Deon Estus
Encyclopedia
Deon Estus is an American
bassist
and singer, best known as the bass player of Wham!
and as George Michael
's bassist on all of the latter's subsequent projects.
and graduated from Northwestern High School
in 1974. He sang second tenor in the choir at Northwestern under the direction of Brazel Dennard. His bass teacher was the late James Jamerson
of Motown's The Funk Brothers
.
Estus joined the R&B band Brainstorm as a teenager, recording two albums with them and scoring a hit with "Popcorn." During the early 1980s, he appeared as a session bassist on several mainstream albums, including Marvin Gaye
's 1982
comeback album, Midnight Love
. After his bass talents were recognized, he was invited to join the UK
pop
group, Wham!
. He went on to tour China
with Wham!
and later backed Wham frontman George Michael
on his Faith tour. He also participated in the late-1980s
collective, Boogie Box High
, which was spearheaded by George Michael's cousin, Andros Georgiou, and featured Michael along with other high-profile musicians; Estus appears on the group's only album, Outrageous, released in 1989. Estus later performed with Michael at Rock in Rio
and has continued to play bass as part of Michael's backing band.
In 1989, Estus released a solo
album
entitled Spell
, produced by Colin Campsie & George McFarlane, with several tracks produced by George Michael. Released before the album, the single "Me or the Rumours" reached #15 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts in 1988. In 1989, the album's title track hit #11 on the Adult Contemporary charts. However, the album's biggest hit was the #5 Billboard Hot 100
single
"Heaven Help Me," for which Michael supplied backing vocals. It also peaked at #3 on both the Adult Contemporary and Hot R&B charts. The album itself ultimately reached #89 on the Billboard 200
and #44 on the Top R&B Albums charts.
He has also played with Marvin Gaye
, Tina Turner
, Frank Zappa
, George Clinton
, Annie Lennox
, Edgar Winter
, Aaron Neville
, and Elton John
. He most recently produced and co-wrote songs for aspiring singer Julie Anne, who boasts a five-octave range.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and singer, best known as the bass player of Wham!
WHAM!
Wham! were a short-lived British musical duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in the early 1980s. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with an American band....
and as George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
's bassist on all of the latter's subsequent projects.
Biography
Estus was born in DetroitDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
and graduated from Northwestern High School
Northwestern High School (Michigan)
Northwestern High School is a secondary education facility in Detroit, Michigan. The most recent enrollment figures for Northwestern indicate a student population of approximately 2,000. Northwestern High School features numerous extracurricular activities; including: Debate, US Army JROTC,...
in 1974. He sang second tenor in the choir at Northwestern under the direction of Brazel Dennard. His bass teacher was the late James Jamerson
James Jamerson
James Lee Jamerson was an American bass player. He was the uncredited bassist on most of Motown Records' hits in the 1960s and early 1970s , and he is now regarded as one of the most influential bass players in modern music history...
of Motown's The Funk Brothers
The Funk Brothers
The Funk Brothers was the nickname of Detroit, Michigan, session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown Records recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972...
.
Estus joined the R&B band Brainstorm as a teenager, recording two albums with them and scoring a hit with "Popcorn." During the early 1980s, he appeared as a session bassist on several mainstream albums, including Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
's 1982
1982 in music
This is a list of notable events in music from 1982. 1982 was a big year in music with Madonna making her debut as well as the year that Michael Jackson released Thriller which became the world's best selling album and it still holds that title today....
comeback album, Midnight Love
Midnight Love
Midnight Love is the final studio album recorded and issued by American soul singer Marvin Gaye and was the singer's first release from Columbia months after leaving his longtime label, Motown. It claimed the number one slot on NME Album of the Year....
. After his bass talents were recognized, he was invited to join the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pop
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
group, Wham!
WHAM!
Wham! were a short-lived British musical duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in the early 1980s. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with an American band....
. He went on to tour China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
with Wham!
WHAM!
Wham! were a short-lived British musical duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in the early 1980s. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with an American band....
and later backed Wham frontman George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
on his Faith tour. He also participated in the late-1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
collective, Boogie Box High
Boogie Box High
Boogie Box High were a musical project headed by Andros Georgiou in the late 1980s, that featured a range of musical collaborations such as his cousin George Michael, guitarist Nick Heyward , keyboardist Mick Talbot , guitarist–songwriter David Austin, bassist Deon Estus and others.Released in 1987...
, which was spearheaded by George Michael's cousin, Andros Georgiou, and featured Michael along with other high-profile musicians; Estus appears on the group's only album, Outrageous, released in 1989. Estus later performed with Michael at Rock in Rio
Rock in Rio
Rock in Rio is a series of music festivals held in three cities: Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Lisbon in Portugal and Madrid in Spain.Four incarnations of the festival were in Rio de Janeiro, in 1985, 1991, 2001 and 2011, four in Lisbon, in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010, and two in Madrid in 2008 and 2010....
and has continued to play bass as part of Michael's backing band.
In 1989, Estus released a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
entitled Spell
Spell (album)
Spell is the debut album by former Wham! and George Michael bassist, Deon Estus.The album contained the hit single, "Heaven Help Me", which featured background vocals by Michael, and reached number 5 on the U.S...
, produced by Colin Campsie & George McFarlane, with several tracks produced by George Michael. Released before the album, the single "Me or the Rumours" reached #15 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts in 1988. In 1989, the album's title track hit #11 on the Adult Contemporary charts. However, the album's biggest hit was the #5 Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Heaven Help Me," for which Michael supplied backing vocals. It also peaked at #3 on both the Adult Contemporary and Hot R&B charts. The album itself ultimately reached #89 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and #44 on the Top R&B Albums charts.
He has also played with Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
, Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
, George Clinton
George Clinton (funk musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
, Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox, OBE , born Ann Lennox, is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving minor success in the late 1970s with The Tourists, with fellow musician David A...
, Edgar Winter
Edgar Winter
Edgar Holland Winter is an American musician. He is famous for being a multi-instrumentalist. He is a highly skilled keyboardist, saxophonist and percussionist. He often plays an instrument while singing. He was most successful in the 1970s with his band, The Edgar Winter Group, notably with their...
, Aaron Neville
Aaron Neville
Aaron Neville is an American soul and R&B singer and musician. He has had four top-20 hits in the United States along with four platinum-certified albums...
, and Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
. He most recently produced and co-wrote songs for aspiring singer Julie Anne, who boasts a five-octave range.
Singles
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B | US A.C. | US Dance | Canada Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
UK Singles UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Me or the Rumours" | - | - | - | 15 | - | - | Spell |
| 1989 | "Heaven Help Me" | 5 | 3 | 3 | - | 4 | 41 | |
| "Spell" | - | 74 | 11 | - | - | - |