Fantastic (Wham! Album)
''Fantastic'' is the debut studio album by British pop duo Wham!, released on 9 July 1983. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. It included the previously released singles "Young Guns (Go for It), Young Guns", "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do), Wham! Rap" and "Bad Boys (Wham! song), Bad Boys". "Club Tropicana" was released as a single to coincide with the album's release. Although not on the album, "Club Fantastic Megamix" (a medley of songs from the album) was released against the band's wishes by Innervision Records, Innervision soon after ''Fantastic'', and whilst they were in proceedings to leave the label. According to Andrew Ridgeley in his 2019 book ''Wham! George and Me'' it was during the early stages of writing and recording of this album, that the pair agreed that George Michael should take sole responsibility for writing the group's material. Before securing their first record deal, they had written songs together, and made their first demos with these songs. W ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Graham Broad
Graham Broad (born 10 March 1957) is an English drummer who has been playing professionally since the age of fifteen, after attending the Royal College of Music in 1970. He is a former pupil of drumming educator Lloyd Ryan, who also taught Phil Collins the drum rudiments. His works have spanned decades with musicians such as Roger Waters, Tina Turner, The Beach Boys, Procol Harum, Jeff Beck, Tom Cochrane and Red Rider, Van Morrison, Bryan Adams, Bill Wyman, Tony Banks and George Michael. One of the most prolific drummers of the 1980s, his work appeared on Top 10 hits for Bucks Fizz, Dollar, Tina Turner, Bardo, Go West, Five Star, ABC (even appearing in the music video for their smash hit, "When Smokey Sings"), and Wham!. Broad has been mostly playing with ex- Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters, since 1987, where he played the drums on Waters' '' Radio K.A.O.S.'' album and following tour. In 1990, Broad, who had joined Waters' "Bleeding Heart Band", performed onsta ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Wham!
Wham! (briefly known in the US as Wham! U.K.) were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981. The duo consisted of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They became one of the most commercially successful pop acts of the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to 1986. 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 and teen angst over adulthood. Their second studio album ''Make It Big'' in 1984 was a worldwide pop smash hit, charting at number one in both the UK and the United States. Associated with the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US, the singles from the album—"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Everything She Wants" and "Careless Whisper"—all topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 1985, Wham! made a highly publicised 10-day visit to China, the first by a Western pop group. The event was seen as a ma ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Honky-tonk
A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano (tack piano) used to play such music. Bars of this kind are common in the South and Southwest United States. Many eminent country music artists, such as Jimmie Rodgers, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, Ernest Tubb, Johnny Horton, and Merle Haggard, began their careers as amateur musicians in honky-tonks. The origin of the term "honky-tonk" is disputed, originally referring to bawdy variety shows in areas of the old West (Oklahoma, the Indian Territories and mostly Texas) and to the actual theaters showing them. The first music genre to be commonly known as honky-tonk was a style of piano playing related to ragtime but emphasizing rhythm more than melody or harmony; the style evolved in response to an environment in which pianos were often poorly cared for, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dee C
Dee may refer to: People Surname * Dee, an alternate spelling of the Welsh surname Day * Dee, a romanization of several Chinese surnames, including: ** Those listed at Di (surname) ** Some Hokkien pronunciations of the surname Li () * Di Renjie (630–700), Duke Wenhui of Liang, a Tang dynasty official * Arthur Dee (1579–1651), a physician and alchemist * Billy Dee, retired African American adult film actor * Bob Dee (1933–1979), American football defensive end * Daisy Dee (born 1970), Dutch singer, actress and TV host * Dave Dee (1943–2009), English singer-songwriter, musician, A&R manager, fundraiser and businessman * Ed Dee (born 1940), American author * Frances Dee (1909–2004), American actress * Gerry Dee (born 1968), Canadian comedian * Jack Dee (born 1961), British comedian * Jeff Dee (born 1961), American artist and game designer * Joey Dee (born 1940), American singer, of Joey Dee and the Starliters * John Dee (1527 – 1608 or 1609), English mathemati ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Guy Barker
Guy Jeffrey Barker, (born 26 December 1957) is an English jazz trumpeter and composer. Early life Barker was born in Chiswick, London, the son of an actress and a stuntman. He started playing the trumpet at the age of twelve, and within a year had joined the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. At the age of 15 he was playing with the Crouch End Allstars along with Wally Fawkes and Bob Nadkarni. Later life and career After lessons from Clark Terry in 1975, Barker went on in the 1980s to play with John Dankworth, Gil Evans (with whose orchestra he toured and recorded in 1983), Lena Horne, and Bobby Watson. Barker was a member of Clark Tracey's quintet from 1984 to 1992. As a sideman he has played with Ornette Coleman, Carla Bley, Georgie Fame, James Carter, Mike Westbrook, Frank Sinatra, Colin Towns, Natalie Merchant, ABC, The The, Haircut One Hundred, Erasure, Chris Botti, Wham!, Kajagoogoo, The Housemartins, Matt Bianco, Alphaville, The Style Council, Swing Out Sister, The Mood ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Luís Jardim
