George Michael

In 1981, a teenage George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley formed the duo band Wham!. They released their first album, "Fantastic", in 1983 where it reached #1 in the United Kingdom and spawned hits, "Young Guns", "Wham Rap!" and "Club Tropicana". In 1984, the duo released "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", a pop anthem that was "the best elements of Fifties and Sixties records, combined with Wham!'s attitude and their approach" according to George Michael. It became their first American and UK number-one hit.

1984 also brought us some Christmas cheer with the release of their hit, "Last Christmas". Wham! donated all of their "Last Christmas" royalties to the Ethiopian famine along with the other bands in the charity super-group known as "Band Aid"
In 1987, George Michael began his solo career with a duet with R&B legend, Aretha Franklin. The song titled "I Knew You Were Waiting" became a number one hit in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Becoming one of his most iconic songs, "Faith" was released on October of 1987, holding the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a month. "Faith" incorporates the famous Bo Diddley beat, a classic rock and roll rhythm along with a music video featuring a cowboy-boot wearing, stubbled George Michael.
The last song on our list is the 1990 hit, "Praying for Time". George Michael's first song in nearly two years, it was said to be a reflection of social ills and injustice. The song became his ninth number one in the United States and the last solo single of his to reach number one in the U.S.
George Michael have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and his debut solo album, "Faith", sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. Garnering multiple number one singles across the world, including "Careless Whisper" and "Freedom! '90", he ranks among the best-selling British acts of all time, ranked by Billboard magazine as the 40th-most successful artist ever. Michael won various music awards throughout his 30-year career, including three Brit Awards-he won Best British Male twice, four MTV Video Music Awards, four Ivor Novello Awards, three American Music Awards, and two Grammy Awards from eight nominations. Michael, who was gay, was an active LGBT rights campaigner and HIV/AIDS charity fundraiser as well.