Otto Groote

Otto Groote (born October 12, 1957 in Ostrhauderfehn , East Friesland ) is a German singer and lyricist of songs in Low German .

Life

Groote comes from the East Frisian village of Ostrhauderfehn, where peat was extracted well into the 1960s . His grandfather, a worker who immigrated from the Netherlands , and his father were still active as peat workers until the peat industry declined.

After finishing elementary school and training as a mechanic, he left his home village in 1977 and moved to Oldenburg , the closest major city. There he not only continued his school and professional training, but also had initial contact with the northern German folk scene . He learned to play the guitar and was a singer and guitarist in various German folk bands for several years.

In 1983 he moved to Bremen and turned to the visual arts. He worked as an autodidact of sculpture in his own studio for 20 years . Never satisfied with his abilities and possibilities, it led him back to his musical roots in 2003. Now he was no longer just an interpreter and singer of German and English songs, but also a poet and composer of songs in his native Low German language.

Lively contact was established with poets who write in Low German. The journalist Detlef Kolze wrote numerous texts for Groote. They appeared, set to music by Groote, on his CDs In 't Blaue Lücht van d' Nörden and De Tied stands still .

An intensive exchange also developed with the Jemgum singer and poet Jan Cornelius . Other diverse contacts - to be mentioned here are the poets Gerda Ulpts-Janssen , Gertrud Cramer and Hilde Frauke Wichmann-Steen , which led to Groote's knowledge of the Low German language expanding. Although Groote spoke almost exclusively Low German until he started school, his written language options were very limited. Like many others, Groote could only use the phonetic translation of his texts. It helped him that in 2006 he met the editor of the Low German magazine Diesel , Carl Dirks, who is a specialist in East Frisian-Low German spelling.

During his time as a singer-songwriter , Groote wrote numerous poems, but also made a name for himself as a translator of texts from the English-speaking world. Mention should be made here of songs by the singer-songwriter Si Kahn , with whom he met in 2007 and sang together. Groote describes the Scottish singer Ian McKintosh as his great singer .

While the first CD was still a solo project, the second CD De Tied Steiht is a joint work by the Otto Groote Ensemble, founded in 2007 . Groote has not been touring alone since then, but is accompanied by his colleagues Matthias Malcher (guitar, vocals, banjo ) and Ralf Strotmann ( bass guitar and vocals). Matthias Malcher was the producer of this album. The production was supported by the musicians Uli Sieker ( violin and mandolin ), Martin Czech (guitar, banjo, vocals), Jost van Es (violin) and Christa Ehrig ( cello ).

Groote has become an integral part of the Low German music scene. He often appears at live concerts and on radio and television.

Discography

Studio albums

Otto Groote

2006: In 't blue Lücht van d' Nörden (Artychoke)

Otto Groote Ensemble

2007: De Tied stands still (Kiwi)
2009: De anner Steerns an d 'Heven (GMS)
2012: Stone of Gold (GMS)
2015: Noordlandwind

With other artists

To Rinn: Coal - Songs of the Working Men . Self-published 2005 (vocals and guitar in the Steigerlied )

80 years Hamburg harbor concert . G + H Media 2009 (Iesmeerwellen)

Awards

2012: Bad Bevensen Prize for special merits in the field of vocal and instrumental composition and interpretation of Low German texts

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Groote, Otto
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German singer and lyricist of songs in Low German
DATE OF BIRTH	October 12, 1957
PLACE OF BIRTH	Ostrhauderfehn