The mid-1980s saw British pop duo Wham! enjoying a period of international popularity to rival New Romantic kings Duran Duran.
But on April 7, 1985, they’d do something not even the biggest music artists of that era (or previous eras) had done – Wham! would become the first Western band to perform in post-Mao Zedong China.
READ MORE: This Day in History: Wham! Become First Pop Band to Play China
Suffice to say, putting the concert together was no easy feat. The man who masterminded it was Simon Napier-Bell, writer, pop manager, bon viveur, music business entrepreneur, and then manager of Wham!
And now he is looking to find some of the people he met on that historic trip. Over to Mr. Napier-Bell…
Forty years ago this year, I spent the entire year travelling backwards and forwards from London to Beijing, negotiating with the Chinese government for my pop group Wham! to come and play a concert in Beijing, the first Western pop group ever to do so.
On April 7, 1984, 40 years ago next year, it happened. For me it was one of the most satisfying things I ever did. And even more satisfying was to see, in its wake, the foreign investment that poured into China and helped turn Beijing into the wonderful modern city it is today.
During those negotiations, and during the time when Wham! were in China, I met many wonderful people, from politicians to music fans. Some I’ve been able to keep in touch with, some I haven’t, but there are a few people connected with that concert I’ve never met, but would love to. They’re the people who were in several iconic photos of the event.
Who were the young guys in the photo of people queuing for tickets? And the fellow holding up a Wham! t-shirt?
Who were the two guys sitting in the audience holding up their program? And the young girl next to them?
Who was the little girl in Tiananmen Square who George and Andrew are talking with?
And the most iconic of all – the two girls at the concert who held up the Wham! banner, one in a green sweater, the other in a white one?
For 40 years I’ve wanted to meet those people and say hello, so if any of them are you, or someone you know, please get in contact with me through That’s Beijing.
So are you one of the people in the photos? Do you recognize them? Did you attend the historic concert?
If so, scan the QR code below to be put in touch with Simon Napier-Bell:
