The Golden Orpheus ( bg, Златният Орфей, ''Zlatniyat Orfey'') was an international song contest, held annually from 1965 to 1999 in
Sunny Beach
Slanchev Bryag ( bg, Слънчев бряг , en, Sunny Beach) is a seaside resort on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, north of Burgas.
Created in 1958 as a weekend getaway for Bulgarian families, Sunny Beach has become the largest tourist an ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
. Alongside its Bulgarian pop song competition, the festival’s rules and regulations included an international singing contest. The event quickly grew to be one of the most prestigious Eastern European festivals during socialism.
Lili Ivanova
''Lili'' is a 1953 American film released by MGM. It stars Leslie Caron as a touchingly naïve French girl whose emotional relationship with a carnival puppeteer is conducted through the medium of four puppets. The film won the Academy Award for ...
Roza Rymbayeva
Roza Kuanyshkyzy Rymbayeva ( kk, Роза Қуанышқызы Рымбаева, ''Roza Quanyşqyzy Rymbaeva''; born 1957) is a Soviet Union, Soviet and Kazakhs, Kazakh singer, the People's Artist, people's artist of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist R ...
Tamara Gverdtsiteli
Tamara Mikhailovna Gverdtsiteli ( ka, თამარ გვერდწითელი}, russian: Тамара Михайловна Гвердцители; born 18 January 1962) is a Georgian-Russian singer and actress.
Early life and educati ...
(USSR)
* 1990:
Etta Scollo
Etta Scollo (born 27 May 1958) is an Italian singer and songwriter.
Her music combines traditional Sicilian music, pop and jazz.
Biography
Born in Catania, Italy, she moved to Turin to study Architecture. She abandoned her studies to devote h ...
(Austria)
* 1992:
Henry Winter
Henry Winter (born 18 February 1963) is an English sports journalist. He is currently the Chief Football Writer for ''The Times'', and previously a Football Correspondent for ''The Daily Telegraph''.
Education
Winter was educated at Westmi ...
(Ireland)
Selected first prize winners
* 1968:
Marion Rung
Marion Rung (born 7 December 1945 in Helsinki) is a Finland, Finnish pop singer. She is known for having represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1962 and 1973. Her 1962 Eurovision song placed 7th, and in 1973, she managed to bring F ...
Omara Portuondo
Omara Portuondo Peláez (born 29 October 1930) is a Cuban singer and dancer. A founding member of the popular vocal group Cuarteto d'Aida, Portuondo has collaborated with many important Cuban musicians during her long career, including Julio Gu ...
(Cuba) and
Ben Cramer
Ben Cramer (born Bernardus Kramer; 17 February 1947) is a Dutch singer who represented the Netherlands in the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest.
Music career Early years
Cramer was born in Amsterdam. He made his television debut in 1966 with his ...
Sofia Rotaru
Sofiia Mykhailivna Yevdokymenko-Rotaru (born 7 August 1947), known as Sofia Rotaru ( uk, Софія Михайлівна Ротару ; russian: link=no, Софи́я Миха́йловна Рота́ру; ro, Sofia Rotaru), is a former Ukrainia ...
Lee Towers
Leendert "Leen" Huijzer (; born 23 March 1946), better known by his stage name Lee Towers, is a Dutch singer with international success. He remains as one of the best-selling artists and holds the record for the most concerts performed by a singl ...
(Netherlands)
* 1976:
Enzo Gusman
Enzo Gusman, also known as Laurence (9 August 1947 – 18 December 2021) was a Maltese singer born in Sliema, Malta.Maltese Biographies Of The Twentieth Century, Albert G. Storace, Malta 1997, p. 341
It was Malta's late comic actor Johnnie Nava ...
(Malta)
* 1979:
Albert Asadullin
Albert Nurullovich Asadullin ( tt-Cyrl, Альберт Нурулла улы Әсәдуллин, russian: link=no, Альберт Нуруллович Асадуллин; born September 1, 1948, Kazan) is a Soviet and Russian TatarValery Leontiev
Valery Yakovlevich Leontiev (russian: link=no, Валерий Яковлевич Леонтьев; born 19 March 1949) is a Soviet and Russian pop singer, sometimes songwriter and actor whose popularity peaked in the early 1980s. He was titled a ...
Yuri Bogatikov
Yuri Iosifovich Bogatikov (russian: Ю́рий Ио́сифович Бога́тиков; 29 February 1932 — 8 December 2002) was a Soviet and Ukrainian singer ( baritone). In 1985 he was honoured with the title of People's Artist of the USSR. ...
(USSR)
* 1975:Elizabeth de Gracia (Cuba)
* 1976:
Eugene Martynov
Yevgeniy Grigorievich Martynov (russian: link=no, Евге́ний Григо́рьевич Марты́нов; May 22, 1948 – September 3, 1990) was a Soviet pop singer and composer, the older brother of the composer .
Biography
Martynov was b ...
(USSR)
* 1992:
Philipp Kirkorov
Philipp Bedrosovich Kirkorov PAR (russian: Филипп Бедросович Киркоров; bg, Филип Бедросов Киркоров, Filip Bedrosov Kirkorov; born 30 April 1967) is a Bulgarian-born Russian pop singer. He is a five ...
(Russia)
Selected third prize winners
* 1968:
Joseph Kobzon
Iosif (Joseph) Davydovich Kobzon (russian: link=no, Ио́сиф Давы́дович Кобзо́н; 11 September 1937 – 30 August 2018) was a Russian singer, known for his crooner style.
Early life
Kobzon was born to Jewish parents in the ...
(USSR)
* 1972:
Lev Leshchenko
Lev Valerianovich Leshchenko (russian: link=no, Лев Валерьянович Лещенко; born 1 February 1942), is a Russian singer, who is best known for his rendition of "Den Pobedy" and the 1980 Summer Olympics closing ceremony theme ...
(USSR)
* 1982:Miguel Chávez (Cuba)
* 1984:
María de Jesus
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
*170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
*Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...
(Cuba)
Notable interval act performers
*
Ornella Vanoni
Ornella Vanoni (; born 22 September 1934) is an Italian singer-songwriter and actress. She is one of the longest-standing Italian artists, having started performing in 1956. She has released about 112 works between LP, EPs and greatest hits alb ...
– 1969
*
Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalised French Joséphine Baker; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in her adopted Fran ...
– 1970
*
Gilbert Bécaud
Gilbert Bécaud (, 24 October 1927 – 18 December 2001) was a French singer, composer, pianist and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-known hits are "Nathalie" and "Et maintenant", a 1961 release t ...
– 1971
*
Salvatore Adamo
Salvatore Adamo (born November 1, 1943) is a Belgian-Italian musician, singer and composer, who is known for his romantic ballads. Adamo was born in Comiso, Sicily, Italy, and has lived in Belgium since the age of three, which is why he has dual ...
Gianni Morandi
Gianni Morandi (; born 11 December 1944) is an Italian pop singer, actor and entertainer.
Early life
Gian Luigi Morandi was born in a little village called Monghidoro on the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. His father Renato was active within the I ...
- 1973
*
Ricchi e Poveri
Ricchi e Poveri (; "The Rich and The Poor") is an Italian pop group formed in Genoa in 1967, originally consisting of Angela Brambati, Angelo Sotgiu, Franