The Bläck Fööss (
Ripuarian ''De Bläck Fööss'') are a music group from
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
, Germany, started in 1970.
Name of the band
The band's name in
Kölsch, a local dialect of
Ripuarian, in which the group predominantly sings, means barefoot.
It is pronounced .
In their early days the group would perform
barefoot
Barefoot is the state of not wearing any footwear.
There are health benefits and some risks associated with going barefoot. Shoes, while they offer protection, can limit the flexibility, strength, and mobility of the foot and can lead to h ...
, which was later given up mainly after several injuries from remains of broken glass on stages.
Repertoire
The band's style of music is a cross between
Schlager and
pop, but they also perform songs with
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
,
blues,
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
and
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
styles. The group is famous for its
a cappella singing. Many of the band's songs are popular
carnival songs, while others are
covers of bands such as
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of '' isicathamiya'' and '' mbube''. They became known internationally after singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album '' Graceland'', and have won ...
,
Beatles,
Hollies
The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the band ...
or
Willi Ostermann Wilhelm "Willi" Ostermann (1 October 1876 – 6 August 1936) was a lyricist, composer and singer of carnival songs and songs about Cologne, primarily in the German dialect of Kölsch. The tune ''Homesick for Cologne'' is counted amongst his most f ...
.
In August 1985 the band got their biggest chart success, with the song "Frankreich, Frankreich" (
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, France) landing in at number 9 in the German charts.
Band members
In their 4 decades together, the Bläck Fööss have only had a few changes in membership.
Willy Schnitzler
Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to:
People Given name or nickname
* Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scree ...
and
Rolf Lammers Rolf is a male given name and a surname. It originates in the Germanic name ''Hrolf'', itself a contraction of ''Hrodwulf'' ( Rudolf), a conjunction of the stem words ''hrod'' ("renown") + ''wulf'' ("wolf"). The Old Norse cognate is ''Hrólfr''. ...
have both played
keyboard
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
; in 1994, the band had its biggest split, with frontman
Tommy Engel
Tommy Engel (, ; born 1949) is a German musician and actor. He was the lead singer of German band Bläck Fööss
The Bläck Fööss ( Ripuarian ''De Bläck Fööss'') are a music group from Cologne, Germany, started in 1970.
Name of the band ...
leaving for a solo career after so-called creative differences.
* Karl Friedrich "Kafi" Biermann: singer, guitar, percussion (from 1995 - 2017)
* Ralph Gusovius (born March 16, 1950): drums, accordion, singer (since 1995)
* Günther "Bömmel" Lückerath (born June 20, 1948): guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, vocals (founding member)
* Hartmut Priess (born 19 August 1942 in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
):bass, guitar, mandolin (founding member - 2018)
* Peter Schütten (born 4 August 1943 in
Kiel
Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021).
Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...
): guitar, singing, percussion (founding member - 2017)
* Erry Stoklosa (born 25 October 1947 in the former city
Porz
Porz () is a borough or ''Stadtbezirk'' of Cologne, Germany. It is situated on the east side of the Rhine in the south-east of the city. Porz is the largest borough of Cologne by area at 78.92 km2 and has 113,500 inhabitants.
Porz borders ...
): guitar, percussion, vocals (founding member)
* Andreas Wegener: piano, synthesizer, accordion, vocals (since 2005)
*Mirko Bäumer: singer, guitar (since 2017)
*Pit Hupperten: singer, guitar (since 2017)
*Hanz Thodam: bass, guitar (since 2019)
Willy Schnitzler left the band in 2005 after
arthritis of the
hand rendered him unable to play. He was succeeded by Andreas Wegener. In January 2017 Singer Kafi Biermann and founding member Peter Schütten left the band and were succeeded by Mirko Bäumer and Pit Hupperten. Hanz Thodam replaced bass player Hartmut Priess after the band's traditional New Years Eve concert of 2018.
Discography
Literature
* Matthias Becker: Bläck Fööss - schwatz op wiess: 124 Lieder in Wort und Bild; Texte, Hintergründe, Kommentare, Kölsch-Lexikon, Chronik, Diskografie.
Gerig-Musikverlage, De Bläck-Fööss-Musikverlag,
Bergisch Gladbach Bensberg, 2000, 152 Seiten, kartoniert,
See also
*
King Size Dick
King Size Dick (born Heinz Ganss; December 29, 1942) in Cologne is a German Rock music singer, who mainly sings in the Colognian dialect.
Biography
King Size Dick, a truck driver by profession, began his musical career in the 1960s in his ho ...
External links
*
Sources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Black Fooss
German musical groups
Musical groups from Cologne