Tag Archives: Wham

Duke Ellington Orchetra: Duke Ellington At Fargo, 1940 Live

In December 1978, “Book of the Month” label released “Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live”, a live album by the Duke Ellington Orchestra. It was recorded in November 1940, at “Crystal Ballroom” in the “Fargo City Auditorium”, in Fargo, North Dakota, US. In 1980, the album won “Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album”.

Personnel:

  • Duke Ellington – piano
  • Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick – alto saxophone
  • Ben Webster – tenor saxophone
  • Harry Carney – baritone saxophone
  • Barney Bigard – clarinet
  • Rex Stewart – cornet
  • Ray Nance, Wallace Jones – trumpet
  • Tricky Sam Nanton, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown – trombone
  • Fred Guy – guitar
  • Jimmy Blanton – bass
  • Sonny Greer – drums
  • Ivie Anderson, Herb Jeffries – vocals

Track listing:

  1. The Mooche
  2. Sepia Panorama (theme)
  3. Ko-Ko
  4. There Shall Be No Night
  5. Pussy Willow
  6. Chatterbox
  7. Mood Indigo
  8. Harlem Air Shaft
  9. The Ferryboat Serenade
  10. Warm Valley
  11. Stompy Jones
  12. Bojangles
  13. You Took Advantage of Me
  14. Rumpus in Richmond
  15. The Flaming Sword
  16. Never No Lament
  17. Clarinet Lament
  18. Slap Happy
  19. Sepia Panorama
  20. Boy Meets Horn
  21. Way Down Yonder in New Orleans
  22. Oh, Babe! Maybe Someday
  23. Five O’Clock Whistle
  24. Rockin’ in Rhythm
  25. Sophisticated Lady
  26. Cotton Tail
  27. Whispering Grass
  28. Conga Brava
  29. I Never Felt This Way Before
  30. Across the Track Blues
  31. Honeysuckle Rose
  32. Wham
  33. Star Dust
  34. Rose of the Rio Grande
  35. St. Louis Blues

Jeffrey Deon Estus

On October 11, 2021, Jeffery Deon Estus died aged 65. He was musician (bass), singer and songwriter, member of collective Boogie Box High and band Switch, but was best known as the bass player of Wham. He recorded and performed with Marvin Gaye, George Michael, Elton John, Aaron Neville, Tina Turner, Frank Zappa, Annie Lennox, Edgar Winter and George Clinton. As leader Estus released one album.

Stevie Ray Vaughan: The Sky Is Crying

On November 5, 1991, “Epic” label released “The Sky Is Crying”, the fifth and final Stevie Ray Vaughan studio album. It was recorded January 1984 – May 1989, at “Kiva Studios” in Memphis, Tennessee, “The Dallas Sound Lab” in Dallas, Texas, “The Power Station” in New York City, “Sound Castle Studios” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Jimmie Vaughan, Jim Gaines, Richard Mullen, Reese Wynans, Tommy Shannon, Chris Layton, Jim Capfer, Stevie Ray Vaughan

Personnel:

  • Stevie Ray Vaughan – vocals, guitars
  • Reese Wynans – keyboards
  • Tommy Shannon – bass guitar
  • Chris Layton – drums
  • Jim Gaines – engineer
  • Robe Eaton – engineer
  • Richard Mullen – engineer, mixing
  • Evan Rush – assistant engineer
  • Jeff Powell – assistant engineer
  • Ron Cote – assistant engineer
  • Danny Jones – assistant engineer
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • Arnold Levine – art direction
  • Mark Burdett – art direction
  • William Snyder – photography
  • Stephanie Chernakowski – inside photography
  • Alan Messer – band photography
  • Mark Proct – production coordinator
  • Mark Rutledge – production coordinator
  • Roger Klein – production coordinator

Track listing:

  1. Boot Hill – unknown author
  2. The Sky Is Crying – Elmore James, Morris Levy, Clarence Lewis
  3. Empty Arms – Stevie Ray Vaughan
  4. Little Wing – Jimi Hendrix
  5. Wham – Lonnie Mack
  6. May I Have a Talk with You – Chester Burnette (Howlin’ Wolf)
  7. Close to You – Willie Dixon
  8. Chitlins con Carne – Kenny Burrell
  9. So Excited – Stevie Ray Vaughan
  10. Life by the Drop – Doyle Bramhall, Barbara Logan

Wham: Fantastic

On July 9, 1983, “Innervision” label released “Fantastic”, the debut Wham! studio album. It was recorded 1981 – 1983, at “Maison Rouge Studios” in London, and was produced by Steve Brown, George Michael and Bob Carter. The album was certified Platinum in New Zealand by  “RMNZ”, and 3 x Platinum in UK by the “BPI”.

Personnel:

  • George Michael – lead and backing vocals, keyboards
  • Robert Ahwai, Andrew Ridgeley – guitar
  • Paul Ridgeley – guitar, shouts
  • Jess Bailey, Bob Carter, Anne Dudley, Tommy Eyre – keyboards
  • Deon Estus, Brad Lang, John McKenzie– bass
  • Andy Duncan – drums, percussion
  • Graham Broad, Trevor Murrell– drums
  • Luis Jardim, Tony Moroni – percussion
  • Baps, Guy Barker, Raoul, Colin Graham, Chris Hunter, Roddy Lorimer, Iain MacKintosh, Ian Ritchie, Paul Cox, Geoff Daley, Martin Drover – horns
  • Jimmy Chambers, George Chandler Linda Hayes, Shirlie Holliman, Tony Jackson, Josie James, Katie Kisson, Stevie Lang, C. Lee, Sylvia Mason – backing vocals
  • Dave Mortimer – shouts
  • Chris Craymer, Janusz Guttner – photography

Track listing:

All tracks by George Michael, except where noted.

  1. Bad Boys
  2. A Ray of Sunshine
  3. Love Machine – Pete Moore, Billy Griffin
  4. Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) – Michael Andrew Ridgeley
  5. Club Tropicana – Michael Andrew Ridgeley
  6. Nothing Looks the Same in the Light
  7. Come On
  8. Young Guns (Go for It!)

George Michael

On December 25, 2016, Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou aka George Michael died aged 53. He was singer, songwriter, and record producer, member (with Andrew Ridgeley) of the duo Wham!, and had a very successful solo career. In his 30-years long career, Michael sold more than 80 million records worldwide, becoming one of the most successful commercial artists in the history of the modern music. He also received many awards including three “Brit Awards”; four “MTV Video Music Awards”; four “Ivor Novello Awards”; three “American Music Awards” and two “Grammy Awards”.