Wham! George Michael and Me by Andrew Ridgeley

Wham! George Michael & Me is a memoir by Andrew Ridgeley, looking back on his early days meeting George and their skyrocket to worldwide pop stardom with the pop group Wham!

Fans of Wham! will enjoy the stories of their friendship from school days up until their final performance as a group in 1986. With their overwhelming success and indelible mark on pop music as the soundtrack to the 1980's, it's hard to believe they were Wham! for only 4 years.

Ridgeley tells of his family and childhood, and the fateful school day when he shared a desk with Georgios Panayiotou. They became best friends, joined at the hip, and at 16 they decided to start a band against their parents wishes to be serious. Their band The Executive was a short lived incarnation where they tried recording cover songs and a new original by George titled Careless Whisper. The transition to Wham! in 1982 brought a recording contract and the hits Club Tropicana and Young Guns, and through a fluke they were booked on Top of the Pops. An overnight sensation, their first - of only three albums - in 1983 was a global sensation. The second album Make It Big was an even bigger international hit with Wake Me Up (Before You Go Go), Everything She Wants, a polished Careless Whisper, and a song George quickly whipped off while watching holiday TV, Last Christmas.

This is a story of the creation of an international pop band from the man who lived it.

George passed away Christmas Day 2016 and Ridgeley includes stories from George's post-Wham! solo career and the legacy he left in the recording industry. It's a loving portrait of friendship fans of Wham! will really enjoy.

2019 / Hardcover / 352 pages