The Cornerstone Roots are a succesful reggae band from New Zealand who are quite popular in Australia, Japan, Brazil, and the USA. They covered the Slovak entry of 2010.
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Penny McLean
Penny McLean (born as Gertrude Wirschinger on November 4 1946 in Klagenfurt) is an Austrian singer and composer. She became famous as a member of Silver Covention and as a solo artist. In 1965, she had under her real name Gertrude Wirschinger solo performances, from 1966 to 1969 she performed with her husband as the duo Holger & Tjorven. The repertoire consisted from Niessen to international folk songs and songs composed by her husband.
In 1972, after her divorce, Gertrude released as Barbi Mint some not very successful singles. She then founded the band Penny Box, or Penny Explosion. Since then se uses her stage name Penny McLean . Producer Michael Kunze offered her a recording contract in 1973 and created the duo Barbra & Helmut.
Penny worked in Munich as a background singer and became in 1975 part of the group Silver Convention. The song Fly, Robin, Fly reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard charts (more than 1 million albums sold in the U.S.) the follow-up single Get Up and Boogie was also a huge success.
In 1975 Penny released the single Lady Bump; the song reached n0. 1 at the German charts. Penny's next single 1, 2, 3, 4 … Fire! was also a huge hit.
In 1977 Penny participated, as a member of Silver Convention, at the ESC wit the song Telegram which came 8th.
After the ESC the girls split-up.
Penny McLean released more singles like Dance, Bunny-Honey and Zwischen zwei Gefühlen (a German version of Torn between two lovers) and many more. Penny McLean almost represented Luxemburg at the ESC in 1979. Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger wrote the song Tut-Ench-Amun for Penny and entered the song in the internal pre-selection in Luxemburg. An "expert" jury chose, the in my opinion rather dull song, J'Ai Déjà Vu Ça Dans Tes Yeux which was sung by Jeanne Manson.
After that Penny worked as an actress but in 1982 she released Wenn die Träume Flügel kriegen, a song which she wrote together with Dieter Bohlen.
Penny lives in Munich and writes books about numerology and esotericism.
Maya Bouskilla
Maya Bouskilla is an Israeli pop singer who was born to a religious Moroccan-Jewish family in Netanya, Israel.
She was discovered by a scout for Helicon Records, one of Israel's best known record companies, who heard her singing in a karaoke bar. In 2004, Maya Bouskilla's debut album, Sold Out Story, sold 20,000 copies in the first three weeks. In February 2005, Maya was voted Artist of the Year and New Artist of the Year. Maya Bouskilla was also named Singer of the Year in 2005 by the Israeli Music Channel.
Maya was a possible choice to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 but she bowed out at the last minute. Maya covered the Greek entry Socrates and the Spanish entry Dime.
She was discovered by a scout for Helicon Records, one of Israel's best known record companies, who heard her singing in a karaoke bar. In 2004, Maya Bouskilla's debut album, Sold Out Story, sold 20,000 copies in the first three weeks. In February 2005, Maya was voted Artist of the Year and New Artist of the Year. Maya Bouskilla was also named Singer of the Year in 2005 by the Israeli Music Channel.
Maya was a possible choice to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 but she bowed out at the last minute. Maya covered the Greek entry Socrates and the Spanish entry Dime.
Cher
Cherilyn Sarkisian, better known as Cher, is an American pop singer-songwriter, actress, director and record producer. She began her career as one half of the duo Sonny & Cher. With a career lasting over 40 years, Cher sold over 100 million records worldwide. Her biggest hit was Believe in 1999.
Cher covered the Festival di Sanremo song Io Che Non Vivo (senza te).
Cher covered the Festival di Sanremo song Io Che Non Vivo (senza te).
Swan Lee
Swan Lee was a Danish band featuring Pernille Rosendahl on vocals. The name was taken from a Syd Barrett song.
In 1996 Pernille Rosendahl formed a band with guitarist Jonas Struck, drummer Emil Jorgensen and her boyfriend Tim Christensen. After Christensen left in 1999, the remaining trio continued renaming the band Swan Lee. An entire album was recorded with Cannibal Records, but never released because of musical differences with the record label director Kim Hyttel, followed by lawsuits. Other record companies rejected them seeing a potential only in Rosendahl.
The band finally decided to establish their own record label, named GoGo Records, and in February 2001 released their debut album Enter. The album sold 20,000 copies and contained, the single Tomorrow Never Dies, written in collaboration with Tim Christensen. Enter peaked at position 27 in the Danish charts. In 2004, the band had another album, the self-titled Swan Lee which reached number one in the charts. The single I Don't Mind peaked at position three.[1]
For one of their albums Swan Lee covered the Danish entry for ESC 1963, Dansevise.
Swan Lee disbanded in September 2005.
Germany 1986
The German national final to select their entry, Vorentscheid 1986, was held on March 27 at the Deutsches Theater in Munich, and was hosted by Sabrina Lallinger and Wenche Myhre. Wenche Myhre represented Germany in the 1968 Contest.
Twelve songs made it to the national final, which was broadcast by Bayerischer Rundfunk to ARD broadcasters across West Germany. The winning song was chosen by the votes of approximately 500 people who were chosen by an institute to be representative of the German population. Each person gave every song a vote, from 1 (for worst) to 12 (for best).
The winning entry was Über die Brücke geh'n, performed by Ingrid Peters and composed by Hans Blum.
Results:
01. Über die Brücke geh'n - Ingrid Peters, 4236 points
02. Wir gehör'n zusammen - Dschinghis Khan, 4088 points
03. Die Engel sind auch nicht mehr das was sie war'n - Chris Heart, 4027 points
04. Miteinander - Joy Fleming and Marc Berry, 3989 points
05. Europa - Headline, 3871 points
06. Clowns - Clowns, 3597 points
07. Kopf oder Zahl - Tie Break, 3118 points
08. Der Sonne entgegen - Margit P., 2923 points
09. Du bist der Wind, der meine Flügel trägt - Günther-Eric Thöner, 2893 points
10. Ich habe niemals nie gesagt - Steffi Hinz, 2769 points
11. Rein und klar wie's früher war - Mister Fisto, 2102 points
12. Telefon - That's Life, 2011 points
Ingrid Peters was the 14th performer on the night of the Contest. At the close of the voting the song had received 62 points, placing 8th in a field of 20 competing countries.
***
Ingrid Peters (born as Ingrid Probst on April 19, 1954 in Dudweiler, Saarland) is a German singer.
She represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986 held in Bergen. Her song, Über die Brücke geh'n was placed 8ht. Ingrid Peters had made previous attempts to represent Germany. In 1979 she performed a song called Du bist nicht frei which came 8th. In 1983 was she was runner-up in the national contest with Viva la mamma.
In 1983 she came 3rd at the Seoul Song Contest
In 2002 she began her One-Woman-Musical-Show Bin ich denn total verrückt?!
She also worked as a radio presenter and performed in de German national final for the ESC 2006.
Monday, 30 August 2010
Lee Scott
Lee Scott is a South-African singer and quite popular in his country. He sings in Afrikaans and covered the Maltese entry of 2009 on his first album.
Nevada
Nevada was a Portuguese band formed by Jorge Mendes and Alfredo Holm. The duo represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1987 with the song Neste Barco a Vela which came 18th. After the ESC, Jorge Mendes was replaced by Fernanda Lopes and Carla Burity who were backing singers for Portugal in several occasions.Thursday, 19 August 2010
Jarkko & Laura
Jarkko and Laura are a Finnish pop duo. They had their first hit in the Finnish music scene in 1966 with the song Meidän Laulumme which was written by Laura. From then on they released many singles, along with a few covers such as The Windmills of Your Mind, Cinderella Rockefella and Lament of the Cherokee Reservation, which were popular at the time.
In 1969 they participated at the Finnish national final with the song Kuin Silloin Ennen which won the postcard voting. On one of their albums they covered the UK pre-selection song Come September as Kahden Ollaan. Shortly After the contest Jarkko and Laura got married. At the moment Jarkko is a photographer and Laura is still performing music.
In 1969 they participated at the Finnish national final with the song Kuin Silloin Ennen which won the postcard voting. On one of their albums they covered the UK pre-selection song Come September as Kahden Ollaan. Shortly After the contest Jarkko and Laura got married. At the moment Jarkko is a photographer and Laura is still performing music.
Emma Reynolds
Emma Reynolds is an Irish singer and guitar player. She took an interest in music at the age of nine when she started playing the guitar and became involved with the local folk group where she started her singing career. Gerry Morgan discovered Emma and asked her to sing his song The Innocent Days at the Irish national final in 2001 which came 4th. After the pre-selection Emma performed a lot on television and recorded a few not so successful albums. You can now book Emma for your wedding…….
Germany 1985
At the Eurovision Song Contest 1985 Germany was represented by the band Wind, with the song Für Alle. Für Alle was the winner of the German national final, held on March 21. This was the first of three appearances by Wind at Eurovision; they would also represent Germany in 1987 and 1992.
Before the final there were 2 semi-finals. The German semi-final was broadcast on several radio stations, and around 300 people were selected by a German polling institute to select the 12 finalists. The semi-final was in two separate parts which were broadcast on different days.
The German Final was held on March 21st at the German Theatre in Munich, hosted by Wolfgang Mascher & Margit Geissler. The winning song was chosen by the votes of approximately 500 people who were chosen by an institute to be representative of the German population.
Results:
01. Für alle - Wind, 3618 points
02. Die Glocken von Rom - Heike Schäfer, 3597 points
03. Also lebe ich - Wolff Gerhard, 3575 points
04. Grün, grün, grün - Caro Pukke, 3535 points
05. Der Wind von Palermo - Bernd Clüver, 3424 points
06. Hier, da und überall - Günther Stern, 3291 points
07. Kinder der Erde - Danny Fischer, 3220 points
08. König und Dame - Sylvia, 3113 points
09. Am Anfang der Zeit - Jürgen Renfordt, 3073 points
10. Sehnsucht nach einem Gefühl - Susan Schubert, 2994 points
11. Du bist da - Conny & Jean, 2982 points
12. So lange wir träumen, leben wir - MoMo, 2971 points
At the ESC Wind performed 10th in the running order. Pre-contest betting had rated Für Alle as the favourite for victory, and for a large part of the voting it appeared to be living up to its billing. At the close of voting Für Alle had received 105 points, placing Germany 2nd.
Before the final there were 2 semi-finals. The German semi-final was broadcast on several radio stations, and around 300 people were selected by a German polling institute to select the 12 finalists. The semi-final was in two separate parts which were broadcast on different days.
The German Final was held on March 21st at the German Theatre in Munich, hosted by Wolfgang Mascher & Margit Geissler. The winning song was chosen by the votes of approximately 500 people who were chosen by an institute to be representative of the German population.
Results:
01. Für alle - Wind, 3618 points
02. Die Glocken von Rom - Heike Schäfer, 3597 points
03. Also lebe ich - Wolff Gerhard, 3575 points
04. Grün, grün, grün - Caro Pukke, 3535 points
05. Der Wind von Palermo - Bernd Clüver, 3424 points
06. Hier, da und überall - Günther Stern, 3291 points
07. Kinder der Erde - Danny Fischer, 3220 points
08. König und Dame - Sylvia, 3113 points
09. Am Anfang der Zeit - Jürgen Renfordt, 3073 points
10. Sehnsucht nach einem Gefühl - Susan Schubert, 2994 points
11. Du bist da - Conny & Jean, 2982 points
12. So lange wir träumen, leben wir - MoMo, 2971 points
At the ESC Wind performed 10th in the running order. Pre-contest betting had rated Für Alle as the favourite for victory, and for a large part of the voting it appeared to be living up to its billing. At the close of voting Für Alle had received 105 points, placing Germany 2nd.
Germany 1984
Germany was represented by Mary Roos, with the song Aufrecht geh'n, at the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest. Aufrecht geh'n was the winner of the German national final, held on March 29. Mary Roos had previously represented Germany in the 1972 contest in Edinburgh, where she had finished third.
Before the final, there were 2 semi-finals. The German semi-final was broadcast on several radio stations, and around 500 people were selected by a German polling institute to select the 12 finalists. The semi-final was in two separate parts which were broadcast on different days.
The German Final was held on March 29th at the German Theatre in Munich, hosted by Sabine Sauer. The winning song was chosen by the votes of approximately 500 people who were chosen by an institute to be representative of the German population.
Results:
01. Aufrecht geh'n - Mary Roos, 4124 points
02. Liebe Ist - Bernhard Brink, 4003 points
03. Tingel Tangel Mann - Harmony Four, 3852 points
04. Mensch aus Glas - Monitor, 3754 points
05. Niemand - Anne Karin, 3669 points
06. Jeder muß sein Leben leben - Giorgia Lauda, 3350 points
07. Hier ist einer zuviel - Helmut Frey, 3072 points
08. Al die Erde war geboren - Jürgen Renfordt, 3035 points
09. O, i woas net - Cosi & Relax, 2949 points
10. Wo warst du, als ich starb - Frank Daniel, 2699 points
11. Halt mich fest - Madeleine, 2674 points
12. Primaballerine - Pas de Bas, 2599 points
On the night of the final Mary Roos performed 14th in the running order. At the close of voting Aufrecht geh'n had received 34 points (the highest a 7 from Norway), placing Germany joint 13th (with the Netherlands) of the 19 entries. This ended a run of five consecutive top 5 placings for Germany between 1979 and 1983, and was seen as very disappointing since Aufrecht geh'n had been considered one of the stronger entries in what is generally regarded as one of Eurovision's more undistinguished contests.
Mary Roos (born Rosemarie Schwab on January 9, 1949) is a German singer and actress.
Mary Roos was born in Bingen. At the age of nine, she recorded her first song Ja die Dicken sind ja so gemütlich as Die kleine Rosemarie. It was no major commercial success. In 1958, she also appeared in the film Die Straße. Over the following years she would release many records and she also appeared in many singing competitions. Her first chart success came in 1965, when the single Geh nicht den Weg peaked at #36. In 1969, she took part in the Grand Prix RTL International with the song Die Legende der Liebe. The same year, she reached the single charts again - Das hat die Welt noch nicht erlebt peaked at #19. Her first major was achieved in 1970 with the song Arizona Man. It peaked at #9 in the single charts and remains her only top ten hit to date. The same year, she took part in the German national final for the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time. She was chosen to take part in the last minute - Edina Pop had to withdraw from the competition as she fell ill and Mary Roos was chosen to sing Bei jedem Kuss instead. She finished joint second among the six participants; nevertheless, the song was never recorded.
In the early 1970s, Mary Roos got her own TV show on German television. At the same time, she tried to start a career in France, where she played the lead role in the musical Un enfant dans la ville next to Michel Fugain. In 1972, she entered the German national final for the Eurovision Song Contest the second time. With her song Nur die Liebe läßt uns leben she finished second after the first round of voting only one point behind Cindy & Bert but got the overall victory after the second round of voting. After the reprise of the winning song, she was booed off stage and her victory caused a stir in Germany as she was not the winner of the first round of voting and because of her mediocre vocal performance. In a later interview, she stated that she did not expect to win at all and that she was already removing her make-up when she was called back on stage. However, at the Eurovision Song Contest 1972 in Edinburgh, she finished third. The song was a minor hit in Germany peaking at #17 in the single charts. Over the 1970s she kept releasing singles and albums and was a frequent guest in music shows, although she did not have any major hits anymore. In 1975, she took part in the German national final again and finished third with Eine Liebe ist wie ein Lied. Her fourth participation in the national final took place in 1982, where she competed among others against her then husband Werner Böhm. She performed the duet Lady with David Hanselmann and finished sixth out of the twelve participants, however, the song was commercially the second most successful one of the year.
In 1982 she covered F. R. David's song Words.
In 1984, Mary Roos took part in the German national final for the Eurovision Song Contest for the fifth and last time so far and she sang herself to victory again: Aufrecht geh'n narrowly won the ticket to the Eurovision Song Contest 1984. At the contest, the song only received 34 points and finished 13th among the 19 contestants. Mary Roos was blamed for a bad vocal performance which she says was caused by an emotional crisis after her separation from her husband Werner Böhm. Aufrecht geh'n would also be her last appearance in the single charts until 1999, when she released a German cover version of Cher's song Believe. Today, she still has many live concerts and is said to be one of the most-booked singers of the schlager genre. In 1985 Mary Roos covered some C. C. Catch and Modern Talking's songs in German, including You're My Heart, You're My Soul, I Can Lose My Heart Tonight etc.
Germany 1983
Germany was represented by duo Hoffmann & Hoffmann, with the song Rücksicht, at the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on April 23 in Munich, following Nicole's victory for Germany in 1982. Rücksicht was the winner of the German national final, held on 19 March.
Before the final there were 2 semi-finals. The German semi-final was broadcast on several radio stations, and around 500 people were selected by a German polling institute to select the 12 finalists. The semi-final was in two separate parts which were broadcast on different days.
The final was held at the Bayerischer Rundfunk TV studios in Munich, hosted by Caroline Reiber. 12 songs took part and the winner was chosen by a panel of approximately 500 people who had been selected as providing a representative cross-section of the German public. Among the other participants were former German representative Wencke Myhre (1968) and future entrant Ingrid Peters (1986).
Results:
01. Rücksicht - Hoffmann & Hoffmann, 4251 points
02. Viva la Mamma - Ingrid Peters & July Paul, 3983 points
03. Mit siebzehn - Bernd Clüver, 3933 points
04. Ich mag dich - Costa Cordalis, 3902 points
05. Wir beide gegen den Wind - Wencke Myhre & Sohn Dani, 3752 points
06. Wie ein Mann - Peter Rubin, 3427 points
07. Ich reiß' alle Mauern ein - Leinemann, 3314 points
08. Warum hältst du mich nicht fest? - Angela Branca, 3222 points
09. Sternenland - Mara, 2987 points
10. Mein Hit heißt Susi Schmidt - Holger Thomas, 2609
11. Unendlich weit - Veronika Fischer, 2523 points
12. Angelo - Harry Belten, 2111 points
On the night of the final Hoffmann & Hoffmann performed 14th in the running order. At the close of voting Rücksicht had received 94 points (including a maximum 12 from Luxembourg), placing Germany 5th of the 20 entries.
Hoffmann & Hoffmann were a German singing duo consisting of brothers Michael Hoffmann (born 3 December 1950, Karlsruhe) and Günter Hoffmann (born 4 October 1951, Karlsruhe - died 15 March 1984, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). They had several hits in Germany and are known for their participation in the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest.
The Hoffmanns' first success came in 1977 with the single Himbeereis zum Frühstück, a German version of the Bellamy Brothers' "Crossfire", which reached the top 20. They had four further minor charting singles in the next few years.
Rücksicht proved to be the biggest hit of the Hoffmanns' career, but did not translate into the lasting success the brothers had hoped for. Less than a year after their Eurovision appearance, Günter Hoffmann committed suicide, aged 32, by jumping from a hotel window in Rio de Janeiro on 15 March 1984.
Thereafter, Michael Hoffmann worked mainly as a producer and composer for artists including fellow Eurovision veterans Gitte Hænning, Wencke Myhre and Nicole. In 1987, he entered the German Eurovision heats as a solo singer with the song Ich geb' nicht auf, which finished fifth. He has since gone on to become a producer of spiritual and meditative music.
Before the final there were 2 semi-finals. The German semi-final was broadcast on several radio stations, and around 500 people were selected by a German polling institute to select the 12 finalists. The semi-final was in two separate parts which were broadcast on different days.
The final was held at the Bayerischer Rundfunk TV studios in Munich, hosted by Caroline Reiber. 12 songs took part and the winner was chosen by a panel of approximately 500 people who had been selected as providing a representative cross-section of the German public. Among the other participants were former German representative Wencke Myhre (1968) and future entrant Ingrid Peters (1986).
Results:
01. Rücksicht - Hoffmann & Hoffmann, 4251 points
02. Viva la Mamma - Ingrid Peters & July Paul, 3983 points
03. Mit siebzehn - Bernd Clüver, 3933 points
04. Ich mag dich - Costa Cordalis, 3902 points
05. Wir beide gegen den Wind - Wencke Myhre & Sohn Dani, 3752 points
06. Wie ein Mann - Peter Rubin, 3427 points
07. Ich reiß' alle Mauern ein - Leinemann, 3314 points
08. Warum hältst du mich nicht fest? - Angela Branca, 3222 points
09. Sternenland - Mara, 2987 points
10. Mein Hit heißt Susi Schmidt - Holger Thomas, 2609
11. Unendlich weit - Veronika Fischer, 2523 points
12. Angelo - Harry Belten, 2111 points
On the night of the final Hoffmann & Hoffmann performed 14th in the running order. At the close of voting Rücksicht had received 94 points (including a maximum 12 from Luxembourg), placing Germany 5th of the 20 entries.
***
The Hoffmanns' first success came in 1977 with the single Himbeereis zum Frühstück, a German version of the Bellamy Brothers' "Crossfire", which reached the top 20. They had four further minor charting singles in the next few years.
Rücksicht proved to be the biggest hit of the Hoffmanns' career, but did not translate into the lasting success the brothers had hoped for. Less than a year after their Eurovision appearance, Günter Hoffmann committed suicide, aged 32, by jumping from a hotel window in Rio de Janeiro on 15 March 1984.
Thereafter, Michael Hoffmann worked mainly as a producer and composer for artists including fellow Eurovision veterans Gitte Hænning, Wencke Myhre and Nicole. In 1987, he entered the German Eurovision heats as a solo singer with the song Ich geb' nicht auf, which finished fifth. He has since gone on to become a producer of spiritual and meditative music.
Germany 1982
The German national final to select their entry, Vorentscheid 1982, was held on March 20 at the Bayerischer Rundfunk Studios in Munich, and was hosted by Caroline Reiber.
Before the final, there were 2 semi-finals. The German semi-finals were broadcast on several radio stations, and around 500 people were selected by a German polling institute to select the 12 finalists.
Twelve songs made it to the national final, which was broadcast by Bayerischer Rundfunk to ARD broadcasters across West Germany. The winner was decided by a sampling of 500 random Germans who were meant to symbolize a fair representation of the country's population. Each person gave every song a vote, from 1 (for worst) to 12 (for best).
Results:
01. Ein bißchen Frieden - Nicole, 5116 points
02. Peter Pan - Paola, 4318 points
03. Nun sag' schon Adieu - Hannes Schöner, 3914 points
04. Die Nacht der Lüge - Denise, 3799 points
05. Ich würde gerne bei dir sein - Jürgen Marcus, 3439 points
06. Lady - Mary Roos and David Hanselmann, 3358 points
07. Schenk' mir eine Nacht - Mel Jersey, 3227 points
08. Blue-Jeans-Kinder - Marianne Rosenberg, 2862 points
09. So wie du bist - Gaby Baginsky, 2802 points
10. Ich glaub' an meine Träume - Séverine, 2717 points
11. Der Ohrwurm - Gottlieb Wendehals, 2029 points
12. Wie Phönix aus der Asche - Jennifer Kemp, 1965 points
The winning entry was Ein bißchen Frieden, performed by Nicole and composed by Ralph Siegel with lyrics by Bernd Meinunger.
Nicole was the eighteenth and final performer on the night of the Contest. At the close of the voting the song had received 161 points, placing first in a field of 19 competing countries. A 61-point gap was recorded between Nicole and the second-place finisher, Avi Toledano from Israel, setting a then record for the largest gap between first and second place.
***
Nicole (Nicole Seibert; born October 25, 1964, Saarbrücken, Germany) is a German singer.
Nicole represented West Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest 1982 where she won with the song, Ein bißchen Frieden, with music by Ralph Siegel and lyrics by Bernd Meinunger. When she reprised the song after the end of the contest voting, she performed parts of the song in English, French and Dutch along with the original German. In 1983 she made the second place (behind the Hungarian band Neoton Família) at the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo with the Ralph Siegel/Robert Jung song So viele Lieder sind in mir.
Nicole was also the winner of the German Schlagerparade in 1991 with the song Ein leises Lied.
The full English version of the song "A Little Peace" went on to be the 500th number one single in the UK Singles Chart. Full versions in French (La Paix sur Terre), Dutch (Een beetje vrede), Spanish (Un poco de paz), Danish (En smule fred), Slovene (Malo miru), Russian (Немного мира), and Polish (Troszeczkę ziemi, troszeczkę słońca) have also been recorded.
In October 2010 she released her CD 30 Jahre mit Leib und Seele, a Best of compilation to her 30th anniversary.
Nicole represented West Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest 1982 where she won with the song, Ein bißchen Frieden, with music by Ralph Siegel and lyrics by Bernd Meinunger. When she reprised the song after the end of the contest voting, she performed parts of the song in English, French and Dutch along with the original German. In 1983 she made the second place (behind the Hungarian band Neoton Família) at the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo with the Ralph Siegel/Robert Jung song So viele Lieder sind in mir.
Nicole was also the winner of the German Schlagerparade in 1991 with the song Ein leises Lied.
The full English version of the song "A Little Peace" went on to be the 500th number one single in the UK Singles Chart. Full versions in French (La Paix sur Terre), Dutch (Een beetje vrede), Spanish (Un poco de paz), Danish (En smule fred), Slovene (Malo miru), Russian (Немного мира), and Polish (Troszeczkę ziemi, troszeczkę słońca) have also been recorded.
In October 2010 she released her CD 30 Jahre mit Leib und Seele, a Best of compilation to her 30th anniversary.
Germany 1981
In 1981 Germany was represented by Lena Valaitis with the song Johnny Blue. Johnny Blue was the winner of the German national final, held on February 28. Lena Valaitis had previously taken part in the German final in 1976.The final was held at at the Bayerischer Rundfunk TV studios in Munich, hosted by the previous year's German representative Katja Ebstein. 12 songs took part and the winner was chosen by a panel of approximately 500 people who had been selected as providing a representative cross-section of the German public.
Result:
01. Johnny Blue - Lena Valaitis, 5023 points
02. Mannequin - The Hornettes, 4304 points
03. Boogie Woogie - Martin Mann, 4039 points
04. Barfuß durch ein Feuer - Jürgen Renfordt, 3963 points
05. Das Ungeheuer von Loch Ness - Leinemann, 3921
06. Träumer, Tramps und Clowns - Peter Cornelius, 3769 points
07. Josephine - Thomas Fuchsberger, 2956
08. Moment - Lenz Hauser & Harald Stümpfl, 2856 points
09. Mein Transistorradio - Rudolf Rock & Die Schocker, 2735 points
10. Steine - Janz, 2355 points
11. Männer - Nina Martin, 2292 points
12. Träume brauchen Zeit - Taco Ockersee, 2269 points
On the night of the final Valaitis performed 3rd in the running order. The 1981 contest is noted for providing one of the closest and most exciting voting sequences in Eurovision history, with the lead changing hands regularly between France, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Germany finished 2nd for the second year in succession.
***
Lena Valaitis (born September 7, 1943) is a Lithuanian-German Schlager singer. She had her greatest success during the 1970s and 1980s.
Lena Valaitis began her musical career by joining the band Frederik Brothers. She signed a record contract with Philips in 1970 and released her first single, Halt das Glück für uns fest. She made her first television appearance in the same year, appearing on ZDF-Drehscheibe, a musical program on ZDF. Lena Valaitis achieved her first hit in 1971 with Ob es so oder so, oder anders kommt. Under the production of Jack White, she had hits in the following years with So wie ein Regenbogen, Bonjour mon amour, and Wer gibt mir den Himmel zurück.
In 1976 Valaitis reached the Top 20 of the German singles chart for the first time with Da kommt José der Straßenmusikant and Ein schöner Tag, a German version of Amazing Grace. She sang Du machst karriere in the German finals of the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest, achieving seventh place. She also sang the chanson in the 1977 feature film Der Mädchenkrieg.
Valaitis is perhaps best known for her performance in the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Ireland. She represented Germany with the song Johnny Blue, which finished 2nd. In the following years she made additional recordings, including a duet with the Greek-born German singer Costa Cordalis in 1984.
Her last Eurovision attempt was in 1992 with Wir sehen uns wieder, which came third in the German selection show, Ein Lied Für Malmö. Lena Valaitis left show business in the end of 1993, but began releasing new material in the 2000s. She released Ich lebe für den Augenblick in 2001 and Was kann ich denn dafür, a duet with the Austrian singer Hansi Hinterseer.Lena Valaitis recorded another duet with Hansi Hinterseer, Muss i denn zum Städtele hinaus, in summer 2006.
Lena Valaitis began her musical career by joining the band Frederik Brothers. She signed a record contract with Philips in 1970 and released her first single, Halt das Glück für uns fest. She made her first television appearance in the same year, appearing on ZDF-Drehscheibe, a musical program on ZDF. Lena Valaitis achieved her first hit in 1971 with Ob es so oder so, oder anders kommt. Under the production of Jack White, she had hits in the following years with So wie ein Regenbogen, Bonjour mon amour, and Wer gibt mir den Himmel zurück.
In 1976 Valaitis reached the Top 20 of the German singles chart for the first time with Da kommt José der Straßenmusikant and Ein schöner Tag, a German version of Amazing Grace. She sang Du machst karriere in the German finals of the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest, achieving seventh place. She also sang the chanson in the 1977 feature film Der Mädchenkrieg.
Valaitis is perhaps best known for her performance in the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Ireland. She represented Germany with the song Johnny Blue, which finished 2nd. In the following years she made additional recordings, including a duet with the Greek-born German singer Costa Cordalis in 1984.
Her last Eurovision attempt was in 1992 with Wir sehen uns wieder, which came third in the German selection show, Ein Lied Für Malmö. Lena Valaitis left show business in the end of 1993, but began releasing new material in the 2000s. She released Ich lebe für den Augenblick in 2001 and Was kann ich denn dafür, a duet with the Austrian singer Hansi Hinterseer.Lena Valaitis recorded another duet with Hansi Hinterseer, Muss i denn zum Städtele hinaus, in summer 2006.
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
Deuce
Deuce was a British pop band and consisted of Kelly O'Keefe, Lisa Armstrong, Craig Robert Young and Paul Holmes. They released four successful singles during 1995 and 1996 before splitting up in 1997. Their debut single Call It Love reached no. 11 in the British charts. The follow-up I Need You was entered into the UK pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1995 which came 3rd but was a top 10 hit for Deuce. Their third single On the Bible reached no. 13. In november 1995 Kelly O'Keefe left the group and was replaced by Amanda Perkins. The fourth single No Surrender wasn't a great success. In 1997 the group split up.
Festival di Sanremo - Fiordaliso
Marina Fiordaliso (February 19, 1956) better known as Fiordaliso is a famous Italian singer who participated nine times at the Festival di Sanremo. In 1984 she came 5th with Non Voglio Mica La Luna which was her biggest hit in Italy and it was the Italian song which the Swedish Carola sang in the postcard before her performance in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1991. Fiordaliso made many successful albums and is still very popular in Italy.
Fiordaliso's participations at the Festival di Sanremo:
1982 - Una Sporca Poesia (didn't qualify for the final)
1983 - Oramai (6th)
1984 - Non Voglio Mica La Luna (5th)
1985 - Il Mio Angelo (8th)
1986 - Fatti Miei (10th)
1988 - Per Noi (8th)
1989 - Se Non Avessi te (6th)
1991 - Il Mare Più Grande Che C'è (12th)
2002 - Accidenti A Te (9th)
Fiordaliso's participations at the Festival di Sanremo:
1982 - Una Sporca Poesia (didn't qualify for the final)
1983 - Oramai (6th)
1984 - Non Voglio Mica La Luna (5th)
1985 - Il Mio Angelo (8th)
1986 - Fatti Miei (10th)
1988 - Per Noi (8th)
1989 - Se Non Avessi te (6th)
1991 - Il Mare Più Grande Che C'è (12th)
2002 - Accidenti A Te (9th)
Katja Ebstein
Karin Witkiewicz, also known as Katja Ebstein, (March 9 1945) is a German singer and actress. She was born in Girlachsdorf (now Gniewków, Poland).
She achieved success with songs such as Theater or Es war einmal ein Jäger. She was married to Christian Bruhn, who wrote many of her songs. She represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest three times: 1970, 1971 and 1980. Her best performance was in 1980 when she gained second place with the entry Theater. As noted by John Kennedy O'Connor in his book The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History, Katja Ebstein is the most successful performer to have taken part in the contest, without ever winning. She is the only singer to appear in the top three on three separate occasions.
She achieved success with songs such as Theater or Es war einmal ein Jäger. She was married to Christian Bruhn, who wrote many of her songs. She represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest three times: 1970, 1971 and 1980. Her best performance was in 1980 when she gained second place with the entry Theater. As noted by John Kennedy O'Connor in his book The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History, Katja Ebstein is the most successful performer to have taken part in the contest, without ever winning. She is the only singer to appear in the top three on three separate occasions.
Germany 1980
At the ESC 1980 Germany was represented by Katja Ebstein, with the song Theater. Theater" was the winner of the German national final, held on March 20.
The final was held at the Bayerischer Rundfunk TV studios in Munich, hosted by Caroline Reiber and Thomas Gottschalk. 12 songs took part and the winner was chosen by a panel of approximately 1,000 people who had been selected as providing a representative cross-section of the German public.
Results:
01. Theater - Katja Ebstein, 4828 points
02. Pan - Costa Cordalis, 4634 points
03. Wenn du nicht weißt wohin - Susanne Klee, 3968 points
04. Verzeih'n sie, Madame - Stefan Waggershausen & Co, 3625 points
05. Montezuma Castle - Montezuma, 3586 points
06. Du bist nicht mehr frei - Mel Jersey, 3310 points
07. Hallo Adam, Hallo Eva - Adam & Eve, 2847 points
08. Hier kriegt jeder sein Fett - Roland Kaiser, 2823 points
09. Minnesänger - Mädchenfänger - Tony & David, 2784 points
10. In der Oper - Vielharmoniker, 2462 points
11. Gib uns Zeit - Stefan Hallberg, 2266 points
12. Ich werd' da sein wenn es Sturm gibt - Marianne Rosenberg, 2169 points
On the night of the ESC in The Hague Katja Ebstein performed 12th in the running order. The performance was memorable, featuring four mime artists, and at the close of voting Theater had received 128 points (including maximum 12s from Italy, the Netherlands and Spain), placing Germany 2nd of the 19 entries. Only Greece and Norway failed to award the song any points at all.
The final was held at the Bayerischer Rundfunk TV studios in Munich, hosted by Caroline Reiber and Thomas Gottschalk. 12 songs took part and the winner was chosen by a panel of approximately 1,000 people who had been selected as providing a representative cross-section of the German public.
Results:
01. Theater - Katja Ebstein, 4828 points
02. Pan - Costa Cordalis, 4634 points
03. Wenn du nicht weißt wohin - Susanne Klee, 3968 points
04. Verzeih'n sie, Madame - Stefan Waggershausen & Co, 3625 points
05. Montezuma Castle - Montezuma, 3586 points
06. Du bist nicht mehr frei - Mel Jersey, 3310 points
07. Hallo Adam, Hallo Eva - Adam & Eve, 2847 points
08. Hier kriegt jeder sein Fett - Roland Kaiser, 2823 points
09. Minnesänger - Mädchenfänger - Tony & David, 2784 points
10. In der Oper - Vielharmoniker, 2462 points
11. Gib uns Zeit - Stefan Hallberg, 2266 points
12. Ich werd' da sein wenn es Sturm gibt - Marianne Rosenberg, 2169 points
On the night of the ESC in The Hague Katja Ebstein performed 12th in the running order. The performance was memorable, featuring four mime artists, and at the close of voting Theater had received 128 points (including maximum 12s from Italy, the Netherlands and Spain), placing Germany 2nd of the 19 entries. Only Greece and Norway failed to award the song any points at all.
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Eurobandið
Eurobandið is a Icelandic technopop and dance duo consists of Friðrik Ómar and Regína Ósk.
In 2008 they represented Iceland at the eurovision Song Contest with the song This Is My Life which came 14th in the final. In the Icelandic pre-selection the sang the Icelandic version Fullkomið líf.
They have both, separately, established themselves as popular artists in Iceland and have tried to represent Iceland before as separate acts, but were unsuccessful. On their album they covered some eurovision songs.
In 2008 they represented Iceland at the eurovision Song Contest with the song This Is My Life which came 14th in the final. In the Icelandic pre-selection the sang the Icelandic version Fullkomið líf.
They have both, separately, established themselves as popular artists in Iceland and have tried to represent Iceland before as separate acts, but were unsuccessful. On their album they covered some eurovision songs.
The Drifters
The Drifter are a Swedish dance band from Skövde, formed in 1962. They are quite popular in their country. During their career they covered many ESC songs. For their newest album The Drifters covered the Dutch entry for the ESC 2010, Ik Ben Verliefd (Sha La Lie).
Clouseau
Clouseau is a Flemish/Belgian pop group, having success in Belgium and the Netherlands since the late 80's. The group originally consisted of Bob Savenberg, Tjen Berghmans, Karel Theys, Kris Wauters and Koen Wauters.
In 1989 Clouseau participated in the Belgian national final with the song Anne which came 2nd but was a big hit in Belgium. In 1990 they had their biggest hit with Daar Gaat Ze. In 1990 two members of Clouseau left the group.
In 1991 they were chosen to represent Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest in Rome. In the Belgian national final Clouseau sang theree songs: Geef Het Op, Hilda and Ik Kan Niet Zonder Jou. The winner was chosen by Clouseau themselves and they chose the up-tempo song Geef Het Op. The expectations were very high but Geef Het Op only came 16th.
In 1996 the founder of Clouseau, Bob Savenberg, left the group. The brothers Koen and Kris Wauters are still very successful in Belgium.
In 1989 Clouseau participated in the Belgian national final with the song Anne which came 2nd but was a big hit in Belgium. In 1990 they had their biggest hit with Daar Gaat Ze. In 1990 two members of Clouseau left the group.
In 1991 they were chosen to represent Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest in Rome. In the Belgian national final Clouseau sang theree songs: Geef Het Op, Hilda and Ik Kan Niet Zonder Jou. The winner was chosen by Clouseau themselves and they chose the up-tempo song Geef Het Op. The expectations were very high but Geef Het Op only came 16th.
In 1996 the founder of Clouseau, Bob Savenberg, left the group. The brothers Koen and Kris Wauters are still very successful in Belgium.
Duilio
Duilio, born as Lorenzo di Ciccio on February 23 1973 in Basel, is an Italian language Swiss singer. who moved to Italy in 1980. Duilio won several talent shows in Italy, Switzerland and Germany. In 1994 he was chosen to represent Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Sto Pregando which came 19th. Duilio recorded one album, Sto Pregando, which wasn't very successful.Festival di Sanremo - Laura Pausini
Laura Pausini is an Italian singer who is very popular in the Italian- and Spanish speaking parts of the world and in some European countries like the Netherlands and Belgium. She sings in Italian, Spanish, Portugese and English.
In the 90's Laura was very popular in the Netherlands. After Italy the Netherlands was the first county where Laura became successful. After her first album in 1987 she was discovered by producer Angelo Valsiglio. He asked her to participate at the Festival di Sanremo in 1993 with the song La Solitudine which came first in the Categoria Nuove Proposte. In 1994 she participated again at the Festival di Sanremo with Strani Amori which came 3rd in the Categoria Campioni.
Laura is still recording and performing and sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
In the 90's Laura was very popular in the Netherlands. After Italy the Netherlands was the first county where Laura became successful. After her first album in 1987 she was discovered by producer Angelo Valsiglio. He asked her to participate at the Festival di Sanremo in 1993 with the song La Solitudine which came first in the Categoria Nuove Proposte. In 1994 she participated again at the Festival di Sanremo with Strani Amori which came 3rd in the Categoria Campioni.
Laura is still recording and performing and sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
Monday, 16 August 2010
Aline Lahoud
Aline Lahoud (born March 2 1986) is a Lebanese singer and the daughter of the wellknown singer Salwa Al Katrib. Aline was selected to represent Lebanon at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005 with the song Quand Tout S'enfant. A few weeks before the contest Lebanon withdraw their entry because there were a few problems. Lebanon had to broadcast the whole semi-final including the Israeli performance. The Lebanese broadcaster refused to broadcast the Israeli song so they had to withdraw. The Lebanese broadcaster was also afraid they had to transmit images of openly homosexuals and girls with too little clothing......
Sister Sway
Sister Sway is a singing duo and is consisting of Nikki and Mandy Jackson.
In 1999 Sister Sway participated in the UK national final with the song Until You Saved My Life which came 3rd. The winner of the UK pre-selection was chosen by televoting. It is said Sister Sway were robbed of the right to represent the UK by a bizarre decision to disregard all votes from the Manchester area. The Song For Europe organizers claimed that there was an unusually high number of votes from Manchester and therefore viewed the figures as unreliable, seemingly ignoring the fact that this could be easily explained since that's where Sister Sway came from...
In 1999 Sister Sway participated in the UK national final with the song Until You Saved My Life which came 3rd. The winner of the UK pre-selection was chosen by televoting. It is said Sister Sway were robbed of the right to represent the UK by a bizarre decision to disregard all votes from the Manchester area. The Song For Europe organizers claimed that there was an unusually high number of votes from Manchester and therefore viewed the figures as unreliable, seemingly ignoring the fact that this could be easily explained since that's where Sister Sway came from...
Marion Welter
Marion Welter (Luxemburg 1965) is a singer and entertainer from Luxemburg.At the age of five she performed for the first time and at age fifteen she became part of the band Que Vadis. Marion has studied music and has worked in several styles of music like classic, pop and jazz.
In 1992 Marion was chosen to represent Luxemburg at the Eurovision Song Contest. At the national final Marion sang 2 songs. The winner was chosen by postcard voting. Both songs were sung in Luxembourgish. Iwerall Doheem came 2nd and Sou Fräi came 1st. At the Eurovision Song Contest Marion came 21st.
Marion is still active in music and performs with several bands and as a solo artist.
Germany 1979
In 1979 Germany was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 by Dschinghis Khan with the song Dschinghis Khan. The song was composed by Ralph Siegel with lyrics by Bernd Meinunger.
The German national final to select their entry, Vorentscheid 1979, was held on March 17 at the Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle in Munich, and was hosted by Caroline Reiber and Thomas Gottschalk. The winning song was chosen by the votes of approximately 500 people who were chosen by an institute to be representative of the German population.
Results:
01. Dschinghis Khan - Dschinghis Khan, 4807 points
02. Take it easy, altes haus - Truck Stop, 4394 points
03. Vogel der nacht - Paola, 4127 points
04. Samba si, arbeit no - Roberto blanco, 3461 points
05. Lady lady lady - Orlando Riva Sound, 3336 points
06. Madeleine - Bernhard Brink, 3326 points
07. Goodbye, Chérie - Hanne Haller, 3009 points
08. Du bist nicht frei - Ingrid Peters, 2894 points
09. Zuviel tequila, zuviel schöne mädchen - Tony Holiday, 2807 points
10. Was wir aus liebe tun - Jeanne de Roy, 2117 points
11. Wochenende - Jerry Rix & Linda G. Thompson, 1920 points
12. Ein blick sagt mehr als jedes wort - Gebrüder Blattschuß, 1673 points
Dschinghis Khan performed ninth at the ESC in Jerusalem. At the close of the voting the song had received 86 points, placing 4th in a field of 19 competing countries.
The German national final to select their entry, Vorentscheid 1979, was held on March 17 at the Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle in Munich, and was hosted by Caroline Reiber and Thomas Gottschalk. The winning song was chosen by the votes of approximately 500 people who were chosen by an institute to be representative of the German population.
Results:
01. Dschinghis Khan - Dschinghis Khan, 4807 points
02. Take it easy, altes haus - Truck Stop, 4394 points
03. Vogel der nacht - Paola, 4127 points
04. Samba si, arbeit no - Roberto blanco, 3461 points
05. Lady lady lady - Orlando Riva Sound, 3336 points
06. Madeleine - Bernhard Brink, 3326 points
07. Goodbye, Chérie - Hanne Haller, 3009 points
08. Du bist nicht frei - Ingrid Peters, 2894 points
09. Zuviel tequila, zuviel schöne mädchen - Tony Holiday, 2807 points
10. Was wir aus liebe tun - Jeanne de Roy, 2117 points
11. Wochenende - Jerry Rix & Linda G. Thompson, 1920 points
12. Ein blick sagt mehr als jedes wort - Gebrüder Blattschuß, 1673 points
Dschinghis Khan performed ninth at the ESC in Jerusalem. At the close of the voting the song had received 86 points, placing 4th in a field of 19 competing countries.
***
Dschinghis Khan was a West German pop band, created in 1979 to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest. The name of the band was chosen to fit the song of the same name, written and produced by Ralph Siegel with lyrics by Bernd Meinunger.
The band's song Moscow was a big hit in Australia in 1980, staying at number 1 for six weeks. The song was used as the theme music for the Channel 7 coverage of the Olympic games held in Moscow the same year.
While the group broke up in the mid-1980s, the German video for Moskau was a part of the show Disco on ZDF; as was their similarly staged number Dschinghis Khan
The group re-formed in late 2005 performing at the Olympiyski Arena in Moscow on December 17, 2005.
The band toured in 2006–2007 with singing and dancing group The Legacy of Dschinghis Khan and released the CD "7 Leben" (7 Lives). It was the band's first release since 2004's "Best of" compilation Jubilee.
The original members of the group were Louis Hendrik Potgieter, Steve Bender, Leslie Mándoki, Edina Pop and the husband and wife pair Wolfgang and Henriette Heichel.
In the second half of 2008, the band briefly entered Japanese music charts with the single Dschinghis Khan Tartar Mix, performed by the all-girl group Berryz Kobo and featuring Dschinghis Khan's original vocals. This version was a follow-up to the success encountered by Berryz Kobo's Dschinghis Khan cover. The music video for the new song had Berryz Kobo digitally superposed into Dschinghis Khan's original performance, so that they appeared to be performing together.
The band's song Moscow was a big hit in Australia in 1980, staying at number 1 for six weeks. The song was used as the theme music for the Channel 7 coverage of the Olympic games held in Moscow the same year.
While the group broke up in the mid-1980s, the German video for Moskau was a part of the show Disco on ZDF; as was their similarly staged number Dschinghis Khan
The group re-formed in late 2005 performing at the Olympiyski Arena in Moscow on December 17, 2005.
The band toured in 2006–2007 with singing and dancing group The Legacy of Dschinghis Khan and released the CD "7 Leben" (7 Lives). It was the band's first release since 2004's "Best of" compilation Jubilee.
The original members of the group were Louis Hendrik Potgieter, Steve Bender, Leslie Mándoki, Edina Pop and the husband and wife pair Wolfgang and Henriette Heichel.
In the second half of 2008, the band briefly entered Japanese music charts with the single Dschinghis Khan Tartar Mix, performed by the all-girl group Berryz Kobo and featuring Dschinghis Khan's original vocals. This version was a follow-up to the success encountered by Berryz Kobo's Dschinghis Khan cover. The music video for the new song had Berryz Kobo digitally superposed into Dschinghis Khan's original performance, so that they appeared to be performing together.
Saturday, 14 August 2010
Edea
Edea is a Finnish music group. The Edea songs are written in an older form of Finnish and speak of old traditions as well. Edea consists of:
- Marika Krook who is an opera singer, actress and dancer. She won 1992 the International Opera Song Contest in Tallinn an performed in lots of musicals and opera's.
- Tommy Mansikka-Aho who is a finnish musician , active in Folk and popular music, plays the didgeridoo, jaw harp and guitar.
- Samuli Kosminen who is a Finnish percussionist.
- Alexi Ahoniemi who plays keyboards, flute and soprano sax.
- Abdissa Asifa - percussion
In 1998 Edea won the Finnish national final with the song Avaa. In Birmingham they were one of the favorites for first place but Avaa came 15th.
Stig Rossen
Stig Rossen (June 14 1962, Glostrup) is a Danish singer, producer and musicalstar. In 1988 he participated in the Danish pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Vi Danser Rock Og Rul which came 4th.
After his study he got the leading part in the musical Les Miserables in 1990. Stig Rossen released 10 albums since 1990 with lots of musical songs.
In 2007 he participated in the Danish national final with the song Sa Naer Som Nu which came 3rd.
After his study he got the leading part in the musical Les Miserables in 1990. Stig Rossen released 10 albums since 1990 with lots of musical songs.
In 2007 he participated in the Danish national final with the song Sa Naer Som Nu which came 3rd.
Kabát
Kabát is a hard rock band from Teplice, Czech Republic and consists of Josef Vojtek (lead vocals), Milan Špalek (bass guitar), Tomáš Krulich (guitar), Ota Váňa (guitar) and Radek Hurčík (drums).
Kabát are very popular in their home country since the release of their fist album in 1990. In 2007 they represented the Czech Republic at the Eurovision Song Contest with Malá Dáma which came last in the semi-final.
Kabát are very popular in their home country since the release of their fist album in 1990. In 2007 they represented the Czech Republic at the Eurovision Song Contest with Malá Dáma which came last in the semi-final.
Rammstein
Rammstein is a German industrial metal band from Berlin, formed in 1994. Their songs are usually in German but sometimes they sing in English, Spanish, French and Russian. They sold over 10 million records worldwide. On one of their albums Rammstein covered Ein Bißchen Frieden.
Louis Neefs
Louis Neefs (1937-1980) was a Flemish singer and presenter who had his first hit in 1960.
In 1967 he represented Belgium at the eurovision song Contest with Oh Oh Ik Heb Zorgen which came 7th and in 1969 he came 7th again with the song Jennifer Jennings.
In 1969 Louis was a favourite for 1st place but during his performance he made a spontaneous movement with his arms which made the Belgian delegation furious and they thought Louis came only 7th because of Louis' spontaneity .
In 1972 Louis had his biggest hit with the song Margrietje. Louis Neefs also covered many eurovision songs.
In 1967 he represented Belgium at the eurovision song Contest with Oh Oh Ik Heb Zorgen which came 7th and in 1969 he came 7th again with the song Jennifer Jennings.
In 1969 Louis was a favourite for 1st place but during his performance he made a spontaneous movement with his arms which made the Belgian delegation furious and they thought Louis came only 7th because of Louis' spontaneity .
In 1972 Louis had his biggest hit with the song Margrietje. Louis Neefs also covered many eurovision songs.
In 1980 Louis and his wife died in a car accident.
Mary Christy
Mary Ruggieri, better known as Mary Christy is an Italian singer who represented Monaco in 1976 at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Toi, La Musique Et Moi which came 3rd. Mary Christy recorded the song in five languages; French, Italian, Spanish, German and English.Festival di Sanremo - Valerio Scanu
Valerio Scanu is an Italian pop singer. In 2008 Valerio took part in the 8th edition of the Italian talent Show Amici di Maria De Filippi in which he came 2nd. His first album, Sentimento, sold 40000 copies in the first week after its release in 2009. The title song reached no. 1 in the Italian charts.
In 2010 he won first place at the Festival di Sanremo with the song Per Tutte Le Volte Che at the age of 19, this made him the youngest male winner in the history of the festival.
In 2010 he won first place at the Festival di Sanremo with the song Per Tutte Le Volte Che at the age of 19, this made him the youngest male winner in the history of the festival.
Sherisse Laurence
Sherisse Laurence is a Canadian singer and entertainer.
From 1978 to 1983 she hosted the show "Circus" on CTV in Canada. In 1986 she was asked to represent Luxemburg at the Eurovision Song Contest with L'Amour de Ma Vie, written by Frank Dostal and Alain Garcia and composed by Rolf Soja, which came 3rd.
In 2006 she was appointed the musical director of the Huntsville Community Choir in Ontario, Canada.
From 1978 to 1983 she hosted the show "Circus" on CTV in Canada. In 1986 she was asked to represent Luxemburg at the Eurovision Song Contest with L'Amour de Ma Vie, written by Frank Dostal and Alain Garcia and composed by Rolf Soja, which came 3rd.
In 2006 she was appointed the musical director of the Huntsville Community Choir in Ontario, Canada.
Friday, 13 August 2010
World Popular Song Festival - Capricorn
In 1972 Capricorn won on behalf of the UK the Grand Prix at the World Popular Song Festival in Japan with the song Feeling.Capricorn consisted of Sue Avory (lead vocals), Unwin Brown (drums), Colin Travers (guitar) en Steve Pryor (bass). The band was much more popular in Japan than in the UK. Their first single Hello Liverpool reached first place in the Japanese charts and their winning song Feeling reached 3rd position in the Japanese charts. A couple of years later the band split up.
Rita Corita
Hendrika Sturm, better known as Rita Corita (1917-1998), was a Dutch singer, actress and comedian.
She had her biggest hit in the Netherlands in 1958 with the song Koffie Koffie, Lekker Bakkie Koffie (coffee coffee, nice cup of coffee). In 1962 she participated in the Dutch national final for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Carnaval which came 4th.
Rita performed in lots of Dutch TV shows and music programs and had several hits. In 1987, during a tour in America Rita got seriously injured by a car accident and she didn't perform again.
She had her biggest hit in the Netherlands in 1958 with the song Koffie Koffie, Lekker Bakkie Koffie (coffee coffee, nice cup of coffee). In 1962 she participated in the Dutch national final for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Carnaval which came 4th.
Rita performed in lots of Dutch TV shows and music programs and had several hits. In 1987, during a tour in America Rita got seriously injured by a car accident and she didn't perform again.
Ireen Sheer
Ireen Sheer, born February 25 1949 Romford UK, is a German-British Schlager singer.
In the early 60's she was discovered through a talent competition. She sang in several groups before she devoted herself to her solo career in 1970, focusing mainly on Germany.
In the early 60's she was discovered through a talent competition. She sang in several groups before she devoted herself to her solo career in 1970, focusing mainly on Germany.
Ireen had her first hit with the song Goodbye Mama which became a Top 5 hit on the German charts in 1973. After that, she released numerous records, almost every one going on to become a hit. Ireen Sheer became a guest on several different television music-shows, including several appearances on the ZDF Hit Parade, one of Germany's most popular music programs.
In 1974 she was chosen to represent Luxemburg with the french song Bye Bye I Love You which came 4th, in 1976 she came 8th in the German national final with Einmal Wasser, Einmal Wein, in 1978 she came 6th on behalf of Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest with Feuer and in 1985 she represented Luxemburg with the song Children Kinder Enfants which she sang together with Annemieke Verdoorn, Franck Olivier, Chris Roberts, Diane Solomon and Malcolm Roberts. This Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger song came 13th.
In 2002 Ireen sang a duet in the German pre-selection with Bernhard Brink, their song Es Ist Niemals Zu Spät came 7th.
Besides her solo performances, Ireen also sang a number of duets with her ex-husband Gavin du Porter and her colleague Bernhard Brink. Over 30 years after her first hit, Ireen Sheer is still a well-known member of the pop-music establishment in Germany, continuing to appear on music shows and publish new albums and singles.
Germany 1978
Germany was represented by Ireen Sheer, with the song Feuer, at the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest. Feuer was chosen as the German entry at the national final on 20 February, and was the second of Sheer's three Eurovision appearances; she had previously represented Luxembourg in 1974 and would later be a member of a six-piece ensemble in 1985, again on behalf of Luxembourg.
The 1978 German final is notable for the fact that voting was to be split in a 2:1 ratio between an "expert" jury and a panel of radio listeners but after hearing the songs, the expert jury decided that none was up to par and refused to vote, leaving the choice entirely in the hands of the radio panel.
The final was held at the studios of broadcaster SWF in Baden-Baden, hosted by Detlef Werner and broadcast on radio only. 15 songs took part with the winner originally intended to be decided by a combination of expert jury and radio listeners. However, once all the songs had been performed the expert jury stated that if these were the best songs on offer, Germany would be well-advised to withdraw completely from the 1978 contest as all were substandard. As the jury refused to vote, SWF decided that the decision would therefore be made by the radio listeners alone. Each member of the radio panel scored each song between 1 and 10 and the song with the highest average score became the winner.
The participants in the final included Germany's Eurovision 1974 representatives Cindy & Bert; Peter, Sue & Marc and Helena Vondráčková, Czechoslovakia's premier female vocalist who had won the Intervision Song Contest in 1977.
Results:
01. Feuer - Ireen Sheer, average score: 5.56
02. Liverpool - Sunrise, average score: 5.34
03. Charlie Chaplin - Peter, Sue & Marc, average score: 5.31
04. Chanson d'été - Cindy & Bert, average score: 5.30
05. Was die Sterne lenkt - Cindy & Bert, average score: 5.15
06. Ein Lied für Europa - Royal Brewery, average score: 5.04
07. Nein, weinen werd' ich nicht - Marianne Rosenberg: average score: 5.03
08. Louisiana - Jonny Hill, average score: 4.90
09. Mädchen wie Helena - Tony, average score: 4.51
10. Komm und bleib die Nacht bei mir - Albatross, average score: 4.16
11. Lieder die aus dem Radio klingen - Jochen Brauer Group, average score: 4.07
12. Männer wie du - Helena Vondráčková, average score: 3.98
13. Ich trag' deinen Namen - Freya & Bernd Wippich, average scoe: 3.91
14. Susann - Andy Norden, average score: 3.81
15. Kennst du die Zeit - Brunhilde Lamberty, average score: 3.70
On the night of the ESC final in Paris Ireen Sheer performed 13th in the running order. At the close of voting Feuer had received 84 points from 14 countries (including a maximum 12 from Finland), placing Germany 6th of the 20 entries.
The 1978 German final is notable for the fact that voting was to be split in a 2:1 ratio between an "expert" jury and a panel of radio listeners but after hearing the songs, the expert jury decided that none was up to par and refused to vote, leaving the choice entirely in the hands of the radio panel.
The final was held at the studios of broadcaster SWF in Baden-Baden, hosted by Detlef Werner and broadcast on radio only. 15 songs took part with the winner originally intended to be decided by a combination of expert jury and radio listeners. However, once all the songs had been performed the expert jury stated that if these were the best songs on offer, Germany would be well-advised to withdraw completely from the 1978 contest as all were substandard. As the jury refused to vote, SWF decided that the decision would therefore be made by the radio listeners alone. Each member of the radio panel scored each song between 1 and 10 and the song with the highest average score became the winner.
The participants in the final included Germany's Eurovision 1974 representatives Cindy & Bert; Peter, Sue & Marc and Helena Vondráčková, Czechoslovakia's premier female vocalist who had won the Intervision Song Contest in 1977.
Results:
01. Feuer - Ireen Sheer, average score: 5.56
02. Liverpool - Sunrise, average score: 5.34
03. Charlie Chaplin - Peter, Sue & Marc, average score: 5.31
04. Chanson d'été - Cindy & Bert, average score: 5.30
05. Was die Sterne lenkt - Cindy & Bert, average score: 5.15
06. Ein Lied für Europa - Royal Brewery, average score: 5.04
07. Nein, weinen werd' ich nicht - Marianne Rosenberg: average score: 5.03
08. Louisiana - Jonny Hill, average score: 4.90
09. Mädchen wie Helena - Tony, average score: 4.51
10. Komm und bleib die Nacht bei mir - Albatross, average score: 4.16
11. Lieder die aus dem Radio klingen - Jochen Brauer Group, average score: 4.07
12. Männer wie du - Helena Vondráčková, average score: 3.98
13. Ich trag' deinen Namen - Freya & Bernd Wippich, average scoe: 3.91
14. Susann - Andy Norden, average score: 3.81
15. Kennst du die Zeit - Brunhilde Lamberty, average score: 3.70
On the night of the ESC final in Paris Ireen Sheer performed 13th in the running order. At the close of voting Feuer had received 84 points from 14 countries (including a maximum 12 from Finland), placing Germany 6th of the 20 entries.
Tobi Jooste
Tobi Jooste is a singer and model from South Africa. He sings in English, Italian and Afrikaans. Tobi is very popular in South-Africa and covered quite a few eurovision songs.
Anastasia Stotskaya
Anastasia Stotskaya (Oktober 7 1982, Kiev) a Russian singer and actress.
Anastasia toured with the most popular children's music group of Russia with the age of 5. After she graduated from the Russian academy of Theatre arts Anastasia played in several musicals. Anastasia was chosen as Russians most poular artist in 1996, 1999 and 2004. In 2005 she was asked by Philipp Kirkorov, Anastasia's producer and teacher, to participate in the Russian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Shadows Dance All Around Me which came 3rd. Today Anastasia still is one of the most popular Russian singers. She covered the Icelandic entry of 2005, If I Had Your Love sung by Selma and the German entry of 2002, I Can't Live Without Music.
Anastasia toured with the most popular children's music group of Russia with the age of 5. After she graduated from the Russian academy of Theatre arts Anastasia played in several musicals. Anastasia was chosen as Russians most poular artist in 1996, 1999 and 2004. In 2005 she was asked by Philipp Kirkorov, Anastasia's producer and teacher, to participate in the Russian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Shadows Dance All Around Me which came 3rd. Today Anastasia still is one of the most popular Russian singers. She covered the Icelandic entry of 2005, If I Had Your Love sung by Selma and the German entry of 2002, I Can't Live Without Music.
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Vukašin Brajić
Vukašin Brajić (born February 9, 1984 in Sanski Most) is a Bosnian pop-rock singer who rose to fame after participating in the first season of the music show Star Academy (Operacija Trijumf) 2008/2009, in which he won the second place. It was broadcast by six national television networks in five Balkan countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.
He represented Bosnia and Herzegovina at Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo, Norway, with the song Thunder and Lightning.
Vukašin Brajić is the eldest of three children of Simo and Dušanka. He has a younger brother and sister, Nenad and Nevena. His interest in music started early, in the third grade, when he asked his parents to let him enroll in a music school, which was not possible in the time of war. In 1994, due the war, his family moved from Bosna and Herzegovina to Serbia, to Mali Požarevac in Sopot, where they spent one year before moving to Čačak, where the family Brajić lives today. Vukašin finished both elementary and high school in Čačak. His music beginnings are also related to Čačak. Even though his parents could not afford his musical education, Vukašin studied by himself, learning from the books and Internet. That is how he acquired his keyboards and guitar skills. He got his first guitar from his uncle before he turned fifteen and then said to his family: Someday, this guitar will feed all of you. He also sang in the choir, danced in the dance studio Luna and was a member of a drama club. That is how he gained experience in public performances and contests. When he was 19 years old, he moved from Čačak to Negotin where he enrolled the Teacher Education Academy which provided him what he liked – scene movement, music and singing. Vukašin enjoyed working with children and he has been saying that the pupils are his audience while the classroom is his scene. Today, he is only a final paper away to earn his degree, which he postponed because of the developments in his music career. While in Negotin, he lived with a friend who'd taught him a lot and helped him perfect his guitar skills.
While he was on his third year of college, he moved from Negotin to Belgrade. Namely, in 2003 in Negotin, he met Darko Nikodijević and Nemanja Anđelković who recorded a few songs with a melodic metal-rock sound and decided to form a band, naming it Affect. Since they didn’t have the lead vocal and, realizing that Vukašin is a good singer who loves music and plays the guitar, they asked him to join the band. In the summer of 2004, Vukašin recorded four songs with them. He liked the songs and quickly identified himself with them. In the early 2005, Affect was fully formed, after the bassist Nikola Dimitijević and the drummer Željko Despić joined the band. Due to the poor conditions, they worked on ten songs until the end of 2006. In the summer of 2006, they contacted Ognjen Uzelac, the director of PGP-RTS (label company), who offered to release Affect's promotional cd-single with two songs on it. In the fall of 2006, in studio 5 of PGP-RTS, they recorded two songs: Read from my eyes (in Serbian Ništa više ne ostaje) and an instrumental cover of tradicional Serbian song Ajde Jano, which they played in heavy-metal style. In April, 2007, they released promo-single in 150 copies. They performed live in Belgrade clubs where rock’n’roll was played, and with the help of Beograd 202 radio, they also performed outside of Belgrade. For many reasons, one being that Vukašin was the only one who wanted to pursue professional music career, Affect was put on stand by in late 2007. However, Darko Nikodijević and Nemanja Anđelković would still work with Vukašin on future projects as parts of his team.
After the Affect episode, Vukašin continued to perform with Marko Marić in an acoustic duo Lucky Luke. The two of them played together until Vukašin entered Operacija Trijumf. They also had several TV appearances in morning shows and daily chronicles.
Vukašin’s Operacija Trijumf story began when his roommate from Negotin called and told him that the application process had begun, so his godfather Marko filled the application form. Vukašin, who was in Negotin at the time, dedicating himself to college, immediately started with preparations. He went back to Belgrade and spent all the money he earned from gigs on singing classes with Professor Tanja Andrejić, with whom he worked for three months. After passing the auditions, he did a few promotional concerts across Serbia during the summer with other Serbian contestants from the show.
The show started on September 29, 2008. At the first Gala Vukašin sang two songs alongside Ivana Nikodijević: Kada padne noć by Riblja Čorba and Enter Sandman by Metallica. He got his first nomination at the second Gala already, but didn’t get the explanation as to why he was nominated. He was then saved by the academy. At the eight Gala he got his first nomination after which he was left to the mercy of the audience and their votes. In a close battle with Đorđe Gogov, who was audience favorite more than once, Vukašin managed to go to the next round. On the same night, he performed More Than Words by Extreme, which remains as one of his best performances in which he showed his acoustic guitar skills. Later that night he performed Are You Gonna Go My Way by Lenny Kravitz alongside Đorđe Gogov. The series of nominations continued at the next Gala, and he was again dependent on the audience voting. At the 10th Gala he was nominated again, this time with Nikola Sarić. After the audience chose him over Nikola Sarić, who was also the audience favorite more than once, Vukašin earned a nickname killer of the favorites. He ended the competition as the 1st runner up, behind the winner Adnan Babajić. Official statistic states that he received around 330 000 votes.
Vukašin stood out with many things during the show and got the support of the audience of all ages and from all the parts of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It was said that he was the man who reunited people from all the former republics. He is remembered by his excellent vocal and stage performances, which, as the jury evaluated, brought him the highest average grade of all students. He is also remembered by his statement: "People who write on forums are the worst. And I am one of them!" which made him a favorite in the forum community.
After the OT, Vukašin became a member of OT Bend along with three more Operacija Trijumf participants (Nikola Paunović, Nikola Sarić and Đorđe Gogov).
On February 23, 2009, Vukašin, among the other members of OT Bend and Sonja Bakić, performed as an opening act to a world-famous music star James Blunt at his Belgrade concert.
OT Bend entered the Beovizija 2009, Serbian Song Contest for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song Blagoslov za Kraj, written by E.Owen, S. Vukomanovic and E. Botric. On March 7, in the semi-finals, they won maximum 24 points and entered the finals as the 1st. Next day, in the finals, again they won maximum 12 points from the audience, with 28 521 votes of totally 53 550. That was still not enough for the victory, because this time, the jury gave them only 5 points, so they finished the contest as the 1st runner up.[13]
On April 19 and 20, 2009, Vukašin, alongside other Operacija Trijumf participants, held two concerts in Sava Centar in Belgrade in front of 10000 people. He performed OT Bend songs and several national and international hits.
During the summer of 2009, first Operacija Trijumf contestants went on a Montenegro tour. High point of the tour was the concert in Podgorica in front of the full stadium called Stadion malih sportova.
At the summer music festival Sunčane skale 2009 in Herceg Novi, on the first night called Prince awards (Prinčeve nagrade), OT Bend won the breakthrough of the year award.
On July 12, 2009, in Belgrade Arena, OT Bend, alongside Ana Bebić, performed at the closing ceremony of the 25th Summer Universiade, which gathered 8200 participants from 145 countries in the capital city of Serbia.
Former students of Operacija Trijumf also held several concerts in cities across Serbia. One of the most noticed was the one of OT Bend and Ana Bebić at the main city square of Užice, in front of around 10000 people.
Farewell concert of Operacija Trijumf in Sava Centar, Belgrade, was left for the end of the year. That way, students had the opportunity to say goodbye to the group appearances under the name - Operacija Trijumf and marked the beginning of their own separate careers.
Artistic ensemble of Ministry of Defence Stanislav Binički, under the conductor Vojkan Borisavljević, held a concert named Mamma mia" in "Dom sindikata in Belgrade, where they performed hits from the Swedish band ABBA. OT Bend, alongside Maja Odžaklijevska, Nada Pavlović, Tijana Dapčević, Jelena Jovičić, Milena Vasić, Dejan Lutkić and Marinko Madžgalj performed as vocal backup, under the sponsorship of Swedish Embassy in Serbia. Special guest was prima donna of Belgrade Opera, Jadranka Jovanović.
On January 11, 2010, announcement was made that Vukašin Brajić, with the song Thunder and Lightning by Edin-Dino Šaran, would represent Bosnia and Herzegovina at Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo, Norway. Bosnia and Herzegovina passed to the final of the contest and, among 25 countries which made it to the final, took 17th place.
Anna Eriksson
Anna Eriksson (Aril 22 1977) is a Finnish singer. Anna is especially known for her cover of Juliette Och Jonathan, originally sung by Lotta Engberg in the swedish national final of 1996 and her participation in the Finnish pre-selection of 2000 with the song Oot Voimani Mun, which came 2nd behind Nina Aström and her, in my opinion, stupid song A Little Bit. Oot Voimani Mun became a big hit for Anna and she won the Second Chance Contest with it. She's now very famous in Finland and is one of the most successful singers ever.
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
Junior Eurovision - Laura
Laura represented Belgium at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest with the song Zo Verliefd in Yodel style which came 4th. In the Belgian pre-selection she sang another, more classical version of Zo Verliefd.
Jo Lemaire
Jo Lemaire is a Belgian singer who started her music career in 1979. She had a couple of hits in Belgium, Netherlands, France and Canada. She's still recording successful albums. In 1984 she participated in the Belgian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Hymne à L'Amour which didn't reach the top 4.
Germany 1977
At the ESC 1977 Germany was represented by Silver Convention with the song Telegram. For the first time since 1974, the German entry was chosen internally rather than through a public final.
At the time of their participation at Eurovision, Silver Convention were commercially one of Germany's most successful groups and had already had a succession of big hits across both Europe and North America. They are the only performers in Eurovision history to have had a number 1 single in the USA (with Fly, Robin, Fly) prior to their Eurovision appearance.
Germany had chosen an English-language song before the EBU announced the rule change, so they (along with Belgium who had done the same) were given dispensation to perform in English.
On the night of the final Silver Convention performed 6th in the running order. It is usually acknowledged that the group's professionalism and experience shone through with the slickest stage performance of the night. Telegram was a very contemporary song and had been tipped prior to the contest as a likely challenger for victory; however, like the similarly contemporary song from Belgium's Dream Express, it fell short of expectations in the voting. Telegram" received 55 points from 13 countries.
***
For the first single of Silver Convention, Save Me, which was a big hit in the UK, producers and songwriters Sylvester Levay and Michael Kunze, used session vocalists. Silver Convention was only a studio group, and the producers realized then that they would need to find professional entertainers for presentation to the public. They recruited Linda Thompson, former member of the Les Humphries Singers, Penny McLean and Ramona Wulf.
With Fly Robin Fly and Get Up And Boogie they scored huge hits in Canada, U.S.A. and Europe. In 1976 Linda Thompson left the group and was replaced by the American Rhonda Heath. In 1977 Silver Convention was chosen to represent Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Telegram. After this song was chosen the EBU changed the rules, every country should sing in their own language again. The three girls of Silver Convention refused to sing in German so Germany and Belgium, who already chose an English song too, were allowed to sing in English. At the contest Telegram ended on a disappointing 8th place. After the contest the group had a couple of small successes but in 1980 the group split up.
Rhonda Heath sang in 1985 as a backing vocal for Austria and in 1994 for Germany.
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
Brainstorm
Brainstorm is a Latvian pop/rock band which was formed in the summer of 1989 in Jelgava, Latvia by four former classmates: Renārs Kaupers, Jānis Jubalts, Gundars Mauševics and Kaspars Roga. Soon after, their classmate Māris Mihelsons also joined the band. Brainstorm scored their first hit in 1992 and became quite popular in Latvia, Germany, UK, Sweden and the Baltic States.
In 2000 they participated in the first Latvian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song My Star which won the Latvian final and came 3rd in Stockholm. After that good result they became successful in Europe. In 2003 Renārs was one of the hosts of the Eurovision Song Contest which was held in Riga, Latvia.
In 2004 Gundars Mauševics died. Despite this loss, the other band members continued working and are still successful.
In 2000 they participated in the first Latvian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song My Star which won the Latvian final and came 3rd in Stockholm. After that good result they became successful in Europe. In 2003 Renārs was one of the hosts of the Eurovision Song Contest which was held in Riga, Latvia.
In 2004 Gundars Mauševics died. Despite this loss, the other band members continued working and are still successful.
Germany 1976
Germany was represented by the Les Humphries Singers at the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Sing Sang Song. Sing Sang Song originally placed 2nd in the German national final but became the German entry when the winner, Der Star by Tony Marshall, was disqualified.The final was held over two nights – 31 January and 1 February – at the TV studios in Frankfurt, hosted by Max Schauzer. 12 songs took part with six performed on each evening, with the winner chosen by postcard voting, the results of which were announced on 18 February. Der Star was the public choice by a margin of over 20,000 votes, but was later disqualified when it was discovered that the song had been performed in public prior to the national final. Sing Sang Song was therefore promoted and announced as the 1976 German entry.
Results:
01. Der Star - Tony Marshall, 118250 votes (DQ)
02. Sing Sang Song - Les Humphries Singers, 96705 votes
03. Applaus für ein total verrücktes Haus - Maggie Mae, 71882 votes
04. Komm geh mit mir - Nina & Mike, 61944 votes
05. Komm geh mit mir - Love Generation, 58846 votes
06. Es ist ein Mensch - Meeting Point, 53568 votes
07. Du machst Karriere - Lena Valaitis, 47714 votes
08. Einmal Wasser, einmal Wein - Ireen Sheer, 45032 votes
09. Der Jahrmarkt unserer Eitelkeit - Bruce Low, 43352 votes
10. Wenn du so bist wie dein Lachen - Ina Deter, 27903 votes
11. Ein neuer Tag - Piera Martell, 24525 votes
12. Das alte Haus - Tina York, 17562 votes
On the night of the final the Les Humphries Singers performed 3rd in the running order. In comparison to the slickly presented, precisely choreographed stage routines put together by other acts in the early part of the show (such as the United Kingdom's Brotherhood of Man and Chocolat, Menta, Mastik from Israel), the German presentation came across on screen as ragged and untidy in the extreme, with no apparent thought having been given to providing a focussed ensemble performance, and the audience response at the end of the song was noticeably muted and unenthusiastic. At the close of voting "Sing Sang Song" had received 12 points, placing Germany 15th of the 18 entries.
Sing Sang Song has a very negative reputation, with both song and performance often being mentioned as among the worst ever heard and seen in a Eurovision final. An open online poll of Eurovision fans rated the song as the worst of the 1970s. The Les Humphries Singers had enjoyed considerable success prior to the contest but disbanded shortly thereafter: the Eurovision disaster is thought to have been a major factor in this decision.
***
The Les Humphries Singers was a 1970s musical group formed in Hamburg, Germany in 1969 by the English born Les Humphries (born John Lesley Humphreys, 10 August 1940, in Croydon, Surrey, England - died 26 December 2007, in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England), who had been inspired to do his own version of the Edwin Hawkins Singers.
The Les Humphries Singers dissolved at the end of the 1970s, after Humphries had left due to tax liabilities to his English homeland, Alton, Hampshire and due to a bad result at the ESC in 1976.
In his later years, Humphries led a quiet life in London. In March 2008, the German newspaper Bild reported his death on 26 December 2007 in a London hospital from a heart attack after a severe bout of pneumonia.
The group consisted of a large number of singers of diverse ethnic origin.
The Les Humphries Singers performed a mix of popular music and gospel covers and had some success in Europe with this approach. Much like contemporary disco act Boney M., their music focused on Rhythm and blues, gospel, and disco, but often with psychedelic phasing or flanger effects on solos and bridges, and, much like James Last, much larger background choruses in the studio to emulate a live atmosphere. The Les Humphries Singers at the time brought something from the flair of the hippie movement into contemporary German-produced (but English-sung) pop music, especially due to their mixed ethnic background and peculiar fashion sense.
Two of their earliest and best known hits were Mexico (1972) and Mama Loo (1973). In 1976 they represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest with the Ralph Siegel title Sing Sang Song, reduced to only six singers (their usual line-ups consisted of 20 performers and up), and came in 15th place, which they regarded as the beginning of the end as a band. At the same time, they were the resident vocal band on the internationally syndicated TV series The International Pop Proms, working with James Last and other renowned artists.
They disbanded shortly thereafter the same year, but enjoyed a short comeback as a pure live act from 1991 until 1993 performing their old hits.
In 2006, the original band members formed The Original Singers without Les Humphries, but with new members, re-recording their old hits and also releasing new material.
The former members, Jürgen Drews, Tina Kemp-Werner, Judy Archer and Peggy Evers-Hartig, formed a group called the Les Humphries Singers Reunion in 2009.
The Les Humphries Singers dissolved at the end of the 1970s, after Humphries had left due to tax liabilities to his English homeland, Alton, Hampshire and due to a bad result at the ESC in 1976.
In his later years, Humphries led a quiet life in London. In March 2008, the German newspaper Bild reported his death on 26 December 2007 in a London hospital from a heart attack after a severe bout of pneumonia.
The group consisted of a large number of singers of diverse ethnic origin.
The Les Humphries Singers performed a mix of popular music and gospel covers and had some success in Europe with this approach. Much like contemporary disco act Boney M., their music focused on Rhythm and blues, gospel, and disco, but often with psychedelic phasing or flanger effects on solos and bridges, and, much like James Last, much larger background choruses in the studio to emulate a live atmosphere. The Les Humphries Singers at the time brought something from the flair of the hippie movement into contemporary German-produced (but English-sung) pop music, especially due to their mixed ethnic background and peculiar fashion sense.
Two of their earliest and best known hits were Mexico (1972) and Mama Loo (1973). In 1976 they represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest with the Ralph Siegel title Sing Sang Song, reduced to only six singers (their usual line-ups consisted of 20 performers and up), and came in 15th place, which they regarded as the beginning of the end as a band. At the same time, they were the resident vocal band on the internationally syndicated TV series The International Pop Proms, working with James Last and other renowned artists.
They disbanded shortly thereafter the same year, but enjoyed a short comeback as a pure live act from 1991 until 1993 performing their old hits.
In 2006, the original band members formed The Original Singers without Les Humphries, but with new members, re-recording their old hits and also releasing new material.
The former members, Jürgen Drews, Tina Kemp-Werner, Judy Archer and Peggy Evers-Hartig, formed a group called the Les Humphries Singers Reunion in 2009.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)