The Wham! backing vocalist Shirlie Holliman of duo Pepsi & Shirlie turns 61 today

She also scored hits with her Pop duo Pepsi & Shirlie

The Wham! backing vocalist Shirlie Holliman of duo Pepsi & Shirlie turns 61 today



Shirlie Holliman was born on April 18, 1962, in Hertfordshire, England. She became famous during the 1980’s as the always present backing vocalist for Wham! The singer joined Wham! at age 18 when her then boyfriend Andrew Ridgeley suggested she come and dance while he and his friend George Michael’s band played a local gig. The double Wham! backing vocalists team consisted first of Shirlie and Dee C.Lee who left the band in 1983 and was replaced by Pepsi DeMacque. Together, they were known as Pepsi & Shirlie. Shirlie appears on every Wham! music video and also does a lead vocals part on the song “Young Guns (Go For It)”. In 1986, after the end of Wham!, Shirlie together with Pepsi formed their own duo Pepsi & Shirlie and scored hits with “Heartache” in 1986 and later with “Goodbye Stranger”. The duo went on hiatus in 1989, but briefly returned in 2000 to record backing vocals on the UK number one Geri Halliwell hit “Bag It Up”. On November 29, 2002, Shirlie Holliman was a backup vocalist in the Concert for George, a concert celebrating the music of the late, George Harrison. Shirlie married Spandau Ballet bassist and singer Martin Kemp, after dating him several years. The pair met through mutual friend George Michael who became later the Godfather of their son Roman Kemp. In 2017, a few months after George Michael’s death, Shirlie, together with Andrew Ridgeley and Pepsi DeMacque, made an emotional public statement about her friendship with the late singer during the Brit Awards ceremony. Today, she turns 61.

Look back at Pepsi & Shirlie performing their hit “Heartache” in 1987 at Top Of The Pops



Also watch the 1983 music video for “Young Guns (Go For It)” by Wham! where Shirlie does a lead vocalist part

Watch more 1980’s related videos

 

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