Bettina Wegner

Bettina Wegner (* November 4, 1947 in Berlin light field ) is a German singer-songwriter and poet. Her best known song is Children ( Are such small hands ... ) from the year 1978.

Life

Bettina Wegner was born in West Berlin. After the founding of the GDR moved their parents - convinced Communists - with her to East Berlin. You learned to be a skilled worker and the library began in 1966 to study at drama school in Berlin. In 1966 she became a founding member of the Hootenanny clubs. However, since the original principle, everyone could bring uncensored on stage his lyrics and songs, was abandoned in the first year, she left the group soon. Shortly thereafter, the Hootenanny Club was renamed in October Club and the FDJ assumed.

After they had 1968 leaflets written and distributed to the intervention of the Warsaw Pact countries in Czechoslovakia ( Prague Spring ) ( "Long live the red Prague! ", " High Dubcek !"), She was expelled, arrested and charged with " anti-state baiting " sentenced to a term of imprisonment of one year and seven months on probation. The experience of censorship and detention ( their first child - with Thomas Brasch - had just been born ), would henceforth characterize their attitude and most of all their songs. After ' probation in production, " she attended night school, got her high school diploma and completed by 1971/72 training as a singer at the Central Studio for entertainment arts. Since then, she lives freelance.

Dedicated series of events ( Eintopp, general store ) was married with Klaus Schlesinger, with Bettina Wegner 1970-1982, were banned by government agencies. After public protest against the expatriation of Wolf Biermann in 1976 their performance opportunities were increasingly curtailed; she was spied and pressurized. Your former manager Katharina Harich, who was manager of the humorous song MTS group at the same time, allowed her at this time still appearances as a secret, because on the billboards now was: "MTS and singer ." Also helped Werner Sell Horn, with whom she had a " harmless " sounding program: " Kurt Tucholsky and songs of today ." The concerts were still crowded, because word of mouth was very effective in the GDR, when it came to banned literature or music. Even in some churches they continued to give concerts, for example in the well known for oppositional events Samaritan Church in East Berlin.

When she was in 1978 also known in the West abruptly by a " sign D " broadcast by Dirk Sager, was found for them the possibility of their first LP to publish (in the west at CBS ), the recording of a concert at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien. On their first studio LP on CBS, she was accompanied by musicians of the rock band Nervous Germans; so, there were ways not to think of in the GDR were. Now she could compensate for their prohibition in the GDR, with performances in the Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, Belgium and Switzerland, where she was allowed to travel as " foreign exchange bearer " in the West. However, this was a common method of the GDR government to get rid known but unwelcome Artist: after the initiation of an investigation " on suspicion of customs and currency violations " saw Bettina Wegner found in 1983 as a citizen of the GDR with the choice of going to jail or to be expatriated. Then she moved to West Berlin. This loss of home and the communist ideals were the major themes of their songs in the 1980s.

Bettina Wegner in 1988 had an affair with Oskar Lafontaine. As a songwriter, she performed, among others, along with Joan Baez, Konstantin Wecker and Angelo Branduardi. From the 1990s until today they were more regular successful concerts with her new companion trio of L'art de passage and especially together with Karsten Troyke. In 1996, Bettina Wegner in Meiningen for their program "She 's known " awarded as the first recipient of the Thuringian Kleinkunstpreis. She has published several CDs, but slowly disappeared from the media such as television and radio.

After 30 years of touring and record releases Bettina Wegner adopted in 2007 with a farewell tour for the time being by their audience. Reason for this was for health reasons, but not only this: "It is haggling as to an aging whore. Of course I have my price (...) There must be an end, a singer is no longer my profession, although I 'll keep singing - Benefit or special occasions, for example, (...) "(from the Berliner Zeitung of 27 January 2007).

Bettina Wegner has three children.

Awards

• Gold record for the LP Are so small hands
• Honor antenna ( Songwriter price of the Belgian Radio )
• Thuringian Kleinkunstpreis at the Meininger cabaret days in 1996

Works

Singles

LPs

CDs

• If my songs are no longer correct. With a foreword by Sarah Kirsch, Rowohlt, Reinbek 1979
• Sorry I am anyway. Songs and poems, Rowohlt, Reinbek 1982
• Do not cry, but crying. Songs and poetry (along with Claudia Hennes ), Books Gutenberg, Frankfurt 1982
• When I was just twenty. Songs and poems from East and West in adaptations, Rowohlt, Reinbek 1986
• From Germany to Germany a few steps. Songs and poems, Rowohlt, Reinbek 1986
• There is so little. Songs, lyrics, notes ( with Peter Meier and Rainer Lindner), self-published, 1991 Gemünden
• Nobody in the house I have a room. Songs and poems build, Berlin 1997