Wham!

The British pop duo Wham! formed in 1981 as a collaboration between George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. Their 1984 effort Make It Big yielded four huge American hits including "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," "Everything She Wants," "Freedom," and "Careless Whisper." The fact that Michael took on a majority of the duties by functioning as the duo's primary composer, singer, and producer laid the groundwork for a successful solo career that followed after the pair split in 1986. Ridgeley's post-Wham! ambitions produced an ill-fated, short-lived solo career before he retired from music to work as an environmental activist.