Tag: George Michael

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Careless Whisper Music Wham!

Vote for George Michael for Smooth Radio’s Top 500 in 2026

George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” (#ad)

George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” has topped Smooth Radio’s Smooth All Time Top 500 for 8 years (7 consecutive years). Will George Michael rank with the top song for 2026 to make it 9 years? That depends on you!

Last year, “Careless Whisper” topped the chart, with “A Different Corner” not far behind at #3. George Michael had a total of 19 songs in Smooth’s Top 500 in 2025. Most songs moved up in the rankings, with the exception of “One More Try” and “The Edge of Heaven.” Here were the top 5 rankings:

  • #1 “Careless Whisper”
  • #3 “A Different Corner” (same as last year)
  • #9 “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” (duet with Elton John) (moved up from #11 last year)
  • #23 “Jesus to a Child” (moved up from #31 last year)
  • #32 “Father Figure” (moved up from #48 last year)

If we focus on these 5 songs, we could get George Michael more placements in the Top 10 this year and possibly even get “A Different Corner” as the #2 song for the year.

You can vote for up to 10 of your favorite songs of all time. Voting closes on Friday, April 24th at 12 p.m.

Smooth Radio counts down the hits from Friday, May 1st, to Monday, May 4th, 2026.

Make sure to follow Yours Only George on Facebook, X, Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and Pinterest. Join our mailing list for the latest news on George Michael.

About Melanie

Melanie is the co-founder of Yours Only George and has been the webmaster of the site since 1997. Melanie has been a George Michael and Wham! fan since "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" in 1984.

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The Faith Tour

Shirley Lewis Adds Backing Vocals to Restored Faith Tour Film

Shirley Lewis’ Passion (#ad)

In the history of George Michael, Shirley Lewis first entered our Lovelies world as a backing vocalist at Wham!’s The Final concert in 1986.

Working with George Michael for 30 years and now touring as part of The George Michael Singers, Shirley’s bright, smiling face and iconic backing vocals were missing during The Faith Tour in 1988. At the time, she was promoting her own solo work and was unable to tour with George Michael. (You can learn more about Shirley’s time with George Michael on the Spinning the Wheel Podcast.)

The talented Lynn Mabry, known for her work with Parliament-Funkadelic and as co-founder of The Brides of Funkenstein, was the back up singer on The Faith Tour.

Shirley recently posted in an Instagram post from The Faith Tour account some news about her contributions to the restored Faith Tour film.

Back in 1987 I sang the backing vocals on George’s album Faith, And was the only backing vocalist on this Iconic album 🙌

When the tour came around my record company wouldn’t let me go 😢 something I’ve always regretted

Fast forward to 2025 and I was invited back to add the backing vocals to the restored Faith tour film. What an honour to complete my faith story!

Sometimes life gives you the chance to finish the song. 🎙️✨ Thank you George ❤️
Thank you GME

Shirley Lewis

From what Shirley had previously said on the Spinning the Wheel Podcast, I had commented that “George wanted you on the Faith Tour, and it looks like he got his wish now.”

Shirley responded:

@georgemichaelyogworld I do believe it is his gift to me for sure 😢

Shirley Lewis

Make sure to follow Yours Only George on Facebook, X, Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and Pinterest. Join our mailing list for the latest news on George Michael.

About Melanie

Melanie is the co-founder of Yours Only George and has been the webmaster of the site since 1997. Melanie has been a George Michael and Wham! fan since "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" in 1984.

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Books Wham!

Celebrating George: Three Decades of George Michael through the Lens

Celebrating George: Three Decades of George Michael through the Lens (#ad)

Photographer Brian Aris will be publishing a compilation of George Michael photos in his book, Celebrating George, with photos ranging from the Wham! days with Andrew Ridgeley to George’s solo days.

Celebrating George: Three Decades of George Michael through the Lens (#ad) will be released on March 17, 2026 in the U.S. It is available for preordering from Amazon (#ad).

Celebrating George: Three Decades of George Michael through the Lens (#ad) will be released on April 9, 2026, in the U.K. It is available for preordering from Amazon (#ad)

The book is described as:

This stunning collection of photographs features iconic George Michael images throughout his career—including many never before published.

The man born as Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou hated being photographed, and that makes this volume such an unusual and beautiful tribute to one of the music world’s most beloved stars. First meeting when he shot Wham!, Brian Aris gained George’s trust and subsequently enjoyed unprecedented access to document the complex and sensitive character behind one of pop’s most talented and consummate artists.

Dreaming of stardom from an early age, George achieved popularity first with Wham! and later reached heights of even greater success after re-creating himself as a serious solo artist with songs and music videos that remain iconic to this day. Tragically, he died on Christmas Day 2016 at just fifty-three.

With text documenting George’s life and Brian’s memories of his sessions and meetings with the star, together with iconic shots, contact sheets, and previously unseen images, this is an amazing, heartfelt tribute to one of the world’s most likable and talented performers who is one of the all-time immortal greats of pop music.

Celebrating George: Three Decades of George Michael through the Lens (#ad)

Brian Aris describes his time photographing George Michael:

“From the early days, when he first burst on the scene in 1981 as one half of Wham!, the pop duo he formed with Andrew Ridgeley, to the later years when he went on to enjoy even greater worldwide success as a sophisticated and glamorous solo artist, George was always fascinating to work with.”

Brian Aris, photographer of Celebrating George

An exhibition entitled “Celebrating George” with photos from Brian Aris will be at the Lucy Bell Gallery, from March 27 to May 2, 2026.

Brian Aris will be at the Lucy Bell Gallery for a book signing on Saturday, April 11, from 6-9 p.m.

A previous version of Celebrating George is also available at Aris Prints.

Make sure to follow Yours Only George on Facebook, X, Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and Pinterest. Join our mailing list for the latest news on George Michael.

About Melanie

Melanie is the co-founder of Yours Only George and has been the webmaster of the site since 1997. Melanie has been a George Michael and Wham! fan since "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" in 1984.

Categories
Faith The Faith Tour

George Michael: The Faith Tour – Film and Live Album in 2026

George Michael’s Faith CD – 2026 release (#ad)

Let’s take a trip back to 1988 when George Michael was the biggest star on the planet and the Faith Tour was “THE” concert everyone wanted to go to. I know … I stood in line for hours with my dad hoping to get tickets.

If you missed it or just want to relive those wonderful days as a George Michael fan, you’re in luck.

George Michael: The Faith Tour will be released to the big screen this year. As if that wasn’t enough, a live album with 18 previously unheard songs will also be available.

Here is the announcement from The Faith Tour account on Instagram:

“You’ve gotta have FAITH”… We’re incredibly excited to announce that ‘George Michael: The Faith Tour’ is coming to the big screen worldwide later this year! 👀 Shot in Paris in 1988, the never-before-seen, long lost film has been restored and remastered and will be introduced by an original short film from Mary McCartney.

“Wait for somethin’ more”… ‘The Faith Tour’, a previously unheard 18-track live album is also coming alongside the theatrical release 🎶 More info coming soon.

Official George Michael The Faith Tour Instagram Account

Andy Morahan and David Austin directed the film comprised of footage from a 14-camera shoot on 35mm over two nights. George Michael: The Faith Tour was filmed when the Faith Tour visited the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in 1988.

The film’s distributor and release dates are unknown at this time. When it is released in theaters, the film will be preceded by an original short film by Mary McCartney to discuss the tour’s cultural significance. The short film will also include an unheard interview of George Michael, as well as unseen images by photographer Herb Ritts and behind-the-scenes footage of the “Faith” music video.

The live album, entitled The Faith Tour, will include 18-tracks, featuring previously unreleased recordings from George Michael’s Wham! and solo catalogues. It will be available from George Michael Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment.

Make sure to follow Yours Only George on Facebook, X, Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and Pinterest. Join our mailing list for the latest news on George Michael.

About Melanie

Melanie is the co-founder of Yours Only George and has been the webmaster of the site since 1997. Melanie has been a George Michael and Wham! fan since "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" in 1984.

Categories
Andrew Ridgeley Pepsi & Shirlie Wham! Wham! in China

New Wham! Documentary: Wham! 10 Days in China

Andrew Ridgeley Biography: Wham! George Michael and Me Hardcover Book (#ad)

A few of you might remember my complaining last year that there was no 40th anniversary celebration of Wham!’s historic trip to China in 1985. Well, it looks like we might be getting a treat in 2026.

In 1985, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley of the duo Wham! became the first Western pop act to perform in communist China. It’s a much talked about publicity stunt by Simon Napier-Bell to make Wham! a household name worldwide.

According to a press release, Zinc Media Group plc announced the completion of a new feature-length, 90-minute documentary produced for Sony Music Entertainment telling the story of WHAM!’s historic 1985 tour of China:

Wham! 10 Days in China uses newly restored and previously unseen archive footage alongside new interviews with Andrew Ridgeley to reveal the full story of the first Western pop act to perform in communist China. The concerts in Beijing and Guangzhou marked a significant cultural moment as Western pop music was introduced to Chinese audiences for the first time.

Zinc Announces WHAM! Documentary for Sony Music Entertainment

With the restored footage and exclusive interviews with Andrew Ridgeley and members of the touring party, the documentary will be a long-awaited look at the unseen footage.

The new documentary is directed by Mike Christie (Nick Cave’s Veiled World, New Order: Decades).

“The existence of this footage has been a mystery for years, spoken about in fragments but never truly seen. The story of the tour is intensely dramatic and finding a way to tell it in a form that the Wham! collective felt was finally worth pursuing has been a real honour.”

Mike Christie, director of Wham! 10 Days in China

In the 1980s, a Wham! in China documentary was released. In fact, there are two versions of the original Wham! in China documentary. Oscar-winning filmmaker, Lindsay Anderson, was originally hired to create the documentary. Because of conflicts, Lindsay Anderson’s version has been rarely seen, except for a screening of Wham in China: If You Were There in May of 2024. More information on the conflict is available in the previous link.

Make sure to follow Yours Only George on Facebook, X, Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and Pinterest. Join our mailing list for the latest news on George Michael.

About Melanie

Melanie is the co-founder of Yours Only George and has been the webmaster of the site since 1997. Melanie has been a George Michael and Wham! fan since "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" in 1984.