Bert Kaempfert(1923-1980)
- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Internationally renowned bandleader Bert Kaempfert was born in Hamburg,
Germany, in 1923. A student at the Hamburg School of Music, he was
hired by bandleader Hans Busch and played
with that orchestra before enlisting in the German Navy during World
War II, where he served as a musician. After the war he started his own
band, in addition to working as an arranger and producer for the
recordings of other singers and bandleaders (in 1961 he hired a
little-known band to back up singer
Tony Sheridan on his album "My
Bonnie". That band was The Beatles).
Kampfert had his own hit recording career, beginning with what is
probably his signature work, "Wonderland By Night", in 1960. He also
had a major hit with the instrumental "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" in
1965--although he did not, as is often thought, write the music for it,
he did have a hugely successful songwriting career, some of his most
famous compositions (he wrote the music, others wrote the lyrics) being
hits for other artists, such as "Strangers in the Night" for
Frank Sinatra, "Wooden Heart" for
Joe Dowell, "Spanish Eyes" for
Al Martino, "Danke Schoen" for
Wayne Newton, among others. He also wrote
the scores for several films, including
A Man Could Get Killed (1966)
and the Elvis Presley film
G.I. Blues (1960). Musicians such as
Bobby Hackett,
Pete Fountain and
Johnny Mathis recorded "tribute" albums of
Kaempfert's music. He was an early proponent of what came to be known
as "world music", often using songs and musical styles from Africa (one
of his biggest hits was called "Afrikaan Beat"). Although his record
sales began to decline in the 1970s, he kept up a strong schedule of
live concerts, and made a hugely successful appearance at London's
Royal Albert Hall in 1974.
A heavy cigarette smoker, he died of a stroke at his home in Majorca,
Spain, on June 21, 1980. He was 56 years old.
Germany, in 1923. A student at the Hamburg School of Music, he was
hired by bandleader Hans Busch and played
with that orchestra before enlisting in the German Navy during World
War II, where he served as a musician. After the war he started his own
band, in addition to working as an arranger and producer for the
recordings of other singers and bandleaders (in 1961 he hired a
little-known band to back up singer
Tony Sheridan on his album "My
Bonnie". That band was The Beatles).
Kampfert had his own hit recording career, beginning with what is
probably his signature work, "Wonderland By Night", in 1960. He also
had a major hit with the instrumental "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" in
1965--although he did not, as is often thought, write the music for it,
he did have a hugely successful songwriting career, some of his most
famous compositions (he wrote the music, others wrote the lyrics) being
hits for other artists, such as "Strangers in the Night" for
Frank Sinatra, "Wooden Heart" for
Joe Dowell, "Spanish Eyes" for
Al Martino, "Danke Schoen" for
Wayne Newton, among others. He also wrote
the scores for several films, including
A Man Could Get Killed (1966)
and the Elvis Presley film
G.I. Blues (1960). Musicians such as
Bobby Hackett,
Pete Fountain and
Johnny Mathis recorded "tribute" albums of
Kaempfert's music. He was an early proponent of what came to be known
as "world music", often using songs and musical styles from Africa (one
of his biggest hits was called "Afrikaan Beat"). Although his record
sales began to decline in the 1970s, he kept up a strong schedule of
live concerts, and made a hugely successful appearance at London's
Royal Albert Hall in 1974.
A heavy cigarette smoker, he died of a stroke at his home in Majorca,
Spain, on June 21, 1980. He was 56 years old.