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James Last

File:Grand_Gala_du_Disque_in_RAI_Amsterdam._James_Last_Band,_Bestanddeelnr_923-3019.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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James Last

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Also known as Hans Last

German musician (1929-2015)

Person · Open Library

Works
5

Top works

  • Baptism in the holy spirit
  • James Last
  • James Last Story
  • Make The Party Last
  • Mein Leben

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Sound · Bremen, Germany

Known for

  • MDR um 4 — Self2014
  • James Last: Gold Top live – Das Beste aus der ZDF-„Starparade“ — himself2011
  • Ein Abend für.. — Self2008
  • Mein Nachmittag — Self2008
  • James Last: Live at The Royal Albert Hall2007
  • Legends — Self (archive footage)2006
  • De Wereld Draait Door — Self2005
  • Willkommen bei Carmen Nebel — Self2004
  • Bei Hübner — Self2004
  • ZIBB — Self2003

via TMDB

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
210,748
Total plays
2,357,269

Tags

instrumentaleasy listeningorchestraClassicalgerman

James Last (Hans Last, * April 17, 1929 in Bremen, † June, 9, 2015 in Florida) was a German composer and big band leader with a large fan base in Europe and world-wide. Last's trademark was arranging pop hits in a big-band style; his series of "party albums" is equally well-known. Over the course of his career, he has sold well over 100 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 1

via Last.fm · James Last

Academic profile · OpenAlex

186h-index
Works
919
Cited by
143,697

Research areas

BiologyComputer scienceGeneticsGeneComputational biology

via OpenAlex · CC0

Key facts

Also known as
Hansi
Born
Hans Last , ( 1929-04-17 ) 17 April 1929, Bremen , Germany
Died
9 June 2015 (2015-06-09) (aged 86) , Palm Beach, Florida , U.S.
Genres
Big band
Occupation
Composer
Instrument
Double bass
Years active
1946–2015
Labels
Polydor PolyGram Universal Eagle Rock Warner Bros.
Website
jameslast .com

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Official website
www.jameslast.com
Image
WP2015 JamesLast FFM.jpg
Show 7 more facts
Commons category
James Last
date of birth
1929-04-17
date of death
2015-06-09
birth name
Hans Last
name in native language
James Last
pseudonym
Hansi
start of work period
1946-00-00
Sources (6)

via Wikidata · CC0

~13 min read

Article

James Last ( German pronunciation: [tʃeɪms last], [dʃeɪms lɑːst]; born Hans Last; 17 April 1929 – 9 June 2015) was a German composer and big band leader of the James Last Orchestra. Initially a jazz bassist, his trademark "happy music" made his numerous albums best-sellers in Germany and the United Kingdom, with 65 of his albums reaching the charts in the UK alone. His composition "Happy Heart" became an international success in interpretations by Andy Williams and Petula Clark.

Last is reported to have sold an estimated 200 million records worldwide in his lifetime of which 80 million were sold by 1973 and won numerous awards including 200 gold and 14 platinum discs in Germany, the International MIDEM Prize at MIDEM in 1969, and West Germany's highest civilian award, the Bundesverdienstkreuz. His album This Is James Last remained a UK best-seller for 48 weeks, and his song "Games That Lovers Play" has been covered over a hundred times. Last undertook his final tour months before his death at age 86, upon discovering in September 2014 that an illness had worsened. His final UK performance was his 90th at London's Royal Albert Hall, more than any other performer except Eric Clapton.

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