Heddy Lester (born Heddy Affolter, June 18 1950, Amsterdam) is a Dutch singer and actress, best known outside the Netherlands for her participation in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest.
Heddy Lester's professional career started with Gert Balke as the duo April Shower, who had a minor hit with Railroad Song in 1971. Her father ran a restaurant in Amsterdam, where she met singer Ramses Shaffy, with whom she started touring. Heddy launched her solo career in 1974.
In 1977, Heddy Lester's song De mallemolen, with music written by her brother Frank, was chosen as the winner in the Dutch national final for the ESC. Heddy went forward to take part in the 22nd Eurovision Song Contest, held in London on May 7. Although De mallemolen had been considered a strong contender prior to the contest, it could only manage a disappointing 12th place.
Since her Eurovision appearance, Heddy Lester has worked steadily in a variety of both musical and dramatic stage roles, including works by Lorca (Blood wedding), Euripedes (The Trojan Women) and Joshua Sobol (Ghetto).
Alan Sorrenti (born December 9, 1950) is an Italian singer and composer.
Alan Sorrenti was born in Naples, but his mother was Welsh, and he spent much of his childhood in Aberystwyth, Wales. Alan Sorrenti's career began in the early 1970s when he released his first album, Aria, in 1972, followed by Come un vecchio incensiere all'alba di un villaggio deserto in 1973, both consisting mostly of progressive rock and experimental tracks.
In 1976, Alan Sorrenti shifted genre and released tracks more reminiscent of the dance genre. In late 1979 he scored a major European hit with the single Tu sei l'unica donna per me, since then covered in a number of different languages.
Alan represented Italy in the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Non so che darei. He finished sixth in the contest but the track became one of that year's bestselling entries in Europe.
In 1988 he participated at the Festival di Sanremo but came 26th and last with the song Come Per Miracolo.
In 2006, Alan Sorrenti participated in the festival O' Scià on the Lampedusa island.
In the 80s Alan converted to Buddhism. Alan still releases albums but never so successful as in the 1970's.
Germany was represented by Katja Ebstein, with the song Diese Welt, at the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 3 April in Dublin. Katja Ebstein was chosen internally to be the German representative, and the song was selected at the German national final, Ein Lied für Dublin, held on 27 February. This was the second of Ebstein's three appearances for Germany at Eurovision and she became the second performer, after Margot Hielscher, to represent the country in successive years.
The final was held at the TV studios in Frankfurt, hosted by Günther Schramm. Ebstein performed six songs and the winner was chosen by a 10-member jury, who each awarded between 1 and 5 points to each song.
The results:
1. Diese welt, 43 points 2. Alle Menschen auf der Erde, 37 points 3. Ich glaub' an die Liebe auf der Welt, 37 points 4. Es wird wieder gescheh'n, 28 points 5. Der Mensch lebt von der Liebe, 27 points 6. Ich bin glücklich mit dir, 25 points
At the ESC in Dublin Katja came 3rd.
Katja Ebstein is a German singer and actress who represented Germany at the ESC in 1970, 1971 and in 1980.
Anthony (Tony) Cetinski (born May 31, 1969) is a Croatian pop singer. Today, he is one of the most popular male singers in Croatia and he is also popular in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro.
Born into a family of musicians in Pula where he began singing when he was 15 years old with various local groups. He moved to Zagreb in 1991 to start his career, and quickly became one of Croatia's leading pop stars. In 1994 he represented Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Nek' ti bude ljubav sva which finished 16th.
At the 10th Croatian Radio Festival in 2006, Cetinski won all three prizes in pop-rock category: HRF Grand Prix – pop-rock, Listener's award and Music Editors award. He also recorded the song Lagala nas mala as a duet with the late Toše Proeski. This song appears on both of Toše Proeski's 2005 albums Po tebe and the Croatian edition Pratim te. The song was also done as a remix by DeeJay Time.
In 2009 Cetinski won the Porin award for best male vocal performance with his song "Ako to se zove ljubav". Tony Cetinski sold out two concerts in Arena Zagreb the same year with more than 30,000 people attending.
Tony participated three times in the Croatian pre-selection for the ESC and in 1991 in the Yugoslav pre-selection for the ESC:
1991: Marina, 8th. 1993: Nek Te Zagrli Netko Sretniji, 6th 1994: Nek'Ti Bude Ljubav Sva, 1st, 16th at the ESC 2001: Iz Dana U Dan, 5th
David Civera was born in Teruel, in 1979. David studied Computer Studies and communications but he liked music better and wanted to sing. His father traveled with him twice a month from Teruel to Valencia where David received solfa, guitar and piano classes.
He won a national TV program 'Karaoke' and participated in other TV programs (El Sur de Jerez, Las Estrellas del Parque etc.). Then, in 1996, he participated in the TV program Lluvia de Estrellas imitating Enrique Iglesias and the song Experiencia Religiosa. He failed to win this program. However he was told he had his own style.
In 1997, he took part in a new TV program Canciones de Nuestra Vida where participants covered old songs, and at the same time he released his first CD Hoy Como Ayer. However this CD failed to set the charts.
Later, he took part in other TV programs too. Eventually this led him to meet producer Alejandro Abad, who suggested he go to Eurocanción, the TV show used to choose the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 representative. He accepted and on 23 February 2001, he won the pre-Eurovision festival with his song called Dile que la quiero. At the Eurovision, which took place in Denmark, he obtained a 6th position.
He released a new CD called Dile que la quiero which achieved a greater success. A year later, in 2002, he released En Cuerpo y Alma and he sold more than 200,000 copies and the single Que la detengan eventually became the song of the summer. In 2003, he went to New Orleans and he recorded his CD The years of gangsters. It includes the popular songs Bye Bye and Rosa y espinas, recorded with David Bisbal.
In 2005, he released Perdóname a tango-inspired album leader. This year, David participated in ¡Mira quién baila! (Spanish version of Dancing with the stars). He won this program and he has raised a lot of money for the patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
In 2006 he released his album Ni el primero ni el último which contained a lot of ballad songs spiced up with a few dance songs. The first single is El orgullo y la Visa. In 2007 has published No bastará. In 2009 he released Podemos elegir. He got married on 2007 with his girlfriend. They had been together since being teenagers.
The German final was held at the TV studios in Frankfurt, hosted by Marie-Louise Steinbauer. Six songs took part and were voted on in two stages by a 7-member jury. In the first round each judge awarded 1 point to their three favourite songs, and the lowest-scoring three were eliminated. The judges were then asked to award 1 point to their favourite of the three remaining songs, and "Wunder gibt es immer wieder" was the unanimous choice.
The results:
1. Wunder gibt es immer wieder - Katja Ebstein, 1st round: 7 votes, 2nd round: 7 votes
2. Bei jedem Kuß - Mary Roos, 1st round: 5 votes, 2nd round: 0 votes
3. Allein unter Millionen - Reiner Schöne, 1st round: 5 votes, 2nd round: 0 votes
4. Pierre, der Clochard - Kirstie Sparboe, 1st round: 3 votes
5. Auf der Kurfürstendamm sagt man Liebe - Roberto Blanco, 1st round: 1 vote
6. Blaue Augen, rote Lippen und kastanienbraunes Haar - Peter Beil, 1st round: 0 votes
Katja Ebstein is a German singer and actress, her real name is Karin Witkiewicz, In 1970, 1971 and in 1980 she represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Hot Eyes was a Danish group consisted of Søren Bundgaard and Kirsten Siggaard.
They were very successful and participated several time in the Danish pre-selection for the Eurovision Songcontest.
In 1983 Kirsten participated with the song Og Livet Går at the Danish pre-selection which was written by her husband Søren. Kirsten finished 7th in 1983 but in 1984 Kirsten and Søren won the Danish pre-selection with Det' Lige Det which came 4th at the Eurovision Song Contest.
In 1985 they won again in Denmark, this time with Sku' Du Spørg Fra No'en which came 11th at the Eurovision Song Contest in Göteborg. In 1986 they participated again in the Danish pre-selection with the song Sig Det Som Det Er which came 4th and in 1987 they came 5th with Farvel Og Tak.
In 1988 they won the Danish national final again, at the Eurovision Song Contest they came 3rd with Ka' Du Se Hva' Jeg Sa'. In 1989 Søren wrote Vi Maler Byen Rød for Birthe Kjær who finished 3rd in Lausanne.
Kirsten participated in 1990 for the last time in the Danish pre-selection with Inden Længe which didn't reach the final. In 1991 Søren Bundgaard and Kirsten Siggaard stopped with the group Hot Eyes.
Pnina Rosenblum, born 30 December 1954, is an Israeli businesswoman, model and media personality, who has also been involved in politics. She has always made good use of her glamorous image as much as possible to generate attention, giving her a whole list of nicknames from The Blond Messiah to The Breasts of the Nation.
In 1983 she participated in the Israel national final for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Tamid Isha which came last. The song was rather weak and the performance not good but so hilarious that it became legendary. It is often imitated, especially in the Israeli gay scene. In 1989 she started her own business in beauty products, Rosenblum Ltd, which has proved very successful.
The German Final was held on February 22nd at TV Studios in Frankfurt, hosted by Marie-Louise Steinbauer. The winning song was chosen by a jury of 11 people. They firstly voted for their favourite song by each of the 3 artists, who each sung three songs, and then the best song by each artist was voted on again to decide the winner. It is rumoured that popular 60's singer Alexandra was due to be the 4th artist in the German Final, but she died shortly before it was held.
The results of the 1st round:
Dein Comeback zu mir - Siw Malmkvist, 2 votes
Melodie - Siw Malmkvist, 4 votes
Primaballerina - Siw Malmkvist, 5 votes
Lady Julia - Rex Gildo, 4 votes
Festival der jungen Liebe - Rex Gildo, 0 votes
Die Beste Idee Meines Lebens - Rex Gildo, 7 votes
Mouth & MacNeal was a pop duo from the Netherlands. They are best known for their million selling recording of How Do You Do.
They were formed in 1971 when record producer Hans van Hemert brought together the solo talent of Mouth (born Willem Duyn, March 31, 1937 / died December 4, 2004) and Maggie MacNeal (born Sjoukje van't Spijker, May 5, 1950). Mouth had previously sung in a number of 1960s bands, including Speedway. MacNeal had released one solo single before teaming up with Mouth, a cover of Marvin Gaye's I Heard It Through the Grapevine, also produced by van Hemert.
