| Pierre Kartner | |
|---|---|
Pierre Kartner |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Petrus Antonius Laurentius Kartner |
| Also known as | Father Abraham |
| Born | 4 November 1935 Elst, Netherlands |
| Genres | Levenslied |
| Occupations | Musician, Songwriter, Composer, Record producer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Labels | Dureco |
| Associated acts | Wilma Landkroon, The Smurfs, Corry & de Rekels, |
| Website | Official site |
Petrus Antonius Laurentius "Pierre" Kartner (born April 11, 1935)[1] is a Dutch musician who sings under the alias Father Abraham, and who has written around 1600 songs.[1]
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Kartner started his singing career at the age of eight, by winning a local festival.[2] He lived with his family in Amsterdam and worked in a chocolate factory.[1]
He worked as a promoter and producer at record label Dureco with Annie de Reuver, who he played with in Duo X.[1] Together with the band Corry & de Rekels he sold over 1 million records in the 1960s.
He created his well-known alter ego, Father Abraham, after writing a Dutch Carnaval song, Father Abraham had seven sons. He at first used a fake beard, but a real beard replaced this and would remain as his trademark along with his bowler hat.
With Wilma Landkroon he sang the Dutch 1971 number one hit single Zou het erg zijn, lieve opa. In 1975, he scored his second biggest hit, Het kleine café aan de haven. This song has been covered over 250 times[2] in various other languages, including The Red Rose Café by The Fureys.
In 1981 he wrote a song about Wuppies, 'Wij zijn de wuppies.[3]
In May 1977, Kartner was asked to make a promotional song about The Smurfs. The record company pressed only 1,000 copies of the single, called The Smurf Song, since they were unsure about the success of the single. However, they were all sold within one day at a Schlager festival. After a repress, 400,000 singles were quickly sold. A full Smurfs album was then created, which also climbed the charts, with 500,000 copies sold. The album was released in several dozen countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Japan, and in various different languages, all sung by Kartner. The album scored a number one hit in 16 countries. Subsequently, Kartner released other Smurf-themed albums, again in various countries and languages, such as Ga je mee naar Smurfenland (Dutch) and Vater Abraham im Land der Schlümpfe (German). In all, Kartner's Smurf works have sold around 25 million copies.[2]
Kartner wrote the music for the opening and closing credits on the Japanese cartoon adaption of Moomin (1990 TV series). He sang a song about politician Pim Fortuyn in 2002.[4] He also wrote "Ik ben verliefd (Shalalie)", the Dutch entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010.[5]
Kartner lives in Breda with his wife Annie.[1]