Heino

For the town in the Netherlands, see Heino, Netherlands. For other uses, see Heino (disambiguation).
Heino

Heino, September 2012
Background information
Birth name Heinz Georg Kramm
Born (1938-12-13) December 13, 1938
Düsseldorf, Germany
Website Heino.de
Heino
Heino in Bad Münstereifel

Heino (born 13 December 1938 as Heinz Georg Kramm) is a German singer of popular music (Schlager) and traditional Volksmusik. Having sold a total of over 50 million records, he is one of the most successful German musicians ever.[1]

Known for his baritone voice and trademark combination of light blond hair and dark sunglasses (which he wears due to exophthalmos), Heino resides in the town of Bad Münstereifel, where he owned a cafe until June 2012.[2] His interest in music started when his mother gave him an accordion in 1948, although his family could barely afford it.[3][4]

Life

Heino was born December 13, 1938 in Düsseldorf-Oberbilk, Germany to Heinrich and Franziska Kramm. His father was a Catholic dentist, his mother a Protestant. His grandfather was the organist at the Cathedral of Cologne. He also had two cousins who were Catholic priests. Heino's father was drafted into the German army during World War II, and was killed August 2, 1941 during the invasion of the Soviet Union.[5]

Until 1945, Heino lived with his mother and his older sister Hannelore in Pomerania. In 1945 he began school in Großenhain (Saxony). After 1952 he went to Düsseldorf where he initially trained as a baker and confectioner.[5] In June, 1959, he married 18-year-old Henriette Heppner. They had one son, Uwe, born in 1962, and subsequently divorced. He married his second wife, Lilo Kramm, in 1965; their marriage ended in divorce in 1978. Lilo died of cancer on January 28, 2010.

In 1968, he became the father of an illegitimate daughter, Petra. The mother died in 1988 and the daughter in late November 2003, both by suicide.

Heino met his third wife, Hannelore Auersperg, in 1972 at the Miss Austria contest in Kitzbühel. They were married in April 1979, and she became his manager. The couple lives in Bad Münstereifel. In 2004, Hannelore suffered a heart attack, which was one reason Heino curtailed his career.

Heino has noticeable exophthalmos due to Graves' disease.[6] For this reason, he always wears very dark glasses in public, which have become part of his trademark appearance. In a 2014 German newspaper story Heino was quoted as saying that he feels "naked" without them and that he had put in his will that he was to be buried with them on.[7] Due to his light hair and skin, some initially believed he wore the glasses due to albinism.

Music

In 1961, he first appeared on the trio OK Singers. Most of his recordings were pop versions of traditional folk songs; for example, "How Blue Blooms the Gentian" (Blau Blüht Der Enzian), an adaptation of the folk song "The Swiss Maiden" (Das Schweizermaedel).

His stage name comes from his sister Hannelore's difficulty pronouncing his given name "Heinz Georg".[5]

In January 2013, Heino released a new album, called "Mit freundlichen Grüßen" (With Friendly Greetings), which topped the German album charts. The record is a collection of 12 cover versions of popular German songs from Die Ärzte, Peter Fox, Rammstein and others. The album earned Gold for being sold over 100,000 times.

In December 2014, Heino released a new album, "Schwarz Blüht der Enzian".

Other

Since 1996, Heino has owned a café in Bad Münstereifel.[8]

Select list of songs

References

  1. ↑ "Heino vs. Campino: Ich habe 50 Mio Platten verkauft – das schaffen die nicht mehr - Rolling Stone". Rollingstone.de. 2013-02-21. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  2. ↑ Heino closes his cafe
  3. ↑ "Home". Heino.de. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  4. ↑ "The Stories of 10 People Featured on Historically Bad Album Covers". Mental Floss. 2011-10-10. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  5. 1 2 3 "Heino - official web site - Biography". Retrieved 8/1/2012. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  6. ↑ "Die hässlichsten Albumcover - Gruselkabinett im Plattenschrank - SPIEGEL ONLINE". Einestages.spiegel.de. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  7. ↑ http://www.t-online.de/unterhaltung/stars/id_70289534/heinos-letzter-wille-tod-mit-brille-.html
  8. ↑ "Volkssänger ist empört: Ärger über Bushido - Heino gibt Bambi zurück - Vermischtes - Stars & Promis - Berliner Morgenpost". Morgenpost.de. Retrieved 2013-08-15.

External links

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