Johnny Tame

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Johnny Tame

Johnny Tame (born March 3, 1947 in Friedberg / Hessen ), whose real name is Uwe Reuss , is a German singer , guitarist and songwriter . He began his musical career in the early 1960s and enjoyed national and international success both as a soloist and as a member of various bands. In particular, his long-term collaboration with Peter Maffay brought him a greater level of awareness, which he used for intensive social and humanitarian engagement. At the end of the 1980s he withdrew from the music business.

Tame is married and lives in Hamburg .

Musical career

Tame began his musical career in the early 1960s under his real name, Uwe Reuss, and became a bassist, guitarist and singer in various German bands such as the Rascals (not to be confused with the US pop band The Rascals ) Gigolos and the delegates. In 1964 he became a professional musician and played in numerous galas and TV shows, also in German-speaking countries. In 1967 he adopted his stage name, under which he achieved his greatest international success to date with his first own composition "Sand in my Shoes". He played at numerous festivals and in 1968 represented Germany at the international song festival OSCAR in Malta , where he came third. In the same year he sang two titles in a Perry Rhodan film under the pseudonym Sherman Space .

At the beginning of the 1970s, international concert, TV and radio engagements increased, including in the USA, Portugal, Belgium and Scandinavia. Tame founded Johnny Tame's Time Machine in 1972 and was the bassist and singer for the Bourbon Family . He also played as a bassist and singer in the Orpheus Band of Costa Cordalis until 1976 . Although his media and stage presence increased, he did not want to make the big breakthrough.

Tame & Maffay

In 1976 he began his successful collaboration with Peter Maffay , within which two country rock albums were produced under the name Tame & Maffay . This resulted in a cooperation that lasted until 1986, in which Johnny Tame was more or less regularly a musical component and special guest at concerts and productions by Peter Maffay. With that, the material success came about. They released two solo LPs with corresponding single releases in the early 1980s. However, Tame showed very little interest in controlling his income and earnings. He had his concerns dealt with by financial and tax consultants, which ultimately resulted in a financial and economic fiasco for him.

During the time together with Maffay there were repeated problems with live and studio work. At the end of the carambol tour in 1984, Peter Maffay and Johnny Tame finally ended, which was also the result of alcohol and hashish consumption , as well as Tame's poor state of health, the real causes of which, however, remained undetected by doctors for a long time. Today it is known that Johnny Tame suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome . After a last record production in 1986, he withdrew completely to his former residence in Borkum , which he rarely left for a few engagements. His last public appearances to date were in 1989. He was a star guest at the " Day of Lower Saxony ", where he received an award as "Artist of the Year", and he took part in the city festival in Northeim and the Breminale .

social commitment

Tame used his popularity very early to support social and humanitarian projects as well as environmental protection organizations . The focus was always on his unconditional commitment to the cause, not the potential benefit for his career. Tame addressed air pollution , the dying of forests or the use of nuclear energy , sometimes radically, long before people in Germany and elsewhere began to take a critical look at them. At the beginning of the 1980s he played with Joan Baez at concerts for Amnesty International and Humanitas , appeared at the concert for Afghanistan in Hamburg and was repeatedly involved in performances for Artists for Peace , AGA Aktiongemeinschaft Artenschutz and Greenpeace . He also supported the Nicaraguan Foundation of Dietmar Schoenherr .

Discography

Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Albums
Tame & Maffay (with Peter Maffay )
  DE 24 04/15/1977 (7 weeks)
Tame & Maffay 2 (with Peter Maffay)
  DE 16 10/08/1979 (22 weeks)
Singles
Making It Better (with Peter Maffay)
  DE 35 04/11/1977 (5 weeks)

A number of records by and with Tame were released between 1965 and 1986 . Both English and German-language titles were recorded. For his solo productions, Tame usually secured the musical support of band members of the Peter Maffay band, such as Bertram Engel . The last release so far is from 1998, a best-of album produced by his friend and longtime musical companion Frank Diez .

Singles

  • 1965
The Delegates - Monkey Monkey / She's the one
  • 1966
Gary and the Gamblers - Nice dreams / You talk so much
The Delegates - Walking in my sleep all night / Nitewalk
  • 1967
Johnny Tame - Sand in my shoes / Steak and cake
Johnny Tame - A lonely stretch of nothing / Yesterday is a thousand tears away
  • 1968
Johnny Tame - Agatha Twichit / I go my way
Johnny Tame - The Lonely Mr. Brown / Under Every Sky
Johnny Tame - Honey Honey / Please let them be
as " Sherman Space " - Count Down / Omicron 3
  • 1969
Johnny Tame - Walter / Please let them be
Johnny Tame - Checkmate / Walking in my sleep allnight
Archaeopterix - Barbarella / Saturday evening, Sunday morning
Archaeopterix - Barbarella / No more living without loving
  • 1970
Johnny Tame - You've guessed / Walking in my sleep allnight
Johnny Tame - Sunny Honey Girl / Guitarman
J & M - I sing for you / Everyone talks about love
  • 1971
Bourbon Family - Allright okay / Oochee Boochee
  • 1972
Bourbon Family - Shambala / I've got a tiger by the tail
  • 1977
Tame & Maffay - Making it better / I can be so far away
  • 1979
Tame & Maffay - Victory / Stop feeling blue
  • 1980
Johnny Tame - Louisiana / I'm not gonna waste my time
Johnny Tame - I'm stranded / Here in this land
  • 1981
Johnny Tame - Time for Peace / Rescue

EPs

  • 1982
Tame & Maffay - You won't be hurt again

LPs

  • 1977
Tame & Maffay - Tame & Maffay I.
  • 1979
Tame & Maffay - Tame & Maffay II
  • 1980
Johnny Tame - Indistinct horizon
  • 1981
Johnny Tame - Untamed

CDs

  • 1998
Johnny Tame - Johnny Tame (Best of)

collaboration

  • 1976
Peter Maffay - It was summer (I'm looking for my star)
  • 1977
Peter Maffay - your face
  • 1978
Peter Maffay - Live
  • 1979
Peter Maffay - Steppenwolf
  • 1980
Peter Maffay - Revenge
Volker Lechtenbrink - Lady & Clown (Jet Set, My Little Sister)
  • 1982
Peter Maffay - Live 82
Peter Maffay - I want to live
  • 1986
Double V Connection - UnderTaKing

Awards

  • 1980 Artist of the Year - Pop National of the German Phono Academy
  • 1980 German Record Award of the German Phono Academy for the album "Tame & Maffay II"

Web links

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Billboard Magazine - November 25, 1967 issue
  2. ^ Official Swiss hit parade
  3. ↑ Eckhard Schwettmann: Almost everything about Perry Rhodan: The book for fans. Anecdotes and interesting facts about the anniversary of the largest SF series in the universe . Verlag Schlütersche 2010, ISBN 9783869109664
  4. ↑ a b Chart sources: DE
  5. ↑ Johnny Tame Discography on discogs.com
  6. ↑ Johnny Tame Discography on allmusic.com
personal data
SURNAME Tame, Johnny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Reuss, Uwe
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German singer, guitarist, composer and lyricist
DATE OF BIRTH March 3, 1947
PLACE OF BIRTH Friedberg (Hesse)