Artist News Obituaries

James Last 1929-2015

By | Published on Thursday 11 June 2015

James Last

Easy listening star James Last has died following a brief period of illness. He was 86.

Born in Germany in 1929, then named Hans Last, he began playing piano and double bass as a child – later going on to be named the country’s best jazz bassist three times. He initially began performing with a six-piece group called the Last-Becker Ensemble in 1948, and when they split he became an arranger for Polydor and a number of radio stations before joining the North German Radio Dance Orchestra in 1956.

He formed his own orchestra in 1964, where he began to develop his signature sound, releasing the first in a long series of albums under the banner ‘Non Stop Dancing’. These saw Last arrange popular songs of the day in a continuous, easy listening style. This made him a star, and started a career that would see him sell tens of millions of albums. Though it also brought much derision – particularly initially for his decision to rework Beatles songs.

Last also performed live prolifically, and holds the record for the most number of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, with 90 under his belt. The final two came earlier this year as part of a farewell tour.

Last is survived by his second wife Christine, their daughter Caterina, and a son from his first marriage Ronald.



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