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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZLAST, James(b Hans Last, 17 April 1929, Bremen, Germany d 9 June 2015, Florida) Leader of big cabaret/show band, supplying posh middle-of-the-road dance music for a huge audience, the Continental equivalent of the USA's Lawrence Welk. He studied piano '39, bass at music school '43, was voted best bassist in German jazz polls '50, '51, '52; joined the Northwest German Radio Orchestra '55 and began arranging for radio '56. His name was changed to make him more internationally appealing. His first album Non Stop Dancing '65 covered 26 hit songs in 90-second bits for continuous dancing. He wrote a few hit songs: 'Games That Lovers Play' ("Eine Ganze Nacht' in German; English words by Larry Kusick and Eddie Snyder recorded by Eddie Fisher and Wayne Newton); 'Happy Heart' (recorded by Petula Clark and Andy Williams), 'Fool' (Elvis Presley). Only three out of over 200 albums (on Polydor) reached the top 200 in in the USA, but his Continental popularity was phenomenal; he had four in the UK charts simultaneously in '67, 52 hit albums in that country '67-86 (second only to Presley) including James Last Goes Pop, Polka Party, Golden Memories, Violins In Love, many volumes of Non-Stop Dancing, Classics Up To Date etc. He made an album with Astrud Gilberto '86 in Florida. His touring personnel of 60 people (17 nationalities) included 46 musicians (all American vocalists); his shows sold out with no advertising. As with Welk on USA TV, Last's slickness should not be undervalued; he knew exactly what he was doing. A German Show Express programme seen on Anglia TV in the UK early '87 included Kris Kristofferson's 'Me And Bobby McGee' done by an excellent small vocal group, with good brass writing and playing, first-class rock drumming slightly behind the beat: it was an improvement on a lot of pop music. |