The duo released their first single, Hey You Love, which reached #5 in the Dutch Top 40, while the next two singles How Do You Do and Hello-A both reached #1. In 1972, Mouth & MacNeal reached the top of the charts throughout Continental Europe and Scandinavia. How Do You Do was made popular in the United States by radio personality Jim Connors and the song eventually reached #8 in the U.S. in July 1972. How Do You Do spent 19 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 and won the R.I.A.A. gold disc on 2 August 1972.
This propelled their 1972 album How Do You Do into the Billboard 200 (US #77). More hit singles followed in 1973, and in 1974 Mouth & MacNeal represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest placing third, behind ABBA and Gigliola Cinquetti with their song I See a Star, which went on to be a #1 hit in Ireland. In 1974 they also took part at the Festival di Sanremo with the song Ah, L'amore which came 11th in the final.
In December 1974, shortly after their success with I See a Star, Mouth and MacNeal split up. Mouth continued with his wife Ingrid Kup as Big Mouth & Little Eve, whereas MacNeal resumed her solo career. MacNeal went on to represent the Netherlands again at the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 held in The Hague, singing Amsterdam, finishing fifth in a field of nineteen.
By then, Mouth was pursuing a solo-career too; under his own name he charted with Dutch-language versions of Frankie Miller's Darlin and Chattanooga Choo Choo (based on German singer Udo Lindenberg's adaptation). In 1992 Duyn joined forces with rural-conscious rockers Normaal for Tenpole Tudor's Wunderbar when their own frontman Bennie Jolink recovered from a motorcycle-accident.
Duyn died from a heart attack in his hometown of Roswinkel on December 4, 2004 at the age of 67.
MacNeal too dropped her pseudonym and became Sjoukje Smit; in 2008 she reformed Mouth & MacNeal with Arie Ribbens replacing Duyn.
On March 21, 2012, Roel Smit published the Mouth & MacNeal biography; Mouth & MacNeal, duo tegen wil en dank.
Wesley Klein (born in Leiderdorp, Netherlands on March 25 1988) is a Dutch singer. He is mainly known for his participation in the Dutch version of the talent show Popstars which he won.
Wesley worked in construction until his talent was discovered by accident during a gig in a pub in 2005. He started playing gigs and taking part in local music festivals. After successfully auditioning for the Dutch Popstars in 2009, he went on to win the title, getting a record deal, a trophy and his debut single You Raise Me Up, the winner's song sung by all four finalists. His version released immediately after the final shot to #1 on the Dutch Single Top 100 chart dated 6 February 2010 at number one staying at the top for two weeks. In May 2010, Wesley Klein performed at three sold out concerts at the Amsterdam ArenA with De Toppers. His debut album Vandaag en morgen was released on 9 July 2010 .
Wesley has a relationship with Nellie and they have a daughter together.
On March 15 2012, Wesley Klein signed a contract with the record label Berk Music.
Wesley covered the Danish entry of 2010 In A Moment Like This.
Philipp Kirkorov (April 30 1967) is a famous Armenian/Bulgarian singer and actor.
Philipp is very popular in Russia, had many hits and made more than fifteen albums. In 1994 he married Alla Pugacheva. In 1995 he represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Kolybelnaya Dlya Vulkana which came 17th.
Philipp wrote the Belarusian entry in 2007, Work Your Magic, and he wrote the Ukrainian entry in 2008, Shady Lady.
Bravo was a Spanish group and consisted of Amaya Saizar, Luis Villar, Yolanda Hoyos en Esteban Santos. The band was formed in 1982, with a similar line-up to ABBA (2 men, 2 women). Amaya was also the singer of Trigo Limpio. Bravo was chosen in 1984 to represent Spain with the song Lady Lady which came 3rd in Luxemburg. Lady Lady became a huge hit in Spain, Germany and Latin-America. In 1985, after a couple of hits, the group stopped. Bravo covered the German entry of 1985.
Wenche Synnøve Myhre (born 15 February 1947, in Kjelsås, Oslo) is a Norwegian singer and actress who has had a great number of hits since the 1960s in Norway, Sweden and Germany. In some countries she is known as Wencke Myhre.
In 1960 she made her first record after she won a talent contest in Oslo. Wencke made her first appearance in the Norwegian pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1964 with the songs En God Gammel Firkantet Vals which came 2nd and La Meg Være Ung which came 3rd. She also participated in the Norwegian national final in 1966, this time with the songs Lørdagstripp which was placed 4th and Vims which came 5th.
In 1968 Wencke was chosen to represent Germany at the ESC with the song Ein Hoch Der Liebe which came 8th. During her ESC performance in London she sang a different version of the song.
In 1983 Wencke Myhre participated in the German national final, with the song Wir Beide Gegen Den Wind, with her son. In the same year she was one of Jahn Teigen's backing singers for the Norwegian entry Do Re Mi. In 1992 she came 3rd in the Norwegian national final with Du Skal Få Din Dag I Morgen. She participated in the Norwegian national final once again 2009. Wencke performed the song Alt Har En Mening Nå in the 2nd semi-final, but she didn't gather enough points to go on to the final.
In 1973 four countries won the Grand Prix at the World Popular Song Festival. One of them were the U.S.A with Shawn Phillips and the song All The Kings And Castles. He also won an Outstanding Performance Award.
Shawn Phillips (born February 3, 1943, Fort Worth, Texas, USA) is a folk-rock musician.
Phillips has recorded twenty albums and worked with musicians including Donovan, Paul Buckmaster, J. Peter Robinson, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Bernie Taupin, and many others. The Texas-born singer/songwriter was called: The best kept secret in the music business by the late rock impresario Bill Graham.
In the 1960s, Phillips worked as a session player on several Donovan LPs including Fairytale, Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow, performed at the Isle of Wight festival, sang on the Beatles' "Lovely Rita (Meter Maid)" song, and was cast to play the lead in the original production of Jesus Christ Superstar but he had to withdraw due to his heavy recording and touring schedule. In February 1969 Phillips wrote and performed, with The Djinn, the music for the controversial Jane Arden play Vagina Rex and the Gas Oven at the Arts Laboratory on Drury Lane.
Phillips worked the folk music scene in Los Angeles, New York Greenwich Village, and London. In 1967, Phillips moved to Positano, Italy, where he remained throughout the 1970s, recording the albums Contribution, Second Contribution, Collaboration and Faces'.
Four of his albums Faces, Bright White, Furthermore and Do You Wonder made it into the Billboard Top 100. In addition, the singles Lost Horizon and We made Billboard's top 100 in 1973 (63 and 92 respectively), although Woman and Anello (Where Are You) didn't. One of the most sought after Christmas songs[citation needed] is Phillips' 1970 release of A Christmas Song.
His album No Category, featuring his longtime collaborators Paul Buckmaster and Peter Robinson, was released in 2002.
In 2007, his first live album, Living Contribution, was released, along with a Live DVD of the same title.
Today, Shawn lives in Port Elizabeth, South Africa with his wife Juliette and their son Liam. He divides his time between writing, touring, and his work as an emergency medical technician, firefighter, and 1st Officer, Navigator, and Extrication Specialist with the NSRI National Sea Rescue Institute of South Africa.
The group Hearts of Soul was formed by three sisters: Bianca, Stella and Patricia Maessen. They worked in the late 60's as session singers.
In 1970, they won the Dutch national final with the song Waterman, at the Eurovision Song Contest in Amsterdam The Hearts of Soul came 7th. The Eurovision experience did not further their career as expected and in the mid-seventies the group moved to Belgium. There they formed Dream Express, with former Pebbles musician Luc Smets (who had married Bianca). In the summer of 1976 they scored a Flemish number 2 hit with the song Dream Express.
In 1977 Dream Express won Belgian pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song A Million in One, Two, Three. The song was the big favorite to win but it came only 7th. Dream Express changed name in 1979, to LBS, which stood for Luc Bianca & Stella. Their singles LBS and Uncle Jim received much airplay in 1979.
Stella also released singles under the name of Stella Mason. She participated in the Belgian national final in 1981 with the song Veel Te Veel and she represented Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest of 1982, with the song Si Tu Aimes Ma Musique which came 4th.
Bianca released several singles from the early 1980s through to 1993. The single Two Dolphins to the Range of Hawaii was released as a tribute to the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Antwerp zoo.
During the Eurovision Song Contest of 1986 Patricia was a backing singer of the winning entrant Sandra Kim. In 1987 Patricia was also a backing singer for Plastic Bertrand who sung Amour Amour for Luxemburg.
Tommy Seebach Mortensen (September 14 1949 - Maart 31 2003)was a popular Danish singer, composer, organist, pianist and producer.
Tommy began his musical career as an organist in his own group The Colours at age 14. In the following years he played in many pop and beat groups. He played the piano with various orchestras and groups, sometimes going under the name of Boogie-Woogie-Tommy. He gained mainstream popularity in Denmark in 1965, when he became a member of the band Sir Henry And His Butlers, writing many of their most popular hits. He also worked as a recording engineer at the Rosenberg Studio in Copenhagen.
In 1976 he emerged as a successful solo artist. His hit album Tommygun was released in 1977. At the same time he was in high demand as a producer at his record company EMI, where he was involved in projects for artists such as Lecia & Lucienne.
Tommy Seebach competed seven times in the Danish Melodi Grandprix, the pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1978 his song Gi' Mig Et Signal was not chosen to participate at the Danish national final.
1979: his song Disco Tango, won the Danish pre-selection and came 6th at the ESC in Jerusalem. Disco Tango became a major hit both in Denmark and other European countries.
1980: Bye-Bye, performed by Lecia & Lucienne, 7th.
1981: Tommy Seebach won the competition once again, in a duet with Debbie Cameron. The song Krøller Eller Ej came 11th at ESC in 1981. Cameron has later alleged that Denmark and Israel had been among countries whose sound checks had been sabotaged in order to bring England's Buck Fizz to the victory.
1982: Hip Hurra Det’ Min Fødselsdag, 2nd
1984: Pyjamas For To, 4th.
1985: Det’ Det Jeg Altid Har Sagt, 2nd.
1987: Det’ Gratis 4th.
1993: Tommy won the competition again, performing the song Under Stjernerne På Himlen. He had submitted the song several times before, but had been turned down. At the time, the public interest in the Song Contest, deemed cheesy by the cultural élite, was fading, and as an icon of the contest, Seebach's popularity had been on the wane for some time. It has been alleged that Danmarks Radio had originally turned the song down out of fear that Seebach, who had developed a severe addiction to alcohol, would cause a scandal at the performance. When the song came in as a no. 1, his popularity soared for a while, but only to drop dramatically, when the song finished 22nd out of 25 songs at Eurovision Song Contest 1993, receiving only 9 points. The poor result meant that Denmark did not qualify for the ESC 1994, and Tommy Seebach was widely criticized, after experiencing a brief rise in popularity, and never competed again.
The 1990s were lean years for Tommy as a performer and recording artist. He had a comeback with the release of a disco-version of Krøller Eller Ej released in 1999, as well as the release of a compilation album. He toured the country's discothèques at that time and found cult interest in his old hits among a new, younger audience.
Seebach was married for many years to Karen Seebach and they had three children. The marriage broke down when Tommy developed a serious addiction to alcohol. One of the couple's sons, Rasmus Seebach, who also became a pop singer, wrote a song about him called Den Jeg Er, stating what a major influence his father had in his life.
He died at the age of 53 at the amusement park Bakken, where he had been head of musical entertainment for several years. Although he had managed to overcome his alcoholism at the time, the cause of his death, at heart attack, was ascribed to his previous addiction.
Johnny Rosenberg (born on september 11 1977 in Eindhoven) is a Sinto-Romani singer and guitarist from the Netherlands and belongs to the famous Gypsy family Rosenberg.
He toured Europe with his cousin Jimmy Rosenberg. In the 90's he started his singing career.
In 2005 he participated in the Dutch national final with his own song When Forever Ends which came 3rd.
Inge Brück, born on October 12 1936 in Mannheim is a German singer and actress. In the early 60's she had a couple of hits in Germany.
In 1967 she was chosen to represent Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Anouschka which came 8th. After the contest Inge became an actress and sings religious songs.
The winner of the first World Popular Song Festival was Israel with the song I Dream Of Naomi sung by Hedva Amrani & David Tal. The song was a huge hit in Japan and in other counties all over the world. The duo sold more than two million copies of I Dream Of Naomi. Hedva is a famous singer in Israel and participated a couple of times in the Israeli national final for the Eurovision Song Contest.
You can watch the performance of Hedva & David at the World Popular Song Festival:
In 1972 Björn, Benny, Agnetha & Annifrid represented Sweden at the World Popular Song Festival with the song Santa Rosa which didn't reach the Grand Final. Björn and Benny wrote the song but they didn't like it at all but the decision to perform it in the contest was actually made by their Japanese record company. Still, it did mean that the two couples were able to go to Japan and although they don’t appear on the record, Agnetha and Frida were asked to perform as backing vocals at the festival. But despite the female contribution, the Swedish entry stranded in the semi-final. Santa Rosa didn't become a hit and was only released as the b-side of the single He Is Your Brother.
Years later, ABBA declared that they didn't like Santa Rosa and Björn stated that the song wasn't meant to be recorded.
Armando António Capelo Diniz da Gama (born on April 1, 1954 in Luanda, Angola) is a Portuguese singer-songwriter and baritone opera singer.
In 1971 he scored the first of many hits on the Portuguese music charts. He is well-versed in performing piano and solfège, having studied them at the Portuguese music conservatory in Luanda.
In his four-decade music career he has sold over five million records in Portugal. He became well-known internationally after his participation at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1983 with the song Esta Balada Que Te Dou which came 13th.
Armando is still performing today, now presenting a live show called "Armando Gama: The Fifth Beatle," in which he performs cover versions of well-known Beatles songs.
Tonia, born as Arlette Antonia Dominicus on July 25 1947 in Anderlecht, is a Belgian singer.
Tonia sang at age five already duets with her mother at the Folies Bergère. In 1961 she was discovered by Bob Boon, music programmer of the BRT, who gave here the opportunity to perform on Belgian TV. In 1962 en 1962 Tonia won several prizes and since then several successful singles were recorded. In 1965 Tonia was a member of the Belgian team at the Knokke Song Festival and she participated at the Flemish Schlager Festival.
In 1966 she was chosen to represent Belgium at the ESC. In the Belgian national final she sang four songs, the winner was chosen by postcard voting. The song Un Peu De Poivre Un Peu De Sel won and came 4th at the ESC in Luxemburg.
In 1968 Tonia sung Il Y Avait in the Belgion pre-selection, which didn't win. After that Tonia's main focus was on Germany where she had a couple of hits with typical Schlager songs and in 1969 she participated in a Schlager festival. In 1973 Tonia participated at the German national final for the ESC with two songs: Sebastian which came 2nd and Mir Gefällt Diese Welt which came 7th.
From the mid-1970s she wasn't very popular anymore and her singles weren't successful. Her last single dates from 1982 and 1990 she released a compilation CD.
In 1966 an "expert" jury chose Margot Eskens to sing the German entry at the Eurovision Song Contest in Luxemburg. After coming 3rd in 1962 and being the 2nd choice in 1963, Margot Eskens finally got her chance in 1966 after Corry Brokken refused to represent Germany.
An "expert" jury chose for the song Die Zeiger Der Uhr. Unfortunately Margot came only 10th in the Eurovision Song Contest.
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Margot Eskens (born August 12 1939, Düren) is a German Schlager singer, most popular in the 1950s and 1960s. She continued to be a frequent guest on television programs into the 2000s.
In 1954, while a dental assistant, Margot Eskens won a Polydor Records talent competition with the song Moulin Rouge. A contract with Polydor followed, and in 1955 she had her first hit in Germany with Ich möchte heut ausgehn. In 1956 and 1957 she had two #1 hits, Tiritomba (which sold over 800,000 copies) and Cindy oh Cindy, which was her biggest hit, which stayed for 25 weeks in the German Singles Top 10. Several duets with Silvio Francesco, the brother of Caterina Valente, also ensued.
Margot Eskens collaborated with producer/songwriter Kurt Feltz until 1961. She participated in the Deutscher Schlager-Festspiele in 1962, winning third place behind Conny Froboess and Siw Malmkvist. In 1966, she represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest and won tenth place.
She has sold 40 million records since 1956.
At the end of the 1980s she began to record more traditional "Schlagermusik" like her album Mein Traumland am Wörtherse (1990).
Jasna Gospić is a Bosnian singer is a Bosnian singer who was a member of the group Ambasadori from 1977. In 2005 she participated in the Bosnian national final with the ethnic ballad Carolija which came 8th.
Ismeta Dervoz-Krvavac was the singer of Amabasadori at the time the group represented Yugoslavia at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Ne Mogu Skriti Svoju Bol, at the contest they came 18th.
Sargis Edwards is an Armenian pop singer who sings in Armenian, English and Russian. Sargis took part in the Armenian preselection for the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Rain which came 3rd in the second semi final.
Ramón del Castillo (born on May 3 1985 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) is a Spanish singer. In 2004 Ramón came 2nd in Operación Triunfo. During the final program of Operación Triunfo, the Spanish pre-selection for the ESC, Ramón won with the song Para Llenarme De Ti which came 10th at the ESC. The song reached no. 1 in the Spanish charts.
His first album was released a few weeks before the ESC and debuted at number six in the album chart and stayed eleven weeks in the list. In October 2006 Ramón published the second studio album, Cambio De Sentido,which wasn't successful. In 2007 and in 2009 Ramón released two not so successful singles.
Blond was a boy band in the 1990s. The group consisted of Jonas Karlhager, Gabriel Forss and Patrik Lundström.
The group participated in Melodifestivalen 1997 with the song Bara Hon Älskar Mig, written by Stephan Berg. During the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Ireland Blond came 14th with 36 points. The group also recorded the song with English lyrics and it was titled Baby, I'll Die For You.
In summer 1997 the group toured in Sweden and performed in public parks and on the Water Festival in Stockholm. Blond released an album, but after that the members went in different directions. They reunited temporarily for a schlager night in Stockholm Pride Tantolunden 2006.
The final was held at the NDR TV studios in Hamburg, hosted by Henno Lohmeyer. Six songs took part, with the winning song chosen by an 11-member jury who each awarded one point to their favourite song. "Paradies, wo bist du?" was the choice of 8 of the jurors.
The results:
1. Paradies, wo bist du? - Ulla Wiesner, 8 votes
2. Robertino - Angelina Monti, 2 votes
3. Wunder die nie geschehen - Nana Gualdi, 1 vote
4. Nur aus Liebe - Peter Beil, 0 votes
4. Auch Du wirst geh'n - Leonie Brückner, 0 votes
4. Alles Glück auf dieser Welt - René Kollo, 0 votes
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Ulla Wiesner (born in 1941 in Munich) was active from 1963 to 2002 as a singer. In 1965, she represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest, with her song, Paradies, wo bist du? It scored zero points along with three other countries out of the fifteen which entered in total.
Since then, notable singles of hers include titles such as Abends kommen die Sterne, My Darling, My Love and Charade.
Wiesner married the German TV producer and personality Alexander Arnz (1932–2004) in 1999.
Darren Holden is an Irish singer-songwriter. He has performed on Broadway as part of Riverdance and in the tours for Riverdance in Scandinavia, Germany, Hungary, Belgium and Yugoslavia. His debut album entitled Suddenly was released in Ireland and Europe in 1998, and contained 3 Top 30 hit singles. He toured Europe, Russia and Asia extensively from 1994 -1999, including support slots with Paul Young, Belinda Carlisle, Bonnie Tyler, and Uriah Heep. In 1994 Darren participated for the first time in the Irish pre-selection for the ESC with the song After Tonight which came 3rd. In 1997 Darren participated again in the Irish national final with the typical Irish ballad Suddenly which came 2nd.
AAnna Maria Jopek (born December 14 1970 in Warsaw) is a Polish singer who represented her country at the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 with the song Ale Jestem which came 11th. She toured around the world and is still active in music. In 2005 she released her first English album.
Jalisse is an Italian duo that consists of Alessandra Drusian and Fabio Ricci who have been performing together for 14 years and are still active in music.
Alessandra is a popular star in TV and sings with top bands. Fabio made his first album in 1987 with the band Vox Populi.
In 1997 Jalisse won the Festival di Sanremo with Fiumi Di Parole and went on to represent Italy for the last time at the Eurovision Song Contest 1997, where they reached a 4th place with 114 points.
They applied to represent San Marino at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 but were not chosen.
Mrs Einstein is a Dutch vocal group. Since 1989 they perform in Dutch theaters. The group was founded by Saskia van Zutphen and Paulette Willems.
Other members: Joke van der Hoek (1998-1999, 2006-2010), Suzanne Venneker (1988-1991, 1995-2006), Carolina Mout (1988-1990), Ellen van Harmelen (1991-1995), Ellen Pieters (1992-1993), Melline Mollerus (1993-1994), Marjolein Spijkers (1995-1999) and Linda Snoeij (1995-1999).
In 1997 they were asked to represent the Netherlands at the ESC, During the Dutch national final they sang six songs of which Niemand Heeft Nog Tijd won, At the ESC Mrs. Einstein came 22nd.
Hera Björk Þórhallsdóttir (born on March 29 1972 in Reykjavík) is an Icelandic singer.
In 2007 she participated in the Icelandic national final for the ESC with the song Mig Dreymdi which stranded in the semi-final. In 2009 she participated in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix with the song Someday which came 2nd but won the OGAE Second Chance Contest. In 2010 Hera won the Icelandic national final with the song Je Ne Sais Quoi. At he ESC Hera came 19th in the final.
Hera was a member of the backing choir for Eurobandið in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 and for Yohanna in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow. She has toured with Björk and Sigur Rós.
Sølvi Valborg Wang (born August 28 1929) is a Norwegian actress and singer,
She was born in Bærum, to the jazz musician Yngvar Wang and the singer Marie Gulbrandsen. Already at an early age she sang with her father's orchestra on the radio and in concert. She met Egil Monn-Iversen while in school, and in 1948 she joined his vocal group The Monn Keys. Wang debuted as a recording artist in 1950, in a duet with Arve Opsahl. Later she recorded solo albums, and was responsible for 18 releases in the years up until 1955. She combined her solo career with performances with The Monn Keys, which now also included the singers Nora Brockstedt and Per Asplin. In 1954 the group performed their first variety show, Over alle grenser, at Chat Noir in Oslo. She worked at Chat Noir in the years 1959 to 1963, then at Edderkoppen from 1963 to 1964, before moving to Det Norske Teatret.
In 1961 Sølvi participated in the Norwegian pre-selection for the ESC with the song Ingen Blomster Til Meg which came 5th and last.
In addition to making recordings and performing in variety shows, Wang also performed in musicals, on television and in movies. For 25 years she was the leading lady of Det Norske Teatret, where she played the lead roles in such musicals as Annie Get Your Gun and The King and I. She also acted in musicals composed by her husband Monn-Iversen, most prominently among these Bør Børson Jr., based on a novel by Johan Falkberget. Among her many shows for television, That's Entertainment from 1966 gained her a measure of international attention when it won an award at the Montreux Comedy Festival. The award earned her a chance to perform at The Ed Sullivan Show, and to sing with Jack Parnell's orchestra at the London Palladium. Wang had the lead role in movies such as the 1964 comedy Pappa tar gull and the 1978 drama Hvem har bestemt?.
Sølvi Wang acted in a production of the musical Fiddler on the Roof in 1987. This performance marked her retirement from the public stage; since then she has not made any public performances. As a singer, even though she mastered the soft, subdued style of ballads in recordings, her vocal style has been described primarily as belting. This powerful, often sharp way of singing was a necessity in the world of live musical performance prior to the introduction of miniature microphones. Wang has been called the only master of the style in Norwegian theatre history.
Ronnie Carroll (born as Ronald Cleghorn on August 18 1934 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish singer and entertainer.He scored his first hit in 1956 with Walk Hand in Hand. Ronnie won the UK pre-selection in 1962 with the song Ring-A-Ding Girl which came 4th in the contest. In 1963 he participated again in the UK national final and won with the song Say Wonderful Things. At the Eurovision Song Contest he came 4th again.
This success was followed by two Top 10 hits during 1962 and 1963 but a lack of good material meant that he could not sustain a chart presence.
The German national final 1964 was held at the TV studios in Frankfurt, hosted by Hilde Nocker. Six songs took part, with the winner chosen by an "expert" jury and a public jury. Only the scores and placements of the top three songs are currently known.
The results:
1. Man gewöhnt sich so schnell an das Schöne - Nora Nova, 38 votes 2. Ein Chanson in der Nacht - Gitta Lind, 27 votes 3. Das macht dein Lächeln, Mona Lisa - Fred Bartelmann, 19 votes 4. Regenbogen, Regenbogen - Peter Kirsten 4. Wie wom Wind verweht - René Kollo 4. Wohin ist der Sommer? - Gerhard Wendland
Nora Nova was born as Ahinora Kumanova in Bulgaria and came to Germany in 1960, she had a couple of successes in Germany and Switserland. In 1964 she won the German pre-selection for the ESC with the song Man Gewöhnt Sich So Schnell An Das Schöne. At the Eurovision Song Contest In Copenhagen she came last.After the contest Nora stopped singing and in 1989 she went back to Bulgaria to open a fashion boutique shop in Sofia.
Man gewöhnt sich so schnell an das Schöne, still holds
the record for the longest ever song title in a Eurovision final.
Furbaz are a Swiss vocal group consisting of members Marie Louise Werth, Giusep Quinter, Ursin Defuns and Gion Defuns, who perform mainly in the Romansh language. The group was formed in 1983 in Disentis, Graubünden, remaining active until the early 1990s. They then reunited in 2004, and continue performing together. Furbaz are best known internationally for their participation in the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest.
Furbaz first took part in the Swiss Eurovision selection in 1987 , finishing third with Da Cumpignia. They tried again the following year, coming second with Sentiments. It was third time lucky in 1989, when Viver Senza Tei won a clear victory, going forward to represent Switzerland in the 34th Eurovision Song Contest where the song finished 13th. The song holds the distinction of being the only Eurovision entry to date sung in Romansh.
Since re-forming in 2004, Furbaz have specialised in performing Christmas music and are most active at that time of year. They have recorded three Christmas-themed albums, Nadal, Weihnachten and Messadi da Nadal.
Miodio is a band that consists of three Italian and two San Marinese members. They represented San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, performing the song Complice. This was the first time San Marino had entered the competition. They failied to get past the first semi-final, only receiving 5 points and placing last of 19.
Miodio covered Dincolo De Nori, the Romanian entry in 1994.
Andriette is a singer from South-Afrika who is quite popular in her country, her albums sell really well and she had a couple of successes. Andriette covered the Turkish entry of 2009, Crazy For You (Düm Tek Tek).
Eros Ramazzotti represented Italy in 1986 at the World Popular Song Festival in Japan with the song Emozione Dopo Emozione. Eros came 6th and won a Golden Award.
Mathias Holmgren Ulf Thorsell, born April 20, 1974 in Arvika, Värmland County, is a Swedish singer.
Mathias had his breakthrough in 2002 in the reality show Fame Factory and has had hits like Jag Tillhör Dig and Något Som Kan Hända which was a no. 1 one hit in the Swedish charts. He replaced Magnus Carlsson as leadsinger of the band Barbados. He was fired in 2004 and was followed by Chris Lind.
Holmgren has participated in Melodifestivalen twice. In 2003 along with Barbados and the song Bye Bye, which came in tenth place. Two years later he participated as a solo artist with the song Långt Bortom Tid Och Rum (2005) which stranded in the semi-finals.
After this Mathias released three successful albums on which he covered I'm Not Afraid To Move On which was the Norwegian entry in 2003. Mathias' Swedish version is called Och Bara Med Dig Aer Jag Hel.
Holmgren was 2006-2010 married to singer and songwriter Johan Thorsell.
Miro (born on March 10 1976 in Dobrich) is the stage name of Miroslav Kostadinov, a famous Bulgarian pop singer, songwriter and composer.
Miro began playing the piano at very young age. After years he joined an amateur singing group.
In 2000 Miro formed the duo KariZma together with the singer Galya. This was one of the most successful musical projects in the entire history of Bulgarian music. The songs of the duo were characterized by its modern sound. KariZma rapidly gaining popularity after their debut single in 2001. hit. It was followed by many other hits. In 2007 the duo split up and Miro started a solo career which is still very successful.
In 2010 the representative of Bulgaria for the ESC was chosen by 51 composers, musicians and media representatives. Miro collects the most votes and in October he was invited to be the Bulgarian representative in the ESC.
In the Bulgarian national final Miro sang 5 songs: Moyat Pogled V Teb, which came 5th, Ostani, which came 4th, Eagle, which came 3rd, Twist And Tango, which came 2nd and Angel Si Ti, which came 1st.
In the 2nd semi-final Miro finished on a very disappointing 15th place.
Domenica Berté (1947-1995), better known as Mia Martini, was an Italian singer. From 1963 untill 1969 she called herself Mimì Bertè and had a few hits in Italy. After that she went on as Mia Martini and became a big star in Italy with many hits and successful albums. Her biggest hits were Piccolo Uomo and Almeno Tu Nell' Universo. In 1977 she represented Italy at the Eurovision song Contest with the song Libera which came 13th, in 1992 she participated again and she came 4th with Rapsodia.
She participated several times at the Festival di Sanremo:
1982 - E Non Finisce Mica Il Cielo, which didn't finish in the top 3
1989 - Almeno Tu Nell' Universo, 9th
1990 - La Nevicat Del '56, which didn't finish in the top 3
1992 - Gli Uomini Non Cambiano, 2nd
1993 - Stiamo Come Stiamo, a duet with her sister Loredana Bertè, 14th
Eros Ramazzotti (born as Eros Luciano Walter Ramazzotti on October 28, 1963 in Rome) is a famous Italian singer and songwriter who is very popular in Europe and Latin-America.
In 1984 he won the Festival di Sanremo Categoria Nuove Proposte with the song Terra Promessa and in 1986 he won the Festival di Sanremo Categoria Big with Adesso Tu.
In 1993 Eros wrote the song Il Mare Dela Nuvole for Antonella Bucci which didn't reach the final in the Festival di Sanremo in 1993 and in 1995 he wrote Come Saprei for Giorgia which won the Festival di Sanremo.
After his victory in 1984 he became very famous and had many hits like: Se bastasse una canzone, Adesso tu, Musica è and Cose della vita. Eros is still very popular and active in music.
