Bill Ramsey (singer)

Bill Ramsey ( born April 17, 1931 in Cincinnati, Ohio as William McCreery Ramsey ) is a German - American jazz and pop singer, journalist and actor. He became known by its German Schlager.

• 2.1 Films
• 2.2 television

• 3.1 Singles
• 3.2 EPs
• 3.3 LPs
• 3.4 CDs

Biography

Youth and Education

William McCreery Ramsey, called Bill, son of a teacher and an advertising manager of Procter & Gamble, already sang in his youth in a college dance band. When he was a sociology and business studies began at Yale University in New Haven from 1949 to 1951, he sang alongside jazz, swing and blues. His role models included Count Basie, Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, and especially Louis Jordan.

Military service

Due to the Korean War, conscription was reintroduced in the U.S. and Bill Ramsey had to serve in Germany his service with the United States Air Force. Also at this time he entered the way in clubs and was seen in the then famous and still existing Jazzkeller in Frankfurt am Main by an employee of the soldier station AFN and engaged as employees in the field of GI care. There Ramsey was executive producer and had, albeit still. Services in the Air Force, more time for performances at festivals

From 1953 he appeared at jazz events, among others, Ernst Mosch, Paul Kuhn, Kurt Edelhagen and James Last. The jazz pianist and music producer Heinz Gietz mediated Bill Ramsey 1955 an appearance at the Hessischer Rundfunk and hired him for playback recordings for the musical film Love, Dance and 1000 hits with Peter Alexander and Caterina Valente. After completing his military service, he continued his studies in his home, and from 1957 in Frankfurt.

Career in Germany

Hit

1958 offered producer Heinz Gietz Ramsey to a record deal and in the same year appeared Ramsey's first single with Polydor. The present thereon were hit to a small moderate success, laying specifies the style with which the " man with the black voice" from now on numerous sales successes and earwigs could land.

The music was based on the then hits Anglo-American pop music. Among the published in the 1950s and 1960s, there were German -speaking hits Ramsey's cover versions of Hank Ballard, The Beatles, Fats Domino, Ivory Joe Hunter, Roger Miller, Elvis Presley, Jimmie Rodgers, Andy Williams, Sheb Wooley and others. There were also a number of originals that were initially almost exclusively composed by Heinz Gietz. The ironic, preferably originating from Kurt Feltz and Hans Bradtke texts often commented on current affairs.

1962 Ramsey joined with producer Gietz the Columbia label of EMI Group, where he was initially able to continue his success. Until the mid- 1960s beat music hit the market significantly reduced, Bill Ramsey was regularly represented in the German charts. The popularity also earned him numerous appearances in film and television, where he starred as a singer and in comic supporting roles.

From the second half of the 1960s, Ramsey took on mostly English songs and devoted himself again primarily jazz and blues. In the musically varied decade but also appeared operettas, musicals and beat title as well as an LP of children's songs from Ramsey. 1966 Ramsey moved to Heinz Gietz record company Cornet and in the same year again for Polydor. Since the 1970s years published numerous new and reissues Ramsey under different labels.

Film

Overall, Bill Ramsey starred in 28 films, had countless television appearances and tours throughout Europe, the U.S. and North Africa. He hosted, among others, the television broadcasts hit for floppy ears (1971) and Talentschuppen (1974 to 1980). He was for many years a lecturer at the Hamburg University of Music and Performing Arts. Ramsey appears regularly as a pop and jazz singer, including a duo with guitarist Juraj Galan, with which he presented several plates. The LP of the duo live in the lower house received the Prize of the German Record Critics. Every Friday moderated and comments on Bill Ramsey on Hr2 the shipment Swingtime. In the years 2008 and 2009 he was inter alia Max Greger and Hugo Strasser Swing legends on tour.

Private life

Ramsey lived almost 20 years in Zurich, later in Wiesbaden and finally since 1991 with his fourth wife Petra in Hamburg. Since 17 October 1984 he is in possession of the German citizenship. His wife is a doctor, but is also active as a manager for Ramsey.

Filmography

Movies

TV

Discography (selection)

Singles

EPs

• Go Man Go / Here ' sailors could anchor geh'n / Souvenirs / Do not do anything Heck Meck (1959, Polydor )
• Pigalle / Missouri Cowboy / Are you lonesome tonight ' night / It always draws me to it ( with Peter Alexander) (1961, Polydor )
• Viktoria und ihr Husar ( with Sonja Knittel, Sári Barabas, Conny Froboess, Jacqueline Boyer, Willy Hagara, Heinz Hoppe, Harry Friedauer, Rex Gildo, Paul Kuhn and Botho -Lucas -Chor ) (ca. 1964; Electrola )
• My Fair Lady / Kiss Me, Kate ( with Rex Gildo, Gitte, Willy Hagara, Ralf Bendix, Paul Kuhn and Botho -Lucas -Chor ) ( 1964; Electrola )

LPs

• Flower of Hawaii / Viktoria und ihr Husar ( with Peter Alexander, Rita Bartos, Margot Eskens, Franz Fehring, Willy Hofmann, Margrit Imlau, Bibi Johns, Sándor Kónya, Willy Schneider and Herta Talmar ) (ca. 1961 Polydor )
• Evergreens from the hit basement ( with Ralf Bendix, Chris Howland and Dany man) (1962; Electrola )
• The flower of Hawaii / Viktoria und ihr Husar ( with Sonja Knittel, Sári Barabas, Conny Froboess, Jacqueline Boyer, Willy Hagara, Heinz Hoppe, Harry Friedauer, Rex Gildo, Paul Kuhn and Botho -Lucas -Chor ) (ca. 1964; Electrola )
• Bill Ramsey's Schlager Party (1964; Electrola )
• Sing a song with Uncle Bill ( children's party at Bill Ramsey ) ( with Conny Froboess, Paul Kuhn, Ralf Paulsen and the Westphalian nightingales ) ( 1965; Electrola )
• Bill Ramsey sings songs of his homeland - Songs from Home (1965; Electrola )
• Ballads & Blues ( with Paul Kuhn ) ( 1965; Electrola )
• Got A New Direction ( & The Jay Five) ( 1966; Cornet )
• Be My Friend ( 1972 Columbia)
• Songs - Bread for the World ( with Inge Brandenburg and Ingfried Hoffmann) (1974; Schwann )
• Hard Travelling ( with Don Paulin ) (1975, Warner Bros. )
• The other side - Dedicated to Nat King Cole (about 1977 Polydor )
• On the Spot ( with Dieter Reith, Matts Björklund, Jimmy Patrick, Dave King and Keith Forsey ) (ca. 1977 Polydor [? ] )
• Relapse (1990; Papagayo )

CDs

• Caldonia and more ... ( Bear Family Records), contains recordings from 1957, 1966 and 1980
• Souvenirs ( 1992, Bear Family Records), contains recordings from 1958 to 1961
• Without the crime Mimi never goes to bed ( 1994, Bear Family Records), contains recordings from 1962 to 1965
• Ballads And Blues / Songs From Home ( Bear Family Records), contains recordings from 1965
• The Other Side - A Dedication to Nat King Cole ( Bear Family Records), contains recordings from 1975 to 1977
• On the Spot ( Bear Family Records), contains recordings from 1977
• When I See You ( with Toots Thielemans ) ( Bell Records), contains recordings from 1979 to 1980
• Underneath the Apple Tree ( with Juraj Galan ) ( TYROstar ), contains recordings from 1983 and 1984
• Relapse (1990; Papagayo )
• Getting 'Back To Swing ( & The SDR Big Band, president Dieter Reith ) ( 1994, Bear Family Records)
• Hamburg, is not like you ( 1999, Bear Family Records)
• Ballads, Blues & Streets ( with Peter Weniger and Achim- Kück Trio ) (2001, Mons Records)
• Big Band Boogie ( with the Thilo Wolf Big Band ) (2002; Mons Records)
• Send In The Clowns ( with Jean -Louis Rassinfosse ) (2005; Swing Land Records )
• Here's To Life - Here's To Joe ( with the hr-Bigband, conducted by Jörg Achim Keller ) (2006, HR Music )