Bert Kaempfert

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Bert Kaempfert CD cover

Bert Kaempfert (also Kämpfert) (b. October 16, 1923 - d. June 21, 1980) was a German orchestra leader and songwriter. He made easy listening and jazz-oriented records, and wrote the music for a number of well-known songs, such as "Strangers in the Night" (originally recorded by Ivo Robić) and "Spanish Eyes".

He was born in Hamburg, Germany, and studied at the School of Music there. A multi-instrumentalist, he was hired by Hans Busch to play with his orchestra before serving as a bandsman in the German Navy during World War II. He later formed his own big band, toured with them, then worked as an arranger and producer, making hit records with Freddy Quinn and Ivo Robic. In 1961, he hired The Beatles to back Tony Sheridan on "My Bonnie (Lies Over the Ocean)," "When the Saints Go Marching In," "Ain't She Sweet" and "Cry for a Shadow," in a session for Polydor. These turned out to be the Beatles' first commercial recordings. When Beatles manager Brian Epstein asked Kaempfert about further promoting The Beatles, Kaempfert informed Epstein that the company was only interested in The Beatles as Tony Sheridan's backup group. (It also turned out British Decca executive Dick Rowe turned them down in favor of local beat combo Brian Poole and the Tremeloes.) He then released The Beatles from their contract with Polydor.

Kaempfert's own first hit with his orchestra had been in 1960 with "Wonderland by Night". Many of his tunes became better known as hits for other artists:

"Strangers in the Night" (with words by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder, originally composed by Ivo Robić), was originally recorded as part of his score for the 1965 film A Man Could Get Killed. It became a #1 hit for Frank Sinatra in 1966.
"Wooden Heart," sung by Elvis Presley in the film GI Blues was a hit in 1961.
His instrumental "Moon Over Naples," when given words by Snyder, became "Spanish Eyes", originally a hit for Al Martino and also recorded by Engelbert Humperdinck, Presley, and many others.
"Danke Schoen", with words added by Kurt Schwabach and Milt Gabler, became Wayne Newton's signature song.
"L-O-V-E", with words added by Milt Gabler, was a hit for Nat King Cole
"Tenderly", "Three O'Clock in the Morning", "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" and other romantic songs were covered frequently by other easy-listening or middle-of-the-road performers.
A jazzier number called "A Swingin' Safari" was the initial theme tune for a long-running TV quiz show called The Match Game.
Kaempfert's orchestra made extensive use of horns. A couple of numbers that featured brass prominently, "Magic Trumpet" and "The Mexican Shuffle", were covered by the Tijuana Brass, whose initially Mariachi style in fact evolved towards the Kaempfert style as the 60s progressed. The latter song was also used in a TV ad for a fruit-flavored chewing gum, redubbed "The Teaberry Shuffle" for that purpose.

By the 1970s, sales of Kaempfert's music had dropped off somewhat, but he continued to record (his version of the "Theme from Shaft" was admired by Isaac Hayes himself) and remained popular with audiences. He expanded the musical scope of his band and recorded in a wide variety of styles. He also began to play live concerts with his orchestra, beginning in 1974 with a successful appearance at London's Royal Albert Hall. A cigarette smoker (as illustrated on the posthumous Best of CD), he died suddenly, at the age of 56, following a stroke at his home on Majorca, shortly after a successful tour of Britain.

Kaempfert used many of the top musicians available in Germany and Europe, including many of the same players who also played for James Last, Kai Warner and Roberto Delgado. He featured such top soloists as trumpeters Charly Tabor, Werner Gutterer, Manfred Moch and Ack van Rooyen, trombonists Ake Persson and Jiggs Whigham, and sax/flute player Herb Geller. Drummer Rolf Ahrens supplied the characteristically simple but steady beat, often playing just a snare drum with brushes. Another contributor to Kaempfert's music was guitarist/bassist Ladi Geisler, who popularized the famous "knackbass" (crackling bass) sound, which became the most distinctive feature of many Kaempfert recordings - a treble staccato bass guitar sound in which the bass string was plucked with a pick and immediately suppressed to cancel out any sustain. Note: it was Ladi Geisler who lent his guitar amp to The Beatles for their recording session with Tony Sheridan, after the band's own equipment proved to be inadequate for recording purposes.

[edit] Trivia

Bert Kaempfert is referenced in the hit song "One Week" by the Barenaked Ladies. Jimi Hendrix included the melody of "Strangers In The Night" in his improvised guitar solo for his famous guitar-burning version of "Wild Thing" at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.