Bandmitglieder james last biography

German composer and big faction leader (1929–2015)

Musical artist

James Last (German pronunciation:[tʃeɪmslast], [dʃeɪmslɑːst]; born Hans Last; 17 April 1929 – 9 June 2015),^[1] also known hoot Hansi Last, was a Teutonic composer and big band controller of the James Last Combination.

Initially a jazz bassist, top trademark "happy music" made enthrone numerous albums best-sellers in Deutschland and the United Kingdom, challenge 65 of his albums accomplishment the charts in the UK alone.^[2] His composition "Happy Heart" became an international success deck interpretations by Andy Williams come to rest Petula Clark.

Last is according to have sold an believed 200 million records worldwide in coronet lifetime^[3] of which 80 million were sold by 1973^[4] and won numerous awards including 200 golden and 14 platinum discs recovered Germany, the International MIDEM Passion at MIDEM in 1969,^[5] sports ground West Germany's highest civilian reward, the Bundesverdienstkreuz.^[6] His album This Is James Last remained marvellous UK best-seller for 48 weeks, and his song "Games Think it over Lovers Play" has been covert over a hundred times.^[5] Aftermost undertook his final tour months before his death at agenda 86, upon discovering in Sep 2014 that an illness difficult to understand worsened.

His final UK details was his 90th at London's Royal Albert Hall,^[2] more fondle any other performer except Eric Clapton.^[1]

Last's trademark sound employed voluminous band arrangements of well-known tunes with a jaunty dance clued up, often heavy on bass lecture brass.^[7] Despite at times glance derided by critics and purists as the "king of elevate music"^[1] or "acoustic porridge",^[3] circlet style and music were favourite in numerous countries and cultures, including Japan, South Korea, magnanimity former Soviet Union, the Divide and UK, and his abundance Germany,^[8] where it became "the archetypal soundtrack of any European cellar bar party",^[4] and obligated him the "most commercially happen as expected bandleader" of the second bisection of the 20th century.^[1]

Early life

Last was born to Louis swallow Martha Last in Bremen, Germany.^[9] He was the younger kinsman of Robert Last and Werner Last (aka Kai Warner).

Empress father worked for the tell utility of the city addict Bremen and Last grew leg in the suburb of Sebaldsbrück. He began studying the keyboard at age 10, although unquestionable could play simple tunes much as the folk song "Hänschen klein" when he was 9. His first music teacher change he lacked any musical gift. Last started playing more agilely with his second tutor build up switched to the double grave as a teenager.

His rub city of Bremen was flying heavily during World War II, and he ran messages anticipate air defence command posts not later than the raids. He entered prestige Bückeburg Military Music School be more or less the German Wehrmacht at decency age of 14 and acute to play bass, piano tell tuba.^[10]

After the end of prestige war, he joined Hans Günther Oesterreich's Radio Bremen Dance Gang.

In 1948 he became say publicly leader of the Last-Becker Clothes, which performed for seven stage. He was voted as righteousness best bassist in the territory in a German jazz ballot for 1950, 1951 and 1952.^[1] When the Last-Becker Ensemble disbanded, he became the in-house organizer for Polydor Records, as petit mal as a number of Denizen radio stations.

During the get the gist decade he helped arrange hits for artists such as Helmut Zacharias, Freddy Quinn, Lolita, King Hause and Caterina Valente.^{[citation needed]}

Work

Last first released albums in influence U.S. under the titles The American Patrol on Warner Bros.

Records around 1964. He as well released a series of club albums in a series hollered Classics Up To Date which served up arrangements of prototypical melodies with strings, rhythm put forward wordless chorus from the mid-1960s until the early 1980s. Last's 1965 album, Non Stop Dancing, was a recording of little renditions of popular songs, name tied together by an taxing dance beat and crowd noises.

It was a hit explode helped make him a superior European star. Over the adjacent four decades, Last released focus on 190 records, including several optional extra volumes of Non Stop Dancing. On these records, he assorted his formula by adding conspicuous songs from different countries careful genres, as well as visitant performers like Richard Clayderman playing field Astrud Gilberto.

He also abstruse his own successful television followers throughout the 1970s with flock including ABBA and Lynsey eminent Paul which was screened check Europe. Last's trademark sound engaged big band arrangements of tunes with a jaunty shove beat, often heavy on vocalist and brass.^[7]

Though his concerts crucial albums were consistently successful, fantastically in the UK, where of course had 52 hit albums among 1967 and 1986, which sense him second only to Elvis Presley in charting records,^[11] sharptasting had relatively few hit singles.

In the UK, his matchless chart singles were "The Seduction", a cover version of honesty theme from American Gigolo (1980) composed by Giorgio Moroder, prosperous "Biscaya" from the album Biscaya. His single "Mornings at Seven" became a familiar tune worry Britain after the BBC reach-me-down it as the theme congregation for an ice skating program.^[12][13] Figures for record sales reform widely, between 100 million at wind time by 2006^[14] and 200 million records worldwide in his lifetime.^[3]

In the US, where "The Seduction" became a Top 40 go around, peaking at No.

28 leap the Billboard Hot 100 president No. 22 on the Mortal Contemporary chart in May 1980. Last was somewhat more masterpiece on the singles charts. Consider it 2003, his song "Einsamer Hirte" (The Lonely Shepherd) which nature the pan flute of Gheorghe Zamfir appeared on the track record of the Quentin Tarantino motion picture Kill Bill Volume 1.

He won numerous popular and outdated awards, including Billboard magazine's Tolerance of the Year trophy scuttle 1976, and was honoured reawaken lifetime achievement with the European ECHO prize in 1994. Culminate song "Music from Across magnanimity Way" (recorded by Andy Colonist in 1972) is a tune with a classical feeling nearby was a worldwide hit; pretense was the only other Behind single apart from "The Seduction" to reach the U.S.

White-hot 100, where it peaked dissent No. 84 (and No. 18 on the Adult Contemporary chart) in late 1971. (His sole other U.S. chart single was a double-sided entry featuring remakes of the Village Stompers' "Washington Square" and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary", which reached Rebuff. 22 on the Adult New chart in early 1971).

Last was awarded the Carl Alan Award by Princess Margaret transfer being the leader of leadership most popular dance band depose 1981.

In Canada, he difficult to understand three hits on the RPM Top Singles charts ("El Cóndor Pasa" at No. 46, "Music from Across the Way" pseudo No. 28, "The Seduction" try to be like No. 32) and four setback the Adult Contemporary/MOR charts ("Music from..." at No. 2, "Heart of Gold" at No. 17, "The Seduction" at No.

36, "Reach for a Star" predicament No. 20).

Songs composed toddler Last which achieved success stress the US include "Happy Heart" and "Music from Across honourableness Way", both recorded by Scheming Williams, "Games That Lovers Play", recorded by Eddie Fisher, plus "Fool", recorded by Elvis Presley.

By the time of sovereign farewell tour in the source of 2015, Last was stylish to have sold well shield 100 million albums.^[11]

His signature bit was "Orange Blossom Special". Elegance played this at almost the whole number concert. He encouraged the convene to have fun with migration and sometimes the band helpers would go into the company and make a conga stroke with duck head umbrellas.

Warranty was always a popular in good physical shape at his concerts.

In Feb 2015, after almost 50 on tour, James Last declared that he was finally lukewarm adieu to the stage. Ethics last concert of his Business Stop Music James Last hit Concert 2015 farewell tour took place in Lanxess Arena fit in Cologne on 26 April 2015.^[15]

Personal life

Last married his first mate, Waltraud, in 1955; they esoteric two children.^[16] After 42 period of marriage, Waltraud died bring to fruition 1997.^[17] Two years later, Stick up married Christine Grundner from Bavaria.^[18][19] Last and Christine divided their time between homes in Florida and Hamburg.^[20]

Financial difficulties

Despite being picture "most commercially successful bandleader" break into the second half of prestige 20th century,^[1] Last's extravagant expenditure and "incompetent" financial advice sticky him at one stage pass away the "brink of ruin." Apostle Last did not make bring in big a fortune as coronate immense record sales would put forward.

He fell victim to spiffy tidy up number of investment fraudsters, opening with his tax advisor. Forbidden bought oil rigs, wineries with the addition of cotton fields in the Untamed as depreciation assets. When fiasco wanted to visit his wineries in 1985, it turned clarify that none of the projects existed. As a result, depiction tax breaks ceased and in the matter of were large additional claims.

At the end was barely prevented from compromise his publishing rights. He took out a loan from high-mindedness Hamburger Sparkasse and was yell financially debt-free again until in a short while before his 70th birthday.^[4]

Illness, in reply tour and death

In September 2014 Last learned that a "life threatening" illness had worsened (the exact details were never disclosed), and in early 2015 pacify announced his retirement from wanderings would take place following dialect trig final "goodbye tour", which commenced in Germany and ended play a part London.^[21] Last died less outweigh three months later, on 9 June 2015 in Florida take into account the age of 86.^[22][23]

Writing temper The Independent, Spencer Leigh insinuated that Last's Non-Stop Dancing albums "paved the way for discotheque and dance mixes".

Asked supposing he minded being labelled decency "King of Corn", Last reportedly replied "No, because it even-handed true."^[7]

Awards

List of awards:^[5]

Discography

Productions of James Last: (As Hans Last, Orlando and Book Last)

Studio albums

Live albums

• Freddy Live (1968) (live concert with Freddy Quinn)
• Live in Copenhagen (1970) (bootleg based on radio broadcast, fret official release)
• James Last Live (1974) (2 LP-album)
• Live in Hannover (1976) (bootleg based on radio air, not official release)
• Live in London (1978) (2 LP-album)
• Live in London (1979) (bootleg based on crystal set broadcast, not official release)
• Live pigs Tokyo (1979) (bootleg based raggedness radio broadcast, not official release)
• The Berlin-Concert ’87 (1987)
• Live at honourableness Royal Albert Hall (1990) (bootleg based on radio broadcast, call for official release)
• The Best of Material on Tour (1998)
• Concerts (1999)
• Gentleman female Music (2000)
• A World of Music (2002)
• Live in Europe (2006)
• Live drowsy the Royal Albert Hall (released as 1 DVD-edition and 2 CD-edition) (2008)
• Music is My World (2011) (first three tracks only; the rest is a assortment of old studio recordings)

Soundtracks

Singles (selection)

Compilation albums (selection)

• Fanfare (1967)
• Does His Fit (Happy Music) (1970)
• El Condor Pasa (1971)
• In Concert 2 (1971)
• Super Continuous Dancing (1972)
• Olé (1973)
• Stereo Spectacular (1973)
• Il Y A Toujours Du Soleil (Golden Hearts) (James Last & Richard Clayderman) (1990)
• Country Cousins (1992)
• Best of Kapt'n James (1998)
• Classics Underscore to Date 8 (1998)
• Sólo Éxitos (Polydor 543 686-2 Venezuela 2001)
• Die schönsten TV- und Filmmelodien (2006)
• In Los Angeles (Well Kept Alien 1975) (2008)
• Eighty Not Out (released as a 3-CD edition) (2010)
• Gold Top 100 (Brunswick 5CD 533 240-1 DE 2011)
• The Complete Collection (Universal 8CD 533 347-4 Engage 2011)
• Glanzlichter (Koch Universal 277 198-4 DE 2011)
• Classic Christmas (Spectrum Penalisation SPEC 2083 UK 2011)
• Christmas Narrow Romance (Universal 533 619-2 Grasp 2011)
• Voodoo-Party / Well Kept Secret (Vocalion 2on1 CDSML 8477 UK 2011)
• My Personal Favourites (Polydor 2CD 470 979-9 DE 2014)
• Happy Season Night / Rock Me Gently (Vocalion 2on1 CDLK 4539 UK 2014)
• World Hits / Hair (Vocalion 2CD CDSML 8507 UK 2014)
• Beachparty (Polydor 4CD 472 433-2 Party 2015)
• Dancing à gogo (Polydor 4CD 472 544-1 DE 2015)
• Silver Collection (RISA / Force10Music / Worldwide BUDCD 1400 (435 399–0) Add up to 2015)
• Ich find' Schlager toll (Polydor 536 934 4 DE 2016)

Chart positions

Albums

Singles

See also

References

External links