One of the most successful solo artists of the late '80s and '90s, George Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayioutou, June 25, 1963, in the suburbs of London. He grew up listening to '60s-'70s soul/disco music and in the early '80s he hooked up with Andrew Ridgeley to create a pop duo called Wham! Soon after, Michael and Ridgeley put out hit after hit, including 'Bad Boys', 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go', 'Freedom' and 'I'm Your Man'. By the time the duo released their second album, 'Make It Big' in 1984, George Michael was ready for a solo career and kicked it off with chart-topping ballad, 'Careless Whisper'. Wham! released three successful studio albums and numerous hits around the world. Then Michael stepped out on his own.

Initially testing the solo waters with the duo with Aretha Franklin, 'I Knew You Were Waiting', George Michael didn't really hit his stride until 1988's 'Faith'. The number one album spawned the chart-topping title track and three more number one hits, 'Father Figure', 'One More Try' and 'Monkey' plus top ten finishers 'Kissing A Fool' and 'I Want Your Sex'. Like Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' and Carole King's 'Tapestry', 'Faith' is a virtual collection of hit singles, showing his rich talent as songwriter and blue-eyed soul singer. 'Faith' was named the Grammy Album of the Year in 1988. It is one of the few mega-hit albums in late '80s, selling more than 8 million copies worldwide. The subsequent hit album 'Listen Without Prejudice Vol.1', though not as successful as 'Faith', produced two top 10 hits, 'Praying For A Time' and 'Freedom 90'. He took a break after collaborating with Elton John on the cover of his classic hit, 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me'. He wasn't entirely quiet. For the 1992 charity compilation, 'Red Hot + Dance', Michael recorded three new tracks, including 'Too Funky'. The following year, he released a five live track EP, collaborating with the surviving members of Queen and Lisa Stansfield.

Legal problems, however, forced a hiatus in his career for most of '90s. Disappointed by the commercial failure of 'Listen Without Prejudice', Michael sued Sony Music, the new owner of his label, Columbia, claiming that Sony was not promoting his music properly. After years of legal battle, Michael lost and the court ruled that he buy his way out of his Sony contract at the cost of over $7 mil. He signed with the music division of Dreamworks and released his label debut, 'Older' in 1996. The album included two smashes, 'Jesus To A Child' and 'Fast Love'.

George Michael soon became known for his sexually strange habits. In 1998, he was arrested for lewd behavior in a public restroom at a park in Beverly Hills, California. Michael later admitted his homosexuality on CNN. He resurfaced in 1998 with a new single, 'Outside', included in his double-CD greatest hits album, significantly titled 'The Ladies & Gentlemen'. Highlight of the set is another new track, 'As', a cover of Stevie Wonder's song. Michael collaborated with Mary J Blige on the song, which became an international hit. 'Songs From the Last Century', a collection of his covers of various artists from Police to Roberta Flack, followed in late 1999.

He returned in 2002 with two singles, 'Freek!' and 'Shoot The Dog'. The latter was accompanied by a controversial video mocking Tony Blair and George Bush. The stage is set for his next album, 'Patience', expected in March. The album will be released, surprisingly, via his then-enemy Sony.