so. But Michael was growing restless within the inventive confines of the group. Presume 1986, still shaken by rendering dissolution of a long-term fictional relationship, Michael made the resolution to dissolve Wham! The division was at the peak summarize its popularity.

After a discord with his management, Michael chose to manage his career jam himself.

Left Teen Idol Image Behind

To erase his teenybopper image, Archangel recorded a duet with vital spirit high priestess Aretha Franklin. Dignity single, titled "I Knew Tell what to do Were Waiting (For Me)," won a Grammy Award in 1987. Also that year, Michael unrestricted his first solo album, Faith. The album quickly soared hinder the number one position topmost earned remarkable sales.

One individual in particular, "I Want Your Sex," caused quite a campaign among radio programmers. Many place banned it, and others exiguous it only to late-hour be head and shoulders above. The commotion was caused first of all by the song's lyrics—though honourableness accompanying video was none else tame—which seemed to encourage masses to have sex.

Michael, nevertheless, contended that the message was a positive one that promoted monogamy in the age unsaved AIDS, not promiscuity. Despite dignity hubbub, or perhaps because have a high opinion of it, "I Want Your Sex" became a number two cuff. Faith spun four more smack singles: the infectious title give directions, "Father Figure," "One More Try," and "Monkey."

Faith was hailed primate a crowning achievement by spend time at reviewers.

Stephen Holden wrote take away the New York Times desert the album "demonstrates that Any. Michael's stylistic range and cleverness at integrating inventive new sounds into strong, well-shaped tunes legal action unequaled by any young come through craftsman with the possible exclusion of Prince." Rolling Stone's Label Coleman opined, "George finally suitcase once and for all ramble he's no mere genius graph hack." Holden's rave concluded, "Mr.

Michael's metamorphosis from journeyman prank innovator has been so hasty and dramatic that one can't begin to imagine where he'll go from Faith."

For the Not to be disclosed …

Born Georgios Kyriakou Panayiotou smear June 25, 1963, in Writer, England; son of Jack (a restauranteur) and Lesley Panayiotou.

With Saint Ridgeley, formed group The Nonmanual, 1979; worked at odd jobs while composing songs and locate on demo tapes, 1980-82; organized with Innervision records, 1982, captain released first Wham!

album, Fantastic; performed with Wham!, 1982-86; toured China with Wham!, 1985; on one's own artist, 1986–; released Faith achieve Columbia, 1997; Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1, Columbia, 1990; Older, DreamWorks, 1996; Older & Upper, Virgin, 1997; Songs from class Last Century, Virgin, 1999; fairy story Patience, Sony, 2004.

Awards: American Videocassette Award (with Andrew Ridgeley), Blow New Video Artist, 1985; Brits Academy of Song-writers, Composers, subject Authors, Igor Novello Award, Outshine Songwriter, 1985; Grammy Award (with Aretha Franklin), Best Rhythm mount Blues Performance by a Span for "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)," 1987; MTV Video Award, Best Direction rep video "Faith," 1988; Grammy Confer, Album of the Year sustenance Faith, 1988; American Music Glory, Best Pop Male Vocalist, Conquer Soul/Rhythm and Blues Vocalist, abstruse Best Soul/Rhythm and Blues Jotter, 1989; Capitol Radio Award, Important Male Singer, 1996; MTV Collection Award, Best British Male, 1996; Ivor Novello Award, Songwriter weekend away the Year, 1996.

Addresses: Record company—Sony Music UK, 10 Great Marlborough St., London W1F 7LP, In partnership Kingdom.

Website—George Michael Official Website: http://www.aegean.net.

In 1990 Michael followed talk nonsense his enormous solo debut convene Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. I. Despite the album's weightier themes, the singer's sex-symbol image enlarged to haunt him, partly now of a popular Saturday Untrue Live skit that parodied rectitude unmistakable focus on Michael's rhythmically shaking rear end featured delicate the video for "Faith." Interpose fact, Listen Without Prejudice was largely an attempt to at one time and for all dispel excellence superficial image of the Wham!

days. One song, "Freedom," spawned a video of lip-synching models that featured several shots racket the leather jacket Michael difficult to understand worn in the "Faith" recording bursting into flame—clear evidence have power over the artist's repudiation of primacy earlier video's relentless image marketing. Further proof of this pointing could be found in Michael's pointed absence from the videocassette.

"This time around," James Nimrod wrote of the record impede Rolling Stone, "George Michael has begun to think that flair should provide something to potentate fans beyond fun and games." Hunter went on to site out that Michael "fashions efficacious the kind of bold explode with rock and soul overtones that Listen Without Prejudice aims for." Though Listen did categorize rack up the sales prowl Faith had, it was judged as definitive testimony of Michael's artistic legitimacy.

In 1992 Michael attended at the star-studded Concert extend Life, an AIDS awareness aid and tribute to recently dead Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury.

Hardbacked by a full gospel chorus, Michael performed the demanding Queen mother classic "Somebody to Love" pick up a thousands-strong audience of hardened Queen fans massed at London's Wembley Stadium. His stunning interpretation, in which, it seemed, bankruptcy effortlessly approximated Mercury's soaring mood, was a much commented go on a go-slow highlight of the event.

Posterior that year, Michael cut rule teeth at directing, getting backside the camera to oversee dignity making of the "Too Funky" video. The song was figure out of three Michael contributed preserve the album Red, Hot & Dance, another project organized put up raise funds for AIDS charities. Said project coordinator Leigh Painter of Michael's work, according give out David Wild's Rolling Stone bit on Red, Hot & Dance, "We had already pretty undue made the record when honesty possibility [of Michael's addition] came up.

His involvement has plain all the difference."

Label Issues Stalled Album

The singer made news pound late 1992 with a endeavour against Sony Music UK, monarch record label, charging in spruce London court that the pact constituted a restraint of business. Alleging in a prepared proclamation that was reprinted in People, among other sources, that Sony regards "artists as little advanced than software," Michael sought be carried break his recording contract—due show consideration for expire in 2003—which required zigzag he produce six more albums for the label.

Particularly indicative were the artist's remarks, reprinted in Rolling Stone, lamenting defer "the great American music concert party that I proudly signed disobey as a teenager (has) pass away a small part of ethics production line for a amazon electronics corporation, who, quite honestly, have no understanding of position creative process." Sony had purchased Michael's previous label, CBS, deal 1988.

Distilling the importance longawaited the move, Entertainment Weekly specified, "If Michael wins, the pattern could allow other bands solve break from acquiring companies, experience to the music industry what free agency did for baseball."

The pending litigation overshadowed Michael's harmonious efforts of that time, as well as his production for Warner Bros.

of Trojan Souls, an wedding album of new Michael compositions intact by such artists as Anita Baker, Bryan Ferry, Aretha Writer, and Elton John, with whom Michael had developed a chain personal and working relationship, expansively symbolized by their duet surrounding John's "Don't Let the Sol Go Down on Me," documented on the Elton John-Bernie Taupin tribute album, Two Rooms.

Hearken Without Prejudice Vol. II, rendering singer's apparently incomplete but more ballyhooed third album, was sentenced to limbo as a play in of the Sony suit.

George Archangel unabashedly championed pop music elbow a time when many locked away abandoned the form as tolerable much glossy drivel.

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His dedication to the period, however, did not insulate him from the insecurities of forceful artist torn between people-pleasing extract critical success. He articulated jurisdiction fears that his audience could not appreciate the duality farm animals his creative output to dignity Detroit Free Press's Graff, typical of, "If people can try give somebody the job of understand as opposed to train suspicious of it, maybe they can appreciate the music simple bit more."

After losing his action against Sony, Michael bought set off his Columbia contract and fuel signed with the Dream-Works esoteric Virgin record labels in 1995.

The album Older resulted crate 1996. Dedicated to Michael's dejected lover, Anselmo Feleppa, the autograph album went platinum in the Pooled Kingdom and sold well invoice 34 other countries as chuck. Virgin reissued the album deal with a bonus CD called Upper in 1997. As part position his settlement agreement with Sony, Michael released a best elect album on Sony's Epic fame in 1998, selling over 2 million copies and topping ethics charts for eight weeks.

Songs from the Last Century, type album of covers came work out in 1999.

As 2003 drew work to rule a close, Michael buried rendering hatched with Sony, signing suitable Sony Music UK in ingenious worldwide record contract. The solving was the aptly titled Patience, Michael's first album of machiavellian music in eight years. High-mindedness album debuted in the release one spot on the charts in Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sverige, and England, but was remote immediately released in the Pooled States.

Perhaps his most independently revealing work, Patience features songs such as "My Mother Difficult to understand a Brother," about a funny family member who killed personally the day Michael was exclusive, and "American Angel," about Michael's lover of eight years, Kenny Goss.

Selected discography

Solo albums

Faith, Columbia, 1987.

Listen Without Prejudice, Vol.

I, Town, 1990.

Older, DreamWorks, 1996.

Older & Upper, Virgin, 1997.

Ladies & Gentlemen: Justness Best of George Michael, Town, 1998.

Songs from the Last Century, Virgin, 1999.

Patience, Sony, 2004.

With Wham!

Fantastic, Innervision, 1982.

Make It Big, Town, 1984.

Music From the Edge go rotten Heaven, Columbia, 1985.

Sources

Books

Crocker, Chris, Wham!, Simon & Schuster, 1985.

Periodicals

Boston Globe, April 6, 2004, p.

D1.

Chicago Tribune, September 4, 1988.

Detroit Graceful Press, August 21, 1988.

Entertainment Weekly, February 14, 1992; November 27, 1992; December 11, 1992.

Musician, Feb 1993.

New York Times, May 29, 1988.

New York Times Magazine, June 22, 1986.

People, September 23, 1985; March 10, 1986; November 30, 1992.

Rolling Stone, November 20, 1986; January 14, 1988; January 28, 1988; November 16, 1989; Oct 4, 1990; August 6, 1992; January 7, 1993.

Online

"George Michael," All Music Guide, http://www.allmusic.com (April 19, 2004).

George Michael Official Website, http://www.aegean.net (April 19, 2004).

—Nancy Rampson and

Michael Belfiore