Polo Hofer

Polo Hofer at an appearance in 2011

Polo Hofer (actually Urs Alfred Hofer ; born March 16, 1945 in Interlaken ; † July 22, 2017 in Oberhofen am Thunersee ) was a Swiss dialect rock singer. In the 1970s and 1980s, in the wake of a wave of Swiss dialect, he contributed significantly as a pioneer to the popularization of rock and pop music sung in Swiss-German . After his death, it was called the “legendary national shrine” and was nicknamed “Polo National” during his lifetime .

Musical career

In 1961 Hofer began a four-year apprenticeship as a hand lithographer . In the same year he founded the pop group The Jetmen as a hobby as a drummer and lead singer. In 1967 he was chosen as the best singer at the Swiss Rhythm'n'Blues Festival.

In the summer of 1971 he founded the dialect band Rumpelstilz with Hanery Amman , Schifer Schafer and Sämi Junge . In 1973 they released their first single, Warehuus-Blues , and two years later their first LP, Vogelfuetter . With Rumpelstilz he released the two hits Kiosk and Teddybär in Bern German in 1976 .

Polo Hofer and Rumpelstilz were repeatedly accused of plaguing songs, at least in part . At Kiosk in particular , not a few critics and other listeners believed they recognized clear similarities to the song Dixie Chicken by the band Little Feat . The management of Little Feat sued Hofer when the song was also released in a written German version in Germany, where it was sold over 600,000 times. In a settlement , all kiosk revenue was awarded to Dixie Chicken's authors - Lowell George and Fred Martin.

Polo Hofer and Band 1988

In 1977 the double LP Fätze u Bitze… was released . After separating from Rumpelstilz, he founded Polo's Butterding together with Span and Marianna Polistena , with whom he released a total of four albums. In 1989 the Rumpelstilz came together in the original line-up for a short comeback and recorded the album Live in the anchor .

In 1984 he founded the ButterBand , with which he was on the road until January 2003. The farewell concert was documented on the DVD AbXang & Usklang by Mirjam von Arx. In 2004 he toured with the band The Alpinistos and gave a concert for the inauguration of the newly designed Berner Bundesplatz with Hanery Amman, Michel Poffet , Andi Pupato and Hank Shizzoe . This concert was released on DVD. He also recorded three English-language albums with the Swiss Blues Authority and the Buebetröim album with the Swiss Jazz Orchestra .

In spring 2005, on his 60th birthday, the biography was POLO by Samuel Mumenthaler published. In it, friends, companions and himself tell about his life. On October 7, 2006, Alperose was voted the greatest Swiss hit of all time by the Swiss television audience .

In 2007 the album Duette was released 1997-2007 with 19 duets, for example with Endo Anaconda , Philipp Fankhauser , Gölä , Büne Huber , Dodo Hug and Sina . In 2009 Hofer's first solo album Prototyp was released . It was created in around four years of collaboration with 30 musicians and singers and immediately reached number 1 in the Swiss hit parade .

His song Manne, mir blybe dranne was the official Swiss fan song of the 2010 World Cup .

In March 2010 the book Das alles u no vil meh was published with all previous lyrics by Polo Hofer. In February 2012 the musical Alperose was performed in Bern; a recapitulation was planned for 2013 .

Awards and honors

• 1995: Prix ​​Walo (Category: Rock)
• 2002: Prix Walo (Category Pop & Rock)
• 2007: Hofer and Hanery Amman are honored with the “Golden Key” by the Interlaken City Council.
• 2007: Hofer's work is honored in the special exhibition Jungfrau, Hofer & Ragusa in the Historical Museum in Bern .
• 2008: Hofer receives the 2008 Music Prize of the Canton of Bern.
• 2009: The former “Flückmätteli” in Interlaken is renamed “Amman-Hofer-Platz”.
• 2011: Swiss Music Awards : Lifetime achievement is recognized
• 2015: Swiss of the year

further activities

Polo Hofer was also a percussionist , painter, poet, organizer and actor. He wrote a book of poems with Der Rock, der Roll & in general and played leading roles in the films Das Schweigen der Männer and Die Vogelpredigt or Das Schrei der Mönche by Clemens Klopfenstein and the role of Mr. Aschwanden in The acid test by Luke Gasser . He also campaigned for the legalization of cannabis use in Switzerland . From March 2008 to July 2011 he created his own radio show (Pop, Perlen and Polo) on DRS 3 every Sunday from 9 pm to 10 pm , in which he presented his favorite music; it is also available as a podcast.

Personal

Polo first married at the age of 21. He adopted the son Oliver, whom his wife Trudi brought into the marriage. In 1996 his long-time partner Isabelle Hediger died of cancer at the age of 36. With his second wife Alice, whom he met in 1997 and married in 2004, he lived in Oberhofen on Lake Thun . He received the nickname “Polo” as a scout from Hugo Ramseyer , the founder of Zytglogge Verlag , because Polo's parents were selling polo shirts in the “Maison Hofer” fashion store in Interlaken , which was something new at the time.

In 2007 the singer had to have a malignant carcinoma removed from his right vocal cord.

He died on July 22, 2017 at the age of 72 after suffering from lung cancer at home in Oberhofen am Thunersee.

Discography

Polo's Pop Tales

• 1968: Polo's Pop Tales

With drum circus

• 1971: Magic Theater (released 2003)

With Rumpelstilz

• 1975: Bird feeder
• 1976: Five fools in the Charre
• 1977: La Dolce Vita
• 1978: Feet and bits from geschter u jitze
• 1989: Live in the anchor
• 1991: Musig wos brings (best-of-sampler)

With Polos ButterDing

• 1978: Polo Hofer ButterDing
• 1979: Tip-Topi Type
• 1981: In tremendous shape
• 1982: Papper-La-Papp
• 1988: 12 smash hits (best-of-sampler)

With the ButterBand (until 2004)

Albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)	Remarks
		CH
1980	Butterfly thing	-
1984	Polovinyl	CH16 (6 weeks) CH
1985	Giggerig	CH2 gold (22 weeks)CH	First published: October 27, 1985
1986	In the wild vest	CH10 (8 weeks) CH	First published: December 14, 1986
1988	Rütmus, Bluus + schnälli Schue!	CH1 gold (16 weeks)CH	First published: June 12, 1988
1990	Eden	CH1 platinum (28 weeks)CH	First published: October 7, 1990
1991	1984-1991 - 15 strong songs plus 3	CH12 (3 weeks) CH	Best of album, chart entry: July 30, 2017
	Bluesiana	-	Video album
1992	Travailler c'est trop major	CH1 (27 weeks) CH	First published: September 6, 1992
1993	live	CH6 (12 weeks) CH	Live album First published: December 5th, 1993
1994	Welcome i dr weird	CH1 platinum (19 weeks)CH	First published: November 13, 1994
1995	1987-1994 - Another 15 strong songs	CH20 (7 weeks) CH	Best of album First release: October 22, 1995
1997	About alli Bärge	CH1 gold (17 weeks)CH	First published: September 14, 1997
2000	Harzbluet	CH1 platinum (20 weeks)CH	First published: January 16, 2000
2002	Xangischxung	CH2 platinum (22 weeks)CH	First published: June 2, 2002
2003	AbXang & UsKlang	-	Video album
2004	Silver, gold & pearl	CH1 gold (16 weeks)CH	Best of album First release: September 5th, 2004

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

Since 2004 with various musicians

Albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)	Remarks
		CH
1983	Sweater band	CH24 (1 week) CH	Sweater band with Polo Hofer
2000	Kind of Blue	CH30 (6 weeks) CH	Swiss Blues Authority feat. Polo Hofer
2007	Duets 1977–2007	CH3 gold (21 weeks)CH	Polo Hofer first published: March 24, 2007
2009	prototype	CH1 platinum (20 weeks)CH	Polo Hofer first published: August 21, 2009
2010	Rimix	CH6 (5 weeks) CH	Polo Hofer first published: September 2010
2011	Polo Hofer sings Bob Dylan 1981-2011	CH4 (14 weeks) CH	Polo Hofer first published: May 27, 2011
2012	Alperose - the musical	CH33 (3 weeks) CH	musical
2015	100% Swiss music	CH1 (11 weeks) CH	Polo Hofer & Friends First published: October 23, 2015
2016	Change spurt	CH2 (20 weeks) CH	Polo Hofer first published: January 8, 2016
	The best ballads from 1976–2016	CH10 (14 weeks) CH	Polo Hofer & Friends First published: November 25, 2016
2017	classic	CH3 (20 weeks) CH	First published: August 25, 2017
2018	Rocks & Pops	CH20 (3 weeks) CH	First published: April 20, 2018

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)	Remarks
		CH
1979	Radio 24	CH3 (7 weeks) CH	as Polo Hofer's butterfly
1984	Wyssebüehl	CH69 (1 week) CH	Chart entry: July 30, 2017
1985	Alperose	CH24 (6 weeks) CH	Polo Hofer and the Butter Band Chart entry: December 2nd, 2007
1986	In the last tram	CH73 (1 week) CH	Polo Hofer and the Butter Band Chart entry: July 30, 2017
1987	Stop AIDS	CH7 (6 weeks) CH	Polo Hofer and the Butter Band
1992	156 ... Sexy Sue	CH18 (6 weeks) CH	Steve Whitney Band with guest singer Polo Hofer
1997	You and i / stoner	CH31 (5 weeks) CH	Polo Hofer and the Butter Band
2004	Nut more than at the door	CH48 (3 weeks) CH	Polo Hofer and the Butter Band
2007	Alperose	CH15 (10 weeks) CH	with Sandee / Sina / Kandlbauer
2009	How söll me däm de saw sweet	CH41 (7 weeks) CH

Other publications

• Do you know? feat. Knackeboul (2013) (Compilation article Bock uf Rock Vol. 6)

motion pictures

• The Silence of Men (CH 1997), directed by Clemens Klopfenstein

documentary

• Hanspeter Bäni: Polo Hofer - rhythm, intoxication and the spotlight. Video in: DOK , SRF 1 from November 20, 2014 (50 minutes)

Books

• The rock, the roll + in general. Poems . Limmat, Zurich 1997, ISBN 3-85791-284-7 .
• Polosofie Vol. I. Collected Works and Afforisms . Firma-La-Douce, Bern 2004, ISBN 3-9522915-0-1 .
• Polo Vol. II . Firma-La-Douce, Bern 2005, ISBN 3-9522915-2-8 .
• Polo Vol. III . Firma-La-Douce, Bern 2006, ISBN 3-9522915-3-6 .
• All that u no vil meh. Lyrics 1973–2009 . Zytglogge, Oberhofen 2010, ISBN 978-3-7296-0803-0 .

literature

• Orlando Geremia: Ross'n'Roll. With Polo Hofer on a big tour through little Switzerland . elfundzehn, Eglisau 2014, ISBN 978-3-905769-36-4 .
• Walter Haas: Contemporary dialect literature of German-speaking Switzerland. A theoretical and historical overview . In: Michigan Germanic Studies 6 (1980), pp. 58-119.
• Thomas Küng: Rhythm & Intoxication. Polo Hofer's long journey . Bugra Suisse, Bern 1988, ISBN 3-7170-0125-5 .
• Samuel Mumenthaler: Polo. An oral history . Editions Plus Sàrl, Zurich 2005, ISBN 3-909676-16-2 .
• Samuel Mumenthaler: 50 years of Berner Rock . Foreword by Polo Hofer. Zytglogge, Oberhofen 2009, ISBN 978-3-7296-0796-5 .

Web links

• Literature by and about Polo Hofer in the catalog of the German National Library
• Polo Hofer's website
• Tschou tame, it's nice gsy! (German: Goodbye, everyone (together), it was nice! ), obituary for Polo Hofer, SRF, July 24, 2017.
• Eric Facon: On the death of Polo Hofer: "Gopfriedstutz e Kiosk!" In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung of July 24, 2017.
• Tschou Polo - memories of Polo Hofer. Video in: SRF 1 from July 25, 2017 (99 minutes).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} "Tschou tame, it's beautiful gsy!". In: Tages-Anzeiger .ch from July 24, 2017.
2. ↑ Farewell to Polo National: On the death of the original dialect rocker , article on the website of Radio SRF 3 from July 24, 2017
3. ↑ With Polo National, Switzerland loses its greatest popular singer - a tribute , article in Schweizer Illustrierte of July 25, 2017
4. ↑ «Kiosk» or «Dixie Chicken»? , Article by SRF from November 14, 2017, accessed on May 26, 2018
5. ↑ hitparade.ch: SWISS BLUES AUTHORITY FEAT. POLO HOFER - KIND OF BLUE (ALBUM)
6. ↑ nachrichten.ch: Polo Hofer receives the music prize of the canton of Bern , October 10, 2008
7. ↑ Article in the NZZ on the award of the title “Swiss of the Year 2015”
8. ^ Schweizer Radio DRS: Podcasts Pop, Perlen and Polo
9. ↑ Jungfrau newspaper
10. ^ Polo Hofer: Tumor on the vocal cord. Jungfrau Zeitung , accessed on October 13, 2012 . 
11. ↑ srf / kors; hesa: SRF News: Dialect legend has died - Polo Hofer is dead. July 24, 2017, accessed on July 24, 2017 . 
12. ↑ Chart sources albums: Charts CH
13. ↑ ^{a b} Awards for music sales: CH
14. ↑ Chart sources singles: Charts CH
15. ↑ BOCK UF ROCK A sixth Bock uf Rock for a big birthday . In: trespass.ch . August 28, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
16. ↑ The Silence of Men , on the SRF website, accessed on March 4, 2018