Mike Tramp

Mike Tramp
Background information
Birth name	Michael Trempenau
Born	January 14, 1961 (1961-01-14) (age 50)
Origin	Copenhagen, Denmark
Genres	Glam metal Hard rock
Occupations	Singer Songwriter
Instruments	Vocals Guitar
Years active	1978–present
Labels	Atlantic Records Frontiers Records
Associated acts	Mabel White Lion Freak of Nature
Website	http://www.miketramp.com/

Mike Tramp (Born Michael Trempenau January 14, 1961) is a Danish singer and songwriter who is best known for his work with the hard rock bands White Lion^[1] and Freak of Nature. He has released 15 albums, including six solo albums.

Biography

Michael Trempenau was born in Denmark, and grew up in Vesterbro with his mother, Doris, who died April 2010 at the age of 80, and two brothers, Dennis and Kim. Mike started his musical career singing in a youth group club in Copenhagen called Vesterbro Ungdomsgård, and appears on their first album: Vi lever på Vesterbro (1974). Later, he joined the pop band Mabel, as the lead singer. They recorded four albums and were very popular in Denmark and Spain, with Mike receiving "teen idol" status. In 1978 Mabel won the Danish Song Contest with the song Boom Boom and represented Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest that year. Mabel moved to New York City in the late 1970s, but soon broke up. After the demise of Mabel, Tramp met Vito Bratta and formed White Lion in 1983, the band became very successful in the mid 80's to early 90's.

After the demise of White Lion in 1992, Mike formed the rock band Freak of Nature, with whom he released three albums betwween 1992 and 1998. Freak of Nature had played a few gigs with Helloween and Dio in Europe in 1993. Following Freak of Nature Tramp released four studio albums and one live album as a solo artist: Capricorn, Recovering the Wasted Years, More To Life Than This, and Songs I Left Behind as studio efforts, with Rock n' Roll Alive as a live album. Tramp also reformed White Lion with a new line up under the name "Tramp's White Lion" (aka White Lion II) due to legal issues with former members. The band played and re-recorded White Lion songs. TWL toured during 2005 and released a double-live CD entitled Rocking the USA.

In 2006 Tramp's White Lion toured Europe in November and December with British band Crimes of Passion. In 2007 a White Lion compilation The Definitive Rock Collection was released and the band was set for a summer tour with Poison and Ratt only to be dropped by the tour promoter after ex-White Lion guitarist Vito Bratta threatened to take legal action over the band name. Eventually Tramp was able to use the band name again.

White Lion recorded a new studio album called Return of the Pride, which was released on March 14, 2008. The band was now once again simply known as White Lion.

In October 2009, Mike Tramp released a new solo studio album called Mike Tramp and the Rock'n'Roll Circuz and hit the IFPI, Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 16.^[2] On November 13, 2010, Mike Tramp and the Rock'n'Roll Circuz released a new song called "Hymn To Ronnie," a tribute song to former Heaven & Hell and Black Sabbath vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who died on May 16, 2010 after a six-month long battle with stomach cancer. It will not be released on any studio album, but is available for free download at Eddie Trunk's website. Freak of Nature had played a few gigs with Dio in Europe in 1993.

The latest album Mike Tramp and the Rock'n'Roll Circuz - Stand Your Ground was released in April 2011.

Personal life

Tramp is married to Indonesian actress Ayu Azhari, with whom he has two children: Isabelle and Lennon. Tramp also has a third child, his son Dylan, from a previous relationship with Fleur Thiemeyer. Dylan resides in Australia with his mother.

Discography

With White Lion

• Fight to Survive (1985)
• Pride (1987)
• Big Game (1989)
• Mane Attraction (1991)
• The Best of White Lion (1992)
• Remembering White Lion (New versions) (1999)
• Anthology 83-89 (Demos) (2004)
• Rocking The USA (live double album) (2005)
• The Definitive Rock Collection (2007)
• Return of the Pride (2008)

With Freak of Nature

• Freak of Nature (1993)
• Gathering of Freaks (1994)
• Outcasts (1998)

Solo

• Capricorn (1998m)^[3]
• Recovering the Wasted Years (2002)
• More to Life than This (2003)
• Rock 'n' Roll Alive (live double album) (2003)
• Songs I Left Behind (2004)

With Mike Tramp & The Rock 'N' Roll Circuz

• Mike Tramp & The Rock 'N' Roll Circuz (2009)
• Stand Your Ground (2011)

Singles

Year	Title	Album
1997	"Better Off"	Capricorn
	"Already Gone"
1998	"If I Live Tommorow"
2002	"Living a Lie"	Recovering the Wasted Years
2003	"More to Life Than This"	More to Life Than This
2009	"All of My Life"	The Rock 'n' Roll Circuz
2011	"Distance"	Stand Your Ground
	"Hymn To Ronnie"

References

1. ^ Bronson, Fred. "Danes in the U.S.A." Billboard 111.37 (11 Sep 1999): D-13.
2. ^ "Denmark charts:Mike Tramp". http://www.danishcharts.com/search.asp?cat=a&search=mike+tramp. Retrieved 2011. 
3. ^ Ferro, Charles. "Global Music Pulse: Denmark." Billboard 109.49 (6 Dec 1997): 69.

External links

• Mike Tramp's Website
• Mike Tramp's Myspace
• The Mike Tramp Fansite
• The White Lion Fansite
• Interview with Mike on Anarchy Music
• Mabel discography and pictures
• His page at Allmusic

Preceded by Ulla Pia with Stop - mens legen er go'

Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978

Succeeded by Tommy Seebach with Disco Tango

Persondata
Name	Tramp, Mike
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Date of birth	January 14, 1961
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