George Michael was born as
Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou on June 25, 1963
in England. In the early 1980s, Michael
teamed up with Andrew Ridgeley to form the
group 'The Executive' which quickly became Wham!.
Throughout the 80s, Wham!
released a string of successful singles that
topped the charts around the world. By the
late 80s, Wham! disbanded
and Michael went solo.
# 94
Singles Artist of the Year
# 7
Singles Artist of the Year (# 1
Male Artist of the Year)
Michael hit #1 for a week along
with Aretha Franklin on "I Knew You
Were Waiting (For Me)."
Michael released Faith.
Michael hit #1 for 2 weeks with
"Faith."
# 1
Singles Artist of the Year (# 1
Male Artist of the Year)
Faith was certified 2x
platinum.
Michael was nominated for an American Music
Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist.
Michael began the 'Faith' tour
worldwide.
Faith was certified 3x
platinum.
Michael hit #1 for 2 weeks with
"Father Figure."
Michael won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal
Performance by a Duo or Group ("I Knew You Were
Waiting (For Me) with Aretha Franklin).
Faith was certified 4x
platinum.
Michael hit #1 for 3 weeks with
"One More Try."
Michael performed at the 'Nelson
Mandela Freedom Concert.'
Faith was certified 5x
platinum.
Michael hit #1 for 2 weeks with
"Monkey."
Faith was certified 6x
platinum.
The video for
"Father Figure" won a MTV Video Music
Award for Best Direction (Andy Morahan and
Michael) and was nominated for Best Cinematography. The video for "Faith" was nominated
for Best Art Direction.
Michael topped the Billboard 1988
Year-End Chart Toppers as the Top Pop Artist
(singles & albums), Top Pop Artist - Male
(singles & albums), Top Pop Album Artist,
Top Pop Album Artist - Male, Top Pop Singles
Artist, Top Pop Singles Artist - Male, Top
Crossover Artist, and with the Top Pop Album
and Top Pop Compact Disk (Faith) and Top Pop Single
("Faith").
Michael won 3 American Music
Awards for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Male
Artist,
and Favorite Soul/R&B
Album
(Faith), and was nominated
for Favorite Pop/Rock Album (Faith).
Michael won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year and was nominated for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance ("Father
Figure").
Faith was certified 7x
platinum.
# 28
Singles Artist of the Year
Michael hit the Top 40
and Top 10 with "Praying For Time."
Michael released Listen
Without Prejudice, Vol. 1.
Michael hit #1 for a week with "Praying For Time."
Michael hit the Top 40
with "Freedom."
Listen
Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 was certified
platinum.
# 63
Singles Artist of the Year
Michael hit the Top 40 with
"Waiting For That Day."
Michael hit the Top 40 with
"Mother's Pride."
Faith was certified 8x
platinum.
The video for "Freedom" was nominated
for 5 MTV Video Music
Awards for Best Male Video, Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, and Best Direction.
Michael hit the Top 40 along
with Elton
John with "Don't Let The Sun Go
Down On Me."
# 32
Singles Artist of the Year
The single "Don't Let The Sun Go
Down On Me" was certified gold.
Michael hit #1 along with Elton
John for a week
with "Don't Let The Sun Go
Down On Me."
Michael topped the Billboard Hot
100 with Elton
John for a week and
the Adult Contemporary Singles chart for 2
weeks with "Don't Let The Sun Go
Down On Me."
Michael was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance ("Freedom").
Michael hit the Top 40 and the Top 10 with "Too Funky."
The single "Too Funky" was certified
gold.
# 115
Singles Artist of the Year
Michael was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a
Duo or Group ("Don't Let The Sun Go
Down On Me" with Elton
John).
The EP Five
Live was released and
included Queen and Lisa
Stansfield.
Michael hit the Top 40 with a
live cover of Queen's "Somebody To Love" along with the
remaining members of the band.
Michael hit the Top 40 with
"Killer / Papa Was A
Rollin' Stone."
The video for "Killer / Papa Was A
Rollin' Stone" was nominated for 2 MTV Video Music
Awards for Best Male Video and Breakthrough Video.
Rolling
Stone: "The 100 Top Music Videos" included "Faith" at # 56 and "Freedom" at # 91.
Michael went to court
with his record label Sony Music over
creative differences. Two years later,
Michael was able to leave Sony.
Listen
Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 was certified 2x
platinum.
Faith was certified 9x
platinum.
Michael signed with Virgin
Records and SKG Music.
# 30
Singles Artist of the Year
Michael hit the Top 40 with
"Jesus To A Child."
Michael topped the UK Singles
chart for a week with "Jesus To A Child."
Michael hit the Top 10 with "Jesus To A Child."
The single "Jesus To A Child" was certified
gold.
Michael released Older and hit the Top 40
with "Fastlove."
Michael topped the UK Singles
chart for 3 weeks with "Fastlove."
Michael hit the Top 10 with "Fastlove."
Older topped the UK LP chart
for 3 weeks.
Older was certified gold.
The single "Fastlove" was certified
gold.
Older was certified
platinum.
The video for "Fastlove" was nominated
for 2 MTV Video Music
Awards for Best Dance Video and Best Choreography.
Faith was certified 10x
platinum.
Michael topped the UK Singles
chart for a week with "Star People
'97."
# 184
Singles Artist of the Year
April 7:
Michael was arrested in Los Angeles for
"lewd behavior" when an undercover
cop observed him performing a "lewd
act" alone in a public restroom. Michael
was arrested, charged and then released on
$500 bail.Michael decided not to tell his
side of the story to Dateline (as
scheduled in an interview with Maria
Shriver). Michael cancelled the interview at
the last minute according to the New York
Post. Three days after his arrest,
Michael talked with CNN about his recent
arrest in Los Angeles and also acknowledged
that he is gay. Michael said, "...this
is a good of a time as any... I want to say
that I have no problem with people know that
I'm in a relationship with a man right now. I
have not been in a relationship with a woman
for almost 10 years." Michael implied
that recent events of his arrest for lewd
behavior in a public rest room initiated his
self-disclosure: "I don't feel any
shame. I feel stupid and I feel reckless and
weak for having allowed my sexuality to be
exposed this way."
A plea of "no contest"
was entered on behalf of Michael (who was not
present) for charges of lewd behavior.
Michael was fined $810, ordered to perform 80
hours of community service and seek
counseling, and was banned from the park in
question.
The "lewd incident"
was turned into humor. An invitation to
Michael's 35th birthday party suggested that
guests "...go (to the bathroom) before
you come as all conveniences will be locked
to protect the host."
Michael participated in a
90-minute Internet chat to answer questions
related to his music and sexuality. Among the
comments: "I guess don't really see
myself as being a role model for anyone ...
unless gay youths are looking for advice on
how to get arrested, I suppose... I have been
an openly gay man with everyone in my life
for a long time and that was good enough for
me. As for my fans, I think I tried to tell
them everything I could through my work, as
opposed to using the media. But in all
honesty. I think I blew that particular
strategy in a big way."
It was announced that Michael
has cancelled plans to go on a world tour
next year due to "personal
traumas." The tour was to begin in March
of 1999, but according to a friend quoted in The
Sun, "...George doesn't want to let
his fans down, but he just can't cope with
touring at the moment."
Michael talked more with MTV
about his arrest earlier in the year:
"What can I tell you... I was stupid, it
was a stupid thing to do... but I've never
been able to turn down a free meal
(laughing)... the fact is there was
absolutely no one else in the vicinity,
whatever the police arrest report says, there
was no one else in the vicinity... it was
just me, well actually it was 2 undercover
cops, only I couldn't see 1 of them, two
undercover cops and a randy pop star, you
know what I'm saying? So there was no one
there. So if someone's waving their genitalia
at you, you don't automatically assume
they're an officer of the law." The
video for "Outside" from Ladies
& Gentlemen - The Best Of George Michael parodies the restroom
incident. He later said to USA Today:
"I saw this guy cruising, an undercover
cop who was basically pretending to cruise.
He was very cute; he wasn't Karl Malden. I
didn't get out of my car until everyone left
the park. Then I followed him in."
Ladies
& Gentlemen - The Best Of George Michael topped the UK
Albums chart for 6 weeks.
Out magazine named the
top gay newsmakers of the year and included
Michael.
Ladies
& Gentlemen - The Best Of George Michael was certified
platinum.
Michael found out he was being
sued by the Beverly Hills policeman (who
arrested him last year for lewd behavior) for
$10 million for public insults and
accusations.
Michael was nominated for 3 MTV
Europe Music Awards for Best Male Artist,
Best Song, and Best Video ("As"
with Mary
J. Blige).
Michael took part in NetAid.
Michael released Songs
From The Last Century.
MTV: 100
Greatest Videos Ever Made includes
"Freedom" at # 18 and "Faith" at # 95.
The slander suit against Michael
was dismissed.
Michael joined Melissa
Etheridge, Garth
Brooks, Queen
Latifah, the Pet Shop Boys,
and k.d.
lang, to perform in Washington, DC
as part of 'Equality Rocks' - a benefit
concert in support of a gay and lesbian human
rights campaign (Human Rights Campaign).
Ladies
& Gentlemen - The Best Of George Michael was certified 2x
platinum.
Rolling Stone
& MTV: 100 Greatest Pop Songs includes "Faith" at # 53 and "Careless
Whisper" at # 89.
Michael was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album (Songs
From The Last Century).
VH1: 100
Greatest Videos includes:
# 12
- "Freedom."
Controversy once again developed
over a George Michael video - this time for
cartoon video of "Shoot The Dog."
The video satires many political leaders
including Prime Minister Tony Blair and
President George Bush.
George ranked #
73 on VH1: 100
Sexiest Artists.
VH1: 100 Best
Songs of the Past 25 Years includes "Faith" at # 51.
Rolling Stone:
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: # 480:
Faith.
Michael released Patience overseas.
Michael topped the UK LP charts
with Patience.
Michael topped the Billboard Hot
Dance Music Club Play chart with the remixes
of "Amazing."
Michael released Patience in the US.
Michael topped the Billboard Hot
Dance Singles Sales chart for a week with the
remixes of "Amazing."
Michael topped the Billboard Hot
Dance Radio Airplay chart for a week with
"Amazing."
Michael topped the Billboard Hot
Dance Music Club Play chart and the Hot Dance
Singles Sales chart with the remixes of
"Flawless (Go To The City)."
# 35 on the Top Pop Artists
of the Past 25 Years chart.
Michael was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form ("Flawless (Go To
The City)")
Michael could be heard on the Ray Charles LP Genius
And Friends with the duet "Blame it On
The Sun."
Michael was arrested in London
for suspected drug possession after being
found "slumped" in a car.
Michael could be heard on Tony Bennett's LP Duets:
American Classic on the track "How
Do You Keep The Music Playing?."
VH1: 100
Greatest Songs of the 80's included "Faith" at # 74.
Michael release the career
collection Twenty
Five overseas - and in the US in
2008.
Michael topped the UK LP charts
with Twenty
Five.
Entertainment Weekly:
100 Best Albums of the Last 25 Years included Faith at # 100.
Michael was arrested in London
again after being found in a public toilet
with crack cocaine and marijuana.
Michael had to postpone much of
his tour after being hospitalized with
pneumonia.
Michael released Symphonica.
Michael topped the UK LP chart
with Symphonica.
