Horst Krüger (rock musician)

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Horst Krüger (born December 14, 1942 in Berlin ) is a German rock musician , band leader and composer . Krüger, who lives in Neuenhagen near Berlin , was one of the pioneers of GDR rock music and, as a composer, significantly enriched the rock and pop scene in the GDR . His musical work includes over 1200 compositions to date. The rock opera Rosa Laub is one of his most important works .

Musical development

First musical successes

Horst Krüger's father was the pianist Erich Krüger. Horst Krüger first learned the profession of bricklayer. After completing his apprenticeship, Krüger began his career as a musician with the Berluc Quartet . At first he was on the drums. When the bass player fell ill, Krüger stepped in for him and played bass from then on.

In 1962 he became a member of the Klaus Lenz Sextet , a popular modern jazz formation. At Lenz he played bass and tried his hand at singing. During his service with the NVA from 1963 to 1965, Krüger was a member of the Erich Weinert Ensemble . Since the bass was already taken, he became a singer and orchestra attendant. After his military service he returned to Klaus Lenz and went on tour with the Klaus Lenz Big Band .

After a short interlude with the Siegfried Labrot Trio , where he played drums, but also sat on the piano and organ, he joined the Brandenstein Ensemble in 1966 and sang in the Gerd Michaelis choir with Gerti Möller . During this time, he created his first own title, the miniskirt . The text comes from Wolfgang Brandenstein .

Horst Krüger sextet and septet

In 1968 Horst Krüger founded his first band in which he returned to the drums. In the meantime he had perfected the bass playing with Klaus Trumpf from the German State Opera and learned to arrange with Klaus Lenz. The Horst Krüger Sextet also included: Benno Pennsler (bass guitar, guitar, vocals), Werner Düwelt (guitar, vocals), the Bulgarian Emanuel Manolow (saxophone, clarinet), Hermann Anders (organ, trumpet) and Gerti Möller as singer . Pennsler had previously played with the Sputniks and the Hemmann Quintet ; Düwelt learned his trade from Uve Schikora and Klaus Lenz. With the band, Krüger turned away from jazz and from then on played rock music, produced several tracks for the GDR radio and released the first recordings on the GDR label Amiga . The compositions and arrangements came mainly from Krüger. In 1970, Werner Gasch, a new drummer, joined the band and Krüger switched to keyboard. Gasch had previously played butcher at Fips . After trombonist Günter Weber joined the band, it was called the Horst Krüger Septet . With the exception of Krüger and Pennsler, who were also known to the audience as "Horst and Benno", the line-up changed several times. The band also played: Matthias Föhse (drums, vocals), Gottfried Flemming (trombone, violin), Manfred Brückner (drums, vocals), Ullrich Pexa (guitar) and Hans Pannasch (alto and tenor saxophone). Under the influence of the changing line-up, the musical profile of the band also changed. While the recordings on the first long-playing record, which appeared in 1971, can still be characterized as song-like beat music , the LP Geh durch die Stadt , released in 1972, sounded more rocky.

Horst Krüger Band

In 1973 Krüger founded a new formation with the Horst Krüger Band . Benno Pennsler went to the Cantus Choir . The Horst Krüger Band included: Michael Heubach (piano, organ), Bernd Römer (guitar), Bernhard Wachsmann (trombone), Peter Datschev (flute, saxophone), Stefan Geuther (drums, vocals; later replaced by drummer Michael Schwandt ) and the singers Gabi Merz , Silvia Kottas , Brigitte Goldner and Michael Schubert. Horst Krüger played bass, sang, composed and, as the head of the band, was also responsible for the arrangements. When Schubert left the band, Heinz-Jürgen Gottschalk joined the band and Brigitte Goldner was replaced by Tamara Danz , who later became Silly's “front woman” . Shortly before Michael Heubach founded his own band “Automobil” and Harald Meder took his place, another LP appeared, on which the title Die Tagesreise, composed by Heubach, can be heard. With the song on the lift -Platte sea voyage was published again, the Horst-Kruger-band managed one of the most famous tracks in the East German rock history.

