Drafi Deutscher

Drafi Deutscher in 1989

Drafi Deutscher (9 May 1946 – 9 June 2006)^[1] was a German singer and composer of Sinti origin.

Biography

He was born Drafi Franz Richard Deutscher in Berlin. His best known song was the 1965 Schlager "Marmor, Stein und Eisen bricht" ("Marble, Stone and Iron Breaks") which sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.^[2] It later featured in the 2006 film Beerfest, during the Oktoberfest scene. Between 1964 and 1966 Deutscher had a lot of hits in Germany, for example Shake Hands (1964 # 1), Keep Smiling (1964 # 7), Cinderella Baby (1965 #3), Heute male ich dein Bild, Cindy-Lou (1965 # 1)^[3] After his 1965 hit Marmor, Stein und Eisen bricht, his career in Germany was in full swing until shaken by a 1967 verdict for public indecency (Erregung öffentlichen Ärgernisses) after he had urinated from a balcony while drunk, in plain view of a group of schoolchildren watching him from street level.

He also composed several worldwide hits for Boney M, Nino de Angelo and Tony Christie. In the 1980s he achieved success with his duo, Mixed Emotions, together with Oliver Simon. Deutscher also worked with Christopher Evans Ironside, collaborating with him in the band named Masquerade, and on their co-written hit "Guardian Angel".

Deutscher died from heart failure in 2006 in Frankfurt am Main, at the age of 60.^[1]

Album discography

• Shake Hands! Keep Smiling!, 1964
• Drafi!, 1966
• Weil ich Dich liebe, 1971
• Die Welt von heut (Group "Wir"), 1972
• Gute Tage & schlechte Tage, 1973
• Happy Rummel Music (as "Mr. Walkie Talkie"), 1977
• Lost in New York City, 1981
• Drafi, 1982
• The Sound of Masquerade (as "Masquerade"), 1984
• Krieg der Herzen, 1985
• Gemischte Gefühle, 1986
• Deep From the Heart (Mixed Emotions), 1987
• Diesmal für immer, 1987
• Just For You (Mixed Emotions), 1988
• Steinzart – Die besten Jahre, 1988
• Lost in New York City (remix), 1989
• Über Grenzen geh'n, 1989
• Side by Side (with Andreas Martin as New Mixed Emotions), 1991
• Wie Ebbe und Flut, 1992
• So viele Fragen, 1996
• Zukunft, 1998
• We Belong Together (Mixed Emotions), 1999
• Wer war Schuld daran, 2002
• Diesseits von Eden – Die große Drafi Deutscher Hit-Collection, 2006
• The Last Mile, 2007
• Drafi (Re-release of the 1982 album with six bonus tracks), 2008

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Thedeadrockstarsclub.com Accessed March 2010
2. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. pp. 188–189. ISBN 0-214-20512-6. 
3. ^ Günter Ehnert (ed.): Hit Bilanz. Deutsche Chart Singles 1956-1980. Hamburg: Taurus Press, 1990, p. 60

External links

• Official fan page

Persondata
Name	Deutscher, Drafi
Alternative names
Short description	Singer and composer
Date of birth	May 9, 1946
Place of birth	Berlin
Date of death	June 9, 2006
Place of death	Frankfurt am Main