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James Last was a German big-band leader with a large fan base in Europe, although he never had a comparable following in the United States. Last's trademark was arranging pop hits in a big-band style; his series of "party albums" became equally well-known. Over the course of his career, he sold well over 50 million albums.
Last learned how to play piano as child, switching to bass as a teenager. He joined Hans-Gunther Oesterreich's Radio Bremen Dance Orchestra in 1946, when he was 17 years old. In 1948, he became the leader of the Becker-Last Ensemble, which performed for seven years. During that time, he was voted as the best bassist in the country by a German jazz poll for three consecutive years, from 1950-1952. After the disbandment of the Becker-Last Ensemble, he became the in-house arranger for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Polydor+Records%22">Polydor Records</a>, as well as for a number of European radio stations. For the next decade, he helped arrange hits for artists like <a href="spotify:artist:4nCFpRRLWXwZc3EQYD7GgH">Helmut Zacharias</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6U43w7qaIwFTlbJWuLiBrf">Caterina Valente</a>.
In 1965 Last released his first album, Non-Stop Dancing, a record of brief renditions of popular songs, all tied together by an insistent dance beat and joyous crowd noises. It was a hit and helped make him a major European star. Over the next two decades, Last released over 50 records, including several more volumes of Non-Stop Dancing. On these records, he varied his formula by adding different songs from different countries and genres, as well as guest performers like <a href="spotify:artist:0h885xmyK9xHfhyXQr37L6">Richard Clayderman</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5rX2c1zow6hCph8PnnU3kF">Astrud Gilberto</a>.
Though his concerts and albums were consistently successful -- especially in England, where he had 52 hit albums between 1967-1986, which made him second to <a href="spotify:artist:43ZHCT0cAZBISjO8DG9PnE">Elvis Presley</a> in terms of number of charting records -- he only had one hit single with "The Seduction," the theme from American Gigolo (1980). ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
Last learned how to play piano as child, switching to bass as a teenager. He joined Hans-Gunther Oesterreich's Radio Bremen Dance Orchestra in 1946, when he was 17 years old. In 1948, he became the leader of the Becker-Last Ensemble, which performed for seven years. During that time, he was voted as the best bassist in the country by a German jazz poll for three consecutive years, from 1950-1952. After the disbandment of the Becker-Last Ensemble, he became the in-house arranger for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Polydor+Records%22">Polydor Records</a>, as well as for a number of European radio stations. For the next decade, he helped arrange hits for artists like <a href="spotify:artist:4nCFpRRLWXwZc3EQYD7GgH">Helmut Zacharias</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6U43w7qaIwFTlbJWuLiBrf">Caterina Valente</a>.
In 1965 Last released his first album, Non-Stop Dancing, a record of brief renditions of popular songs, all tied together by an insistent dance beat and joyous crowd noises. It was a hit and helped make him a major European star. Over the next two decades, Last released over 50 records, including several more volumes of Non-Stop Dancing. On these records, he varied his formula by adding different songs from different countries and genres, as well as guest performers like <a href="spotify:artist:0h885xmyK9xHfhyXQr37L6">Richard Clayderman</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5rX2c1zow6hCph8PnnU3kF">Astrud Gilberto</a>.
Though his concerts and albums were consistently successful -- especially in England, where he had 52 hit albums between 1967-1986, which made him second to <a href="spotify:artist:43ZHCT0cAZBISjO8DG9PnE">Elvis Presley</a> in terms of number of charting records -- he only had one hit single with "The Seduction," the theme from American Gigolo (1980). ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
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