Peter Moesser

Peter Moesser (born September 25, 1915 in Wilhelmshaven ; † September 3, 1989 in Lugano / Switzerland ) was a successful German pop composer who wrote a number of million-sellers.

Life

At the age of six he learned violin and piano from a classical music teacher. After school, he switched to the strictly classical Academy of Music in Munich. After his military service he tried his hand at first as a chanson writer for the Hamburg cabaret "Bronze-Keller", where he later also appeared as a piano humorist. After the war, Peter Moesser initially wrote as a freelance composer for film and funk.

Ralf Bendix - Her name was Mary Ann, 1956

He wrote his first hit compositions, mainly as a lyricist for melodies from partner Lotar Olias , from 1953 for the film actor and chansonnier Eddie Constantine ( The Path to Your Heart ). His first hit parade was I want to go out for Margot Eskens (October 1955, # 3 Germany). For Freddy Quinn , who mostly specializes in seafaring and long-distance songs , he first wrote the Eurovision contribution So It Goes Every Night (March 1956) in 1956. This was followed by Moesser's second hit parade entry. It was called Mary Anne (June 1956, # 6), which Ralf Bendix brought to # 2 at the same time. Then in 1957 Moesser's first # 1 composition was released with Heimatlos and the third # 1 for Freddy (April 1957, # 1). Eskens and Quinn took over other songs from Moesser's pen, such as Come again or Mutti, you mustn't cry or Sulaleih (The Girl at the Well) for Eskens. Freddy Quinn put Once in Tampico (November 1957, # 5), The Legionnaire (July 1958, # 1) or I'll Be Back Here (October 1958, # 1) in the charts. Fred Bertelmann achieved his first and only top position with Der lachende Vagabund / Cantabamberra (November 1957, # 1) and turned it into Moesser's first million seller , the German version of which was sold 300,000 times in the USA. According to Der Spiegel , the record sales brought Peter Moesser over 20,000 marks with the account of 2.02 pfennigs per record. For the back, Moesser and Franz Thon wrote the completely unknown Cantabamberra , for which there was initially not even a German music publisher; the authors each received over 80,000 marks for this.

In 1958 he wrote O Baby mach 'dich schön (May 1958, # 5) for German rock'n'roller Peter Kraus , the highest ranking for Kraus so far. Then the Yugoslav singer Ivo Robic appeared, for whose first single Morgen / Ay, ay, ay Paloma was selected and immediately became a bestseller (September 1959, # 2). The song, arranged and produced by Bert Kaempfert , also hit the charts in the US (US # 13 pop charts) and Great Britain (# 23) and earned a gold record. The producer Bert Kaempfert hurried to bring out an instrumental single of this with his orchestra ( Morgen / Nur Du, You alone ; 1959), but it was unsuccessful. The German beat group The Lords , which had just signed a record contract, took over the German version of the socially critical John D. Loudermilk composition Tobacco Road (1964) on the B-side of their first single Hey, Baby lass den other , based on the model of the Nashville Teens however, missed the charts. Presented by EMI as “the German Beatles”, the first single also had to contain German-language texts, but this was not recognized by the market. In the same year he wrote for the recently founded music publisher Hansa Musik Produktion .

His instrumental piece "Happy Time" from 1966 accompanied the "drawing of the lottery numbers". The instrumental hit quickly became a catchy tune and hit the charts in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Holland with the B-side “Clipper 404”. Happy Time / Clipper 404 came to the USA on the Laurie Records label and was played by many radio stations. This was followed by other successful instrumental music such as "Mexico" and "Jolly Joker". In 1967 the label Hansa Records released the first LP "Happy Time - Lotto Time with Peter Moesser's Music".

It was not until the 1970s that Peter Moesser wrote a few hits again, such as for Katja Ebstein I want him (B-side of Wunder keeps coming up ; February 1970). With Giorgio Moroder , who later became an electronic pop specialist, he wrote for Gaby Berger in 1971 who is crying is your own fault .

In 1974 his second LP “Red River Story” made it into the international charts of “Easy-Listening Music”. In 1976 he met the young Munich Harald Faltermeier, who would later start a great career as "Harold Faltermeyer" in the USA. Under the pseudonym Harold Falt he published the LP "Welthits in Quadro" on the BASF label in 1973 with little success. Together with his “foster father” Peter Moesser, Faltermeyer got to know the art of electronic music.

Moesser and Harold Faltermeyer produced the SynthPop / Disco title High (B-side And so on ) in 1977 under the well-known name of Peter Moesser's Music . This was followed by two LP's Lifting ( The Beauty Case Orchester ) and Stars, Stripes and Strings ( Nick Barbarossa's Strings ). In the same year they both wrote the title I want to you , the B-side of Love Comes Overnight (September 1977) for Roy Black . After that, they parted ways.

At the end of the 1970s, Peter Moesser retired into private life. He died on September 3rd, 1989 in Lugano / Switzerland in the presence of his family .

Film music

Moesser is also the author of music and / or texts for several films. In 1957 he wrote for Four Girls from the Wachau and Die Große Chance ( Once in Tampico ), in 1958 for Der lachende Vagabund (hit film about the hit of the same name) and Heimatlos , the melodrama Reversed Life was accompanied by his compositions in 1961, as was the music film Songs sound on Lake Maggiore (1962).

statistics

The GEMA has registered a total of 34 titles entries for Peter Moesser to which there are several more registrations, 5 of which received a gold record.

Texts in the top 10: (title, artist, year, rank)

• Homeless Freddy; 1957, 1.
• The laughing vagabond - Fred Bertelmann, 1957, 1.
• The Legionnaire - Freddy, 1958, 1.
• I'll be back soon - Freddy, 1958, Jan.
• Her name was Mary Ann - Ralf Bendix, 1956, 2.
• Tomorrow - Ivo Robic, 1959, 2.
• I want to go out today - Margot Eskens, 1955, 3.
• Who forgets - Freddy, 1957, 3.
• Once in Tampico, Freddy; 1957, 5.
• O baby make yourself beautiful - Peter Kraus, 1958, 5.
• Her name was Mary-Ann - Freddy, 1956, 6.
• Muli-Song - Ivo Robic, 1960, 7.
• Roses have thorns - Carmela Corren, 1963, 8.
• Come alone - Wencke Myhre, 1967, 9.
• This is how it goes every night - Freddy, 1956, 10.
• If You Go Out Today - James Brothers, 1959, 10.

Discography (selection, excluding top 10)

• Eddie Constantine: The Way to Your Heart, 1953
• Alice Babs: A Pink Cow, 1954
• Margot Eskens: Mum, you mustn't cry; 1955
• Eddie Constantine: The Old Swede, 1955
• Alice Babs: Dong-Dingeldang, 1955
• Margot Eskens: Come back, 1956
• Alice Babs: Jodel-Jockel, 1956
• Freddy: It goes like that every night, 1956
• Margot Eskens: Sulaleih (The Girl at the Well), 1957
• Peter Kraus: Oh, how good, 1957
• Fred Bertelmann: Cantabamberra, 1957
• Udo Jürgens: The laughing vagabond, 1957
• Fred Bertelmann: The Guitar Player, 1958
• Freddy: Cigarettes and Whiskey, 1958
• Freddy: Still alone, 1958
• Cindy Ellis: Fever, August 1959
• Lolita: For a few days, 1962
• Gus Backus: Sweet Emily, 1963
• Martin Lauer: Unfortunately, 1963
• Ludwig Trautmann: Ludwig let your ears wiggle, 1963
• Lords: Tobacco Road (German), 1964
• Peter Moesser's Music: Happy Time - Lotto Time, (Single) 1966
• Peter Moesser's Music: Happy Time - Lotto Time with Peter Moesser's Music, (LP) 1967
• Rex Gildo: The moon did its job, 1967
• Katja Ebstein: I want to trust you, 1970
• Katja Ebstein: I want him, 1970
• Rex Gildo: In my eyes everyone can read, 1971
• Rex Gildo: Lady Tenderly, 1971
• Gaby Berger: If you cry, it's your own fault, 1971
• Siw Malmkvist: The wine is good, 1972
• Katja Ebstein: Port Of Spain, 1972
• Katja Ebstein: You've Lost That Lovin 'Feelin', 1972
• Peter Moesser's Music: Red River Rock, (LP) 1974
• Chris Roberts: But you stay with me, 1975
• Benny (Quick): Susie Darlin ', (Original by Robin Luke), 1976
• Roy Black: I want to see you (September 1977)

Web links

• Peter Moessers Music at discogs.com/de/artist/

Individual evidence

1. ^ The German version of Sixteen Tons (original version by Merle Travis , August 1946; hit version by Tennessee Ernie Ford)
2. ↑ It was the German version of Jim Lowe's Gambler's Guitar from 1953
3. ↑ Der Spiegel 40/1963 of October 2, 1963: Who is tu?
4. ^ As One More Sunrise with English text by Noel Sherman
5. ↑ whose cover was published in Great Britain in July 1964
6. ↑ Eckhard Diergarten: 50 years of The Lords: "long-haired, loud and a legend ..."; die Biographie , Pro Business Verlag, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-86805-232-9 , p. 15 ( preview in Google book search)
7. ↑ GEMA entry Peter Moesser  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.