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To celebrate his 25th year in the business, pop superstar George Michael is touring this summer on the 25 Live tour in support of his best-of album, "Twenty Five."
Michael spent part of his career as half of the successful duo Wham! and another part as an even more successful solo star. Over his career, he sold 85 million records and can boast 12 British No.1 singles, 9 British No.1 albums, 10 U.S. No.1 singles and 2 U.S. No.1 albums. In addition, Michal is the most played artist on British radio for the past two decades.
Michael grew up in a Greek family in North London, beginning his career with the short-live ska band The Executive. Eventually, he and band mate Andrew Ridgeley got together to form Wham! in 1981. The bands second album, "Make it Big," was their breakthrough - it included the massive hits "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," "Freedom," "Last Christmas/Everything She Wants."
The single "Careless Whisper" was included on the album, but it was also considered Michaels first solo effort. The song, written when the star was just 17, was the most played song of the decade and was found the favorite record of all time according to London residents in 1995.
Wham! traveled China behind the album in 1985, and the two eventually split in the summer of 1986 after a sell-out concert at Wembley Stadium.
Michael worked to achieve a more soulful sound as a solo artist, and he did that with help from the Queen of Soul herself - Aretha Franklin. Their duet, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" was his first single, and it hit No.1 on the UK Singles chart.
"Faith" was released in 1987. Michael wrote and produced almost every song in his debut collection, in addition to playing most of the instruments. The album became a momentous success, including the singles "I Want Your Sex," "Father Figure," "One More Try," "Monkey" and the title track, which has become one of his most popular songs.
In three years, the album sold seven million copies - since then, it has been certified Diamond by the RIAA and has earned more than $20 million in the U.S. alone. However, it wasnt just a commercial gold mine - Rolling Stone ranked the album 84th out of the top 100 albums of the 1980s and 480 on the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Michael went through a hard time after the release - he was far from his friends, and there was speculation in the media that he was homosexual. He continued to work, however, and in 1990 released "Listen without Prejudice Vol.1," which included the hit Freedom 90."
Over the following years, Michal released three more studio album, two compilations and one live album. His last hit U.S. single was 'Dont Let the Sun Go Down on Me" with Elton John, but he has continued to release hits in the U.K.
His newest album, Twenty Five, includes a number of new songs with performances from Paul McCartney and Mary J. Blige, plus several of Michaels hits. The collection will include a 2-dsc DVD of 40 videos.
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