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George Michael
British-born singer/songwriter George Michael began his career as a teenybopper
idol in the seminal '80s pop duo Wham! and later transitioned into one of the most
successful solo artists of the late '80s and '90s.
Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou on June 25, 1963. He grew up in the
suburbs of London, the son of a Greek father and an English mother. He and schoolmate
Andrew Ridgeley formed Wham in 1982 after playing in various bands together. The duo
became an instant success when their debut album, Fantastic, hit No. 1 on the
U.K. charts.
Throughout their four-year partnership in Wham!, Michael and Ridgeley scored numerous
hits on both sides of the Atlantic, including their 1984 breakthrough "Wake Me Up Before
You Go Go," "Careless Whisper," "Everything She Wants," "Freedom" and "I'm Your Man."
In 1986, after three albums, Michael left Wham for a solo career. His solo debut, Faith,
released the following year on Columbia Records, catapulted Michael into the upper
echelons of rock stardom.
It's certainly true to say "Faith" is one of the classic albums of the 1980s. The
controversial video to the album's first single, "I Want Your Sex," introduced Michael's
sexy new leather-clad image -- less bubblegum, more razor stubble.
Faith went on to sell more than eight million copies off the strength of four No. 1
singles, "Faith," "Father Figure," "One More Try" and "Monkey."
When the dust settled, Michael walked away with the 1988 Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
George Michael song lyrics...
Faith
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