Other musical activities

In the middle of 1976 Krüger broke up the band in order to work exclusively as a composer from then on. With a studio band, with a changing line-up, he recorded most of the titles on the radio during this period. He also wrote for the television ballet and composed film music, including for Police Call 110 . The GDR's first rock opera, Rosa Laub , was written between 1977 and 1979 , based on a libretto by Waldtraut Lewin , as a commission from the Rostock Volkstheater and performed musically by the Rostock amateur band Badister . Another rock opera, Spells , followed.

In 1982 he returned to the stage with the Horst Krüger Live Band , but only for a short time. Krüger (keyboard), Peter Falkenhagen (guitar), Detlef Bielke (keyboard), Stefan Dohanetz (drums) and the singers Bernd Dewet, Kirsten Kühnert , Michaela Burghardt, Hilmar Holz and Jacqueline Jacob played in the band .

Then Krüger devoted himself to composing again and worked with the copywriters Gisela Steineckert and Kurt Demmler . Titles were created for Gerti Möller, Jürgen Walter , Eva Maria Pieckert , Gonda Streibig , Anke Schenker and arrangements for successful TV shows such as Ein Kessel Buntes and the show by Heinz Rennhack . On the CD, published in 1997 by “easy”, you can hear some compositions for well-known GDR television and radio programs such as 7-10: Sunday morning in Spreeathen and What's going on at Findigs today .

Discography

Singles

  • 1968: Don't risk everything ( Amiga )
  • 1968: The miniskirt (Amiga)
  • 1969: Minikini melody (Amiga)
  • 1970: Look at it (Amiga)
  • 1970: End for today (Amiga)
  • 1970: Summer song (Amiga)
  • 1974: When the sun came (Amiga)
  • 1974: I'm here (Amiga)
  • 1976: Oh no, who are you (Amiga)

LPs

  • 1971: Horst Krüger & Ensemble (Amiga)
  • 1972: Go through town (Amiga)
  • 1975: Horst Krüger-Band (Amiga)
  • 1982: Rosa Laub (Amiga)

CD

  • 1997: Quer-Beat (easy)

Pieces on compilations

  • 1967: Mini skirt with Klaus Lenz sextet on "Schlagerexpress" (Amiga)
  • 1967: Run to the lost property office with Klaus Lenz sextet on "Schlager Start" (Amiga)
  • 1967: In our dreams the day smiles on "Schlager hits" (Amiga)
  • 1968: Concertino in Beat , a shame about the illusion , beautiful girls have moods on "Schlager Express" (Amiga)
  • 1968: Don't put everything on the line on "Schlager Favoriten" (Amiga)
  • 1968: I hurt you on "Schlager Palette" (Amiga)
  • 1968: I wanted to stay with you on "Schlager Grüße" (Amiga)
  • 1968: How nice is every day on "Schlager frei Haus" (Amiga)
  • 1969: Where she lives on "Schlager nach Maß" (Amiga)
  • 1969: Three musketeers on "Schlager im Ziel" (Amiga)
  • 1969: Minikini-Melody and Does she love me at " Meetings of Talents in the Amiga Studio" (Amiga)
  • 1969: Will you go to "Schlager per Post" (Amiga)
  • 1969: Will you go to "Schlager Express 1969" (Amiga)
  • 1970: End for today on "Schlager Magazin Nr. 2" (Amiga)
  • 1970: Take a look at "Schlager Magazin Nr. 1" (Amiga)
  • 1970: Take a look at "Amiga-Express" (Amiga)
  • 1970: Raspberry time on "Schlager 1970" (Amiga)

Filmography

See also

literature

  • Fred Seeger: Horst Krüger & Ensemble (record cover), VEB Deutsche Schallplatten , Berlin 1970.
  • Rudi Linz in: Melodie und Rhythmus , Berlin, issue 6/1975.
  • Melody and rhythm , Berlin, issue 2/1977.
  • Jo Schaffer in: Melodie und Rhythmus , Berlin, issue 12/1983.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Kruger, Horst
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German rock musician and composer
DATE OF BIRTH December 14, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin