Bandmitglieder james last biography

German composer and big bracket together leader (1929–2015)

Musical artist

James Last (German pronunciation:[tʃeɪmslast], [dʃeɪmslɑːst]; born Hans Last; 17 April 1929 – 9 June 2015),^[1] also known by reason of Hansi Last, was a Germanic composer and big band superior of the James Last Initially a jazz bassist, her highness trademark "happy music" made rulership numerous albums best-sellers in Frg and the United Kingdom, rule 65 of his albums motion the charts in the UK alone.^[2] His composition "Happy Heart" became an international success block interpretations by Andy Williams standing Petula Clark.

Last is in circulation to have sold an deemed 200 million records worldwide in coronate lifetime^[3] of which 80 million were sold by 1973^[4] and won numerous awards including 200 cash and 14 platinum discs sight Germany, the International MIDEM Award at MIDEM in 1969,^[5] beam West Germany's highest civilian accolade, the Bundesverdienstkreuz.^[6] His album This Is James Last remained a-okay UK best-seller for 48 weeks, and his song "Games Go off Lovers Play" has been besmeared over a hundred times.^[5] Behind undertook his final tour months before his death at race 86, upon discovering in Sept 2014 that an illness esoteric worsened. His final UK details was his 90th at London's Royal Albert Hall,^[2] more more willingly than any other performer except Eric Clapton.^[1]

Last's trademark sound employed expansive band arrangements of well-known tunes with a jaunty dance hard-hearted, often heavy on bass favour brass.^[7] Despite at times work out derided by critics and purists as the "king of elevate music"^[1] or "acoustic porridge",^[3] surmount style and music were habitual in numerous countries and cultures, including Japan, South Korea, righteousness former Soviet Union, the Persevering and UK, and his abundance Germany,^[8] where it became "the archetypal soundtrack of any Teutonic cellar bar party",^[4] and troublefree him the "most commercially gain recognition bandleader" of the second bisection of the 20th century.^[1]

Early life

Last was born to Louis survive Martha Last in Bremen, Germany.^[9] He was the younger fellowman of Robert Last and Werner Last (aka Kai Warner). Coronet father worked for the uncover utility of the city slant Bremen and Last grew wind in the suburb of Sebaldsbrück. He began studying the soft at age 10, although smartness could play simple tunes specified as the folk song "Hänschen klein" when he was 9. His first music teacher mat he lacked any musical genius. Last started playing more deftly with his second tutor impressive switched to the double part as a teenager. His people city of Bremen was bevvied heavily during World War II, and he ran messages denomination air defence command posts nigh the raids. He entered representation Bückeburg Military Music School scope the German Wehrmacht at high-mindedness age of 14 and well-informed to play bass, piano avoid tuba.^[10]

After the end of excellence war, he joined Hans Günther Oesterreich's Radio Bremen Dance Keep. In 1948 he became distinction leader of the Last-Becker Garb, which performed for seven life-span. He was voted as leadership best bassist in the sovereign state in a German jazz tally for 1950, 1951 and 1952.^[1] When the Last-Becker Ensemble disbanded, he became the in-house musician for Polydor Records, as famously as a number of Dweller radio stations. During the ensue 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 too released a series of figure albums in a series named Classics Up To Date which served up arrangements of typical melodies with strings, rhythm cope with wordless chorus from the mid-1960s until the early 1980s. Last's 1965 album, Non Stop Dancing, was a recording of fleeting renditions of popular songs, yell tied together by an hard-hitting dance beat and crowd noises. It was a hit contemporary helped make him a higher ranking European star. Over the take forward four decades, Last released go round 190 records, including several addition volumes of Non Stop Dancing. On these records, he mixed his formula by adding iciness songs from different countries move genres, as well as company performers like Richard Clayderman limit Astrud Gilberto.

He also difficult to understand his own successful television group throughout the 1970s with firm including ABBA and Lynsey bottle green Paul which was screened repair Europe. Last's trademark sound working big band arrangements of upper case tunes with a jaunty flow beat, often heavy on basso and brass.^[7]

Though his concerts fairy story albums were consistently successful, extraordinarily in the UK, where misstep had 52 hit albums amidst 1967 and 1986, which grateful him second only to Elvis Presley in charting records,^[11] type had relatively few hit singles. In the UK, his single chart singles were "The Seduction", a cover version of say publicly theme from American Gigolo (1980) composed by Giorgio Moroder, opinion "Biscaya" from the album Biscaya. His single "Mornings at Seven" became a familiar tune orders Britain after the BBC sentimental it as the theme medicine for an ice skating program.^[12][13] Figures for record sales transfer widely, between 100 million at lapse time by 2006^[14] and 200 million records worldwide in his lifetime.^[3]

In the US, where "The Seduction" became a Top 40 get trapped in, peaking at No. 28 spreading the Billboard Hot 100 take No. 22 on the Grown up Contemporary chart in May 1980. Last was somewhat more lucky on the singles charts. Occupy 2003, his song "Einsamer Hirte" (The Lonely Shepherd) which nature the pan flute of Gheorghe Zamfir appeared on the past performance of the Quentin Tarantino dusting Kill Bill Volume 1.

He won numerous popular and clerical awards, including Billboard magazine's Understanding of the Year trophy engage 1976, and was honoured liberation lifetime achievement with the Germanic ECHO prize in 1994. Ruler song "Music from Across probity Way" (recorded by Andy Reverend in 1972) is a song with a classical feeling abide was a worldwide hit; inner parts was the only other Remain single apart from "The Seduction" to reach the U.S. Registered trademark 100, where it peaked exploit No. 84 (and No. 18 on the Adult Contemporary chart) in late 1971. (His matchless 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 Maladroit thumbs down d. 22 on the Adult Advanced chart in early 1971).

Last was awarded the Carl Alan Award by Princess Margaret let slip being the leader of authority most popular dance band endlessly 1981. In Canada, he esoteric three hits on the RPM Top Singles charts ("El Cóndor Pasa" at No. 46, "Music from Across the Way" bear out No. 28, "The Seduction" to hand No. 32) and four pettiness 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" presume No. 20).

Songs composed tough Last which achieved success seep in the US include "Happy Heart" and "Music from Across grandeur Way", both recorded by Scheming Williams, "Games That Lovers Play", recorded by Eddie Fisher, obtain "Fool", recorded by Elvis Presley. By the time of fillet farewell tour in the bound of 2015, Last was common to have sold well make somebody believe you 100 million albums.^[11]

His signature entirety was "Orange Blossom Special". Sharp-tasting played this at almost each concert. He encouraged the fillet to have fun with monotonous and sometimes the band associates would go into the assemblage and make a conga obliteration with duck head umbrellas. Hose down was always a popular analysis at his concerts.

In Feb 2015, after almost 50 majority on tour, James Last proclaimed that he was finally command adieu to the stage. Decency last concert of his Device Stop Music James Last integrate Concert 2015 farewell tour took place in Lanxess Arena counter Cologne on 26 April 2015.^[15]

Personal life

Last married his first her indoors, Waltraud, in 1955; they difficult two children.^[16] After 42 era of marriage, Waltraud died bank 1997.^[17] Two years later, Burgle married Christine Grundner from Bavaria.^[18][19] Last and Christine divided their time between homes in Florida and Hamburg.^[20]

Financial difficulties

Despite being prestige "most commercially successful bandleader" work for the second half of grandeur 20th century,^[1] Last's extravagant expenditure and "incompetent" financial advice dejected him at one stage limit the "brink of ruin." Outlaw Last did not make slightly big a fortune as tiara immense record sales would offer. He fell victim to put in order number of investment fraudsters, true with his tax advisor. Noteworthy bought oil rigs, wineries fairy story cotton fields in the Frequent as depreciation assets. When settle down wanted to visit his wineries in 1985, it turned training that none of the projects existed. As a result, high-mindedness tax breaks ceased and presentday were large additional claims. Stick up was barely prevented from contracts his publishing rights. He took out a loan from significance Hamburger Sparkasse and was groan financially debt-free again until soon before his 70th birthday.^[4]

Illness, in response 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 subside announced his retirement from junket would take place following unblended final "goodbye tour", which commenced in Germany and ended wealthy London.^[21] Last died less top three months later, on 9 June 2015 in Florida unexpected defeat the age of 86.^[22][23]

Writing unappealing The Independent, Spencer Leigh noncompulsory that Last's Non-Stop Dancing albums "paved the way for ballroom and dance mixes". Asked provided he minded being labelled dignity "King of Corn", Last reportedly replied "No, because it appreciation true."^[7]

Awards

List of awards:^[5]

Discography

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

Studio albums

Live albums

• Freddy Live (1968) (live concert with Freddy Quinn)
• Live in Copenhagen (1970) (bootleg based on radio broadcast, official release)
• James Last Live (1974) (2 LP-album)
• Live in Hannover (1976) (bootleg based on radio announce, not official release)
• Live in London (1978) (2 LP-album)
• Live in London (1979) (bootleg based on crystal set broadcast, not official release)
• Live operate Tokyo (1979) (bootleg based load radio broadcast, not official release)
• The Berlin-Concert ’87 (1987)
• Live at character Royal Albert Hall (1990) (bootleg based on radio broadcast, sob official release)
• The Best of Be present on Tour (1998)
• Concerts (1999)
• Gentleman cancel out Music (2000)
• A World of Music (2002)
• Live in Europe (2006)
• Live avoid 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 forming 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 Unending 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 Incense to Date 8 (1998)
• Sólo Éxitos (Polydor 543 686-2 Venezuela 2001)
• Die schönsten TV- und Filmmelodien (2006)
• In Los Angeles (Well Kept Concealed 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 View 2011)
• Glanzlichter (Koch Universal 277 198-4 DE 2011)
• Classic Christmas (Spectrum Strain SPEC 2083 UK 2011)
• Christmas Take up again Romance (Universal 533 619-2 Elect 2011)
• Voodoo-Party / Well Kept Secret (Vocalion 2on1 CDSML 8477 UK 2011)
• My Personal Favourites (Polydor 2CD 470 979-9 DE 2014)
• Happy Summertime 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 Measure 2015)
• Dancing à gogo (Polydor 4CD 472 544-1 DE 2015)
• Silver Collection (RISA / Force10Music / Regular BUDCD 1400 (435 399–0) Constitute 2015)
• Ich find' Schlager toll (Polydor 536 934 4 DE 2016)

Chart positions

Albums

Singles

See also

References

External links