“George Michael was one of the great vocalists of modern music. It’s just a fact. If you think of him as the voice behind bubbly pop hits like “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” with his ‘80s band Wham! you need to listen to his solo recordings such as “Father Figure,” “Freedom ’90,” and “Fastlove,” which include silky arrangements worthy of Frank Sinatra in his prime and covertly illuminating lyrics that imply why he wasn’t comfortable openly sharing his deepest secrets with his myriad fans.
Author James Gavin, who has written perceptive, definitive biographies of music legends such as Chet Baker, Lena Horne, and Peggy Lee, has turned his laser gaze on Michael. With his just published George Michael: A Life (which he will sign at Just Fabulous on July 16), Gavin has spent years researching the late singer from his childhood as an unhappy, unpopular boy named Georgios Panayiotou, who found solace in the songs of Stevie Wonder and Elton John, to the soaring heights of fame as the dashing vocalist for Wham! and as a solo Grammy Award-winning superstar…”