Luís Alberto Figueira Gonçalves Jardim (born 4 July 1950) is a Portuguese percussionist, born in the Madeira Island, best known for his work with producer Trevor Horn. Family Jardim is a cousin of Alberto João Jardim (former president of the regional government of Madeira). His first wife was Linda Jardim (nee Allan), a successful session singer and lead vocal in the Buggles hit "Video Killed the Radio Star". They had two daughters together, Gabrielle and Rebecca. He was married to his second wife, Maria Jardim in 1987 and had two daughters together, Natassia and Stefania. He is now in a relationship with Teresa Silveira. Musical work Jardim's career includes music composition, production, arrangements, and studio work. He took part in the UK selection process for the '' Eurovision Song Contest 1981'', fronting the group 'Headache' in the ''A Song for Europe'' contest broadcast on BBC1. The song, "Not Without Your Ticket (Don't Go)", placed 7th of the 8 entries. Beginning ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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John McKenzie (musician)
John Michael McKenzie (1955 – 10 May 2020) was a British bass guitarist who was a member of bands such as Global Village Trucking Company and Man. He played on numerous singles, notably for Eurythmics, The Pretenders and Alison Moyet; and was a touring musician with acts as diverse as Lionel Richie, Dr. John and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Career McKenzie started his career in 1970 as a member of the Global Village Trucking Company, who all lived together in an old farm house in Sotherton, Suffolk, with their families, and became a well-known live act by playing extended jams at numerous benefit concerts and free festivals. Their first recording was as part of ''Greasy Truckers Live at Dingwalls Dance Hall'', a benefit album recorded at Dingwalls and released in 1973. The same year, the BBC made and broadcast a documentary about the band, their commune, and their shunning of record companies. In 2008 the BBC made a follow-up documentary for their ''What Happened Ne ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Deon Estus
Jeffery Deon Estus (July 4, 1956 – October 11, 2021) was an American musician 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 No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in 1989. Early life Estus was born in Detroit on July 4, 1956. He went to Northwestern High School. There, he sang second tenor in the choir under the direction of Brazel Dennard. His bass guitar teacher was James Jamerson of Motown's the Funk Brothers. Career Estus joined the R&B band Brainstorm as a teenager, recording two albums with them and scoring a hit with "Popcorn". During the early 1980s, he moved to Europe to join and tour with Marvin Gaye. He lived in Belgium and Ireland, before settling in London. He turned down the chance to play bass on Marvin Gaye's 1982 comeback album, ''Midnight Love'', because he was so busy recording and he said that he ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tommy Eyre
Tommy Eyre (5 June 1949 – 23 May 2001) was an English session keyboardist from Sheffield, England, who appeared on records by Joe Cocker, John Martyn, Gary Moore, Michael Schenker, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Greg Lake, B.B. King, John Mayall, Ian Gillan, Gerry Rafferty, Tracy Chapman and Wham!. He played on Joe Cocker's UK chart-topper "With A Little Help From My Friends", on which he arranged the distinctive organ introduction, and Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street" and "Right Down the Line". Career Eyre began piano lessons at the age of four and started playing guitar when he was in his teens. In 1968 he joined Joe Cocker's Grease Band where he played the organ on ''With A Little Help From My Friends''. In the same year Eyre moved to London to work with The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation and later with Dunbar's next rock band called Blue Whale. After a short period with the band Juicy Lucy, Eyre joined the duo Mark-Almond and played on two of their albums. After that, in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Anne Dudley
Anne Jennifer Dudley (née Beckingham; born 7 May 1956) is an English composer, keyboardist, conductor and pop musician. She was the first BBC Concert Orchestra's Composer in Association in 2001. She has worked in the classical and pop genres, as a film composer, and was one of the core members of the Synth-pop band Art of Noise. In 1998, Dudley won an Oscar for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score for ''The Full Monty''. In addition to over twenty other film scores, in 2012 she served as music producer for the film version of ''Les Misérables'', also acting as arranger and composing some new additional music. Career Dudley was born in Beckenham, Kent. She graduated with a master's in music from King's College London in 1978. Trained as a classical performer, she moved into the competitive commercial field as a session musician, where her professional relationship with Trevor Horn began. In 1982, Dudley made significant contributions to the Horn-produced ''The Lexicon of Lo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Andrew Ridgeley
Andrew John Ridgeley (born 26 January 1963) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer, best known for his work in the 1980s in the musical duo Wham!. Early life Ridgeley was born in Windlesham, Surrey, England, to parents Jennifer John (née Dunlop) and Alberto Mario Zacharia (who later changed his surname to Ridgeley); his mother is Scottish and his father is of Italian/Egyptian descent. Ridgeley grew up in Bushey, Hertfordshire, and attended Bushey Meads School. His mother was a schoolteacher at Bushey Heath Primary School while his father worked for Canon. When George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ... enrolled at school, Ridgeley volunteered to take him under his wing. Career After years of playing in various music groups, mos ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Billy Griffin
William L. Griffin (born August 15, 1950) is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for replacing Smokey Robinson as lead singer of The Miracles in 1972. Biography Griffin was born and raised in West Baltimore, Maryland. He attended Garrison Junior High School and Forest Park High School. He, like his brother Donald Griffin (1955–2015), (who later replaced Marv Tarplin in the Miracles), was a guitarist, as well as a singer, and sang with a local Baltimore group called The Last Dynasty. Damon Harris, who later went on to fame as a member of The Temptations, was a high school friend and group member in another local group, the Young Tempts (later renamed as The Young Vandals). Griffin idolized Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson, while Harris idolized Temptation Eddie Kendricks. Both of them wound up as replacements for their idols in their respective groups. Griffin and three friends formed the group Last Dynasty and won a talent program on NBC Television. Dur ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |