26. März 1994

 

ECHO AWARDS

CASEBOOK: UDO JURGENS

Commercial success and continuity could hardly be combined better than in Udo Jurgens. The figures alone tell the tale: It has been calculated that the artist has sold enough records for every single German to have one of his records in his or her collection.
Yet his career has been about music and words, rather than numbers. The 59-year-old Austrian has produced a string of unforgettable tunes - from "17 Jahr, Blondes Haar" (17 Years Old And Blond) through "Merci Cherie" to "Aber Bitte Mit Sahne". For decades, Jurgens, whose real name is Udo Jurgen Bockelmann, has been delighting his audiences with social criticism - and it has made him the most successful entertainer in German-speaking Europe. His latest CD, "Cafe Grossenwahn" (Cafe Megalomania), is no exception, striking a clearly critical note.

This entertainer sells more than 1 million records per year. He has long been the most successful touring artist in German-speaking markets, attracting 520,000 fans to 86 concerts in 1992. His many awards, some of them international ones, include seven "Goldene Europas"; numerous gold and platinum discs from Germany, Austria and Switzerland; the German Phono Academy's "Deutsche Schallplatten Preis"; a "Most Outstanding Performance" award at the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo; and an ASCAP award for best country song for "Buenos Dias Argentina".
in 1961, this multitalented performer began his international career as a songwriter for stars such as Sammy Davis Jr. and Bing Crosby. His composition "Reach for The Stars" was a hit in the U.S. for Shirley Bassey. It was then that Jurgens began singing himself. His work to date consists of 64 albums and several books.
In an unprecedented move, BMG Ariola gave the artist - who has been under contract to the company for 25 years - a new lifetime contract last year. This year, the German Phono Academy bestowed upon him its Lifetime Achievement Award.