One Hit Wondering – Deon Estus

One Hit Wondering is a series of columns where I listen to the album of a one hit wonder, and find three songs, other than the hit, that people should hear. 

A bassist rarely finds himself in the spotlight, but in 1989 that light found its way to WHAM!’s bassist, Deon Estus, when he released the single “Heaven Help Me.”

With backing vocals from co-writer, producer, and WHAM! compatriot George Michael, “Heaven Help Me” climbed the charts, reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #3 on both the Adult Contemporary, and Hot R&B charts.

For Estus, it was a well-earned moment, as he’d finally been given an opportunity to be front and center after backing so many other artists for so long.

Working with others, however, was something Estus was widely known, and respected for, and he came by it honestly, as a teenager growing up in Detroit his bass guitar teacher was James Jamerson. Jamerson was the bassist from the Funk Brothers, who were the session musicians who performed the backing for pretty much all of Motown’s recordings from the label’s founding in 1959, until it moved to Los Angels in 1972. 

In all, Jamerson played on 23 Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits, and 56 R&B number-one hits, although was uncredited on all of those classic songs, because Motown didn’t list session musicians until 1971.

The credit for Jamerson came posthumously, as after his passing he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and at different times both Bass Player magazine, and Rolling Stone, ranked him as the number one bassist of all-time.

With Jamerson teaching him, Estus was a quick study, and as a teenager he joined the established funk/R&B band Brainstorm.

When Estus joined the band, Brainstorm had already released one album, 1977’s Stormin’, which featured the disco hit “Lovin’ is Really My Game.” Estus contributed heavily to their next two albums, 1978’s Journey to the Light, and 1979’s Funky Entertainment, the latter featuring the supremely funky “Popcorn” (and yes, that’s one heck of an album cover!).

Funky Entertainment would turn out to be Brainstorm’s final album, and also the last time Estus would call the U.S. home, as that same year he took off to Belgium to play with Marvin Gaye, and never came back to America.

Estus would spend time in Belgium, and Ireland, before deciding to make London his place of residence.

During his time working with Gaye, Estus met George Michael, and in the early ‘80s was invited to join the group WHAM!. He jumped at the opportunity, became an integral member of the band, and continued to work with Michael, and tour with him, until Michael’s passing in 2016.

Estus also became sought-after by a bevy of artists seeking a bassist, although who he played with has become misrepresented thanks to internet inaccuracies.

The list of artists Estus played with is impressive, as it includes Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Peter Murphy of Bauhaus, Aaron Neville, Elton John, and the R&B band Switch, which featured multiple members of the DeBarge family, as well as James Ingram’s brother, Phillip.

Despite what nearly every website says, however, he did not play with Frank Zappa.

How that rumor came to be prevalent is something he addressed in an interview with Steve Cooper on Cooper’s podcast, CooperTalk, saying, “I played with Zappa’s band – Carlos Rios, Vinnie Colaiuta – I didn’t do any touring with Zappa … I didn’t go out on the road with him, or record any stuff with him.”

Two other names Estus has been connected with on the internet are Tina Turner, and Annie Lennox. In an interview republished on RediscoverThe80s, he was even quoted as saying he played with them. If he did, however, he was uncredited, because there’s nothing in any liner notes to corroborate this.

A project he was definitely part of was Boogie Box High, which was getting started right around the time George Michael was becoming a solo artist. Boogie Box High was the project of Andros Georgiou, a producer and singer who was also George Michael’s cousin. Michael not only lent his support to Georgiou, he also provided basically his entire team of producers and musicians, including himself, laying down vocals for a few songs. Michael’s work, however, was uncredited, as his label, Epic Records, wouldn’t allow his name to be on the album.

The lack of crediting didn’t matter. Michael’s voice was an obvious one, much like Michael Jackson’s uncredited vocals on One Hit Wondering artist Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me.”

The first single from Boogie Box High was a cover of the Bee Gees’ classic “Jive Talkin’.” Released in 1987, the vocals were so clearly Michael’s that it raced up the charts in the UK, becoming a Top 10 hit.

“Jive Talkin’” was included on Boogie Box High’s sole album, Outrageous, which was released in 1989, but that same year Estus had a project that was much more personal to him – his own.

In March of 1989, Estus released his solo album, Spell, following it one month later with the single “Heaven Help Me,” which would, for a spell, turn the bassist into a household name.

Now front and center, the consummate collaborator had found some impressive collaborators for his own work.

Kenny Young, who wrote and produced hits for The Drifters, Mark Lindsay (of Paul Revere & the Raiders), Herman’s Hermits, and Quincy Jones, and was the man who penned “Under the Boardwalk,” co-wrote two of the songs on Spell.

Longtime Prince drummer David Z played on two songs on the album. His credits also included working with Etta James, Billy Idol, Buddy Guy, and Neneh Cherry. Additionally, he was a member of Lipps Inc., where he took us to “Funkytown,” and he produced the Fine Young Cannibals’ hit “She Drives Me Crazy.”

Another Prince connected artist, guitarist Levi Seacer Jr., played on one song on Spell. Seacer, who had ties to Sheila E., had been recruited by Prince to form a new touring band after the Revolution broke up in 1986. He also collaborated with Prince as a songwriter, and would go on to be a founding member of the New Power Generation in 1991.

All that musical firepower, however, did not land Estus a second hit.

“Me or the Rumours,” which there are two versions of on Spell, had reached #15 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart before the album was released, and the album’s title track would make its way to #11 on the Adult Contemporary chart, but neither cracked the Billboard Hot 100.

For Estus, more Hot 100 fame would’ve been nice, but it honestly didn’t matter. He was wildly successful as a bassist, he was working with George Michael, who at the time was one of the biggest pop stars in the world, and big name artists were calling on him to play on their albums.

Even young artists recognized Estus’ skills, and status. In 1995, Jon B., working on his debut album, Bonafide, tapped him for a guest spot on the song “Overflow.”

Through all the touring, and session work, Estus was still hoping to eventually release a follow-up to Spell. In a 2011 interview with LikeTotally80s he said he was working on an EP, and had posted a song titled “Only Love is Real” on his website.

The project, however, never saw a release.

In the same interview he revealed quite the odd personal quirk – he claimed he avoided eating, and instead would juice for 13 months at a time. His reasoning for this was that he saw everyone he was touring with becoming lethargic after meals, and he wanted to keep his energy level as high as possible.

Does this mean Deon Estus may have been the godfather of the energy drink?

Sadly, we’ll never know, because he passed away in 2021, at the age of 65.

His lasting legacy is the long list of songs he played on, his numerous tours with legends, and his lone solo album. I put on that album, and found three songs, other than the hit, that you should hear.

“Spell”

I realize “Spell” made its mark on the Adult Contemporary chart, but how on earth did it not find its way onto the Billboard Hot 100? This is a fantastic R&B jam that should’ve inspired a million slow dances, and romances. Perfect fodder for a mixtape for a girlfriend, you can still put “Spell” on to set the mood.

“Blue Envelope”

While I was listening to “Blue Envelope” this first thing that struck me was how Prince-like the chorus felt. Obviously, that is not a bad thing.

There are also some wonderful old school lyrical elements in the song, which makes sense as it was co-written by Kenny Young, of “Under the Boardwalk” fame. It’s almost as if you could imagine a classic vocal group singing parts of it, which I, for one, think is very cool. 

“Me or the Rumours”

There are two versions of “Me or the Rumours” on Spell, and I’m giving the slight edge to the George Michael mix. This version of the song allows Estus’ vocals to be featured more prominently, and also cuts around 40 seconds of repetition the other version has at the end.

Much like with “Spell,” I have no idea how “Me or the Rumours” never made it onto the Hot 100. It’s a legitimately great song that deserved a second life as a re-release post “Heaven Help Me,” especially with two versions having been recorded.

Until next time, here’s to discovering more great music from one hit wonders!

If you liked this article, check out the book – One Hit Wondering: The Stories of 40 One Hit Wonders + Other Tales From The Crates. Available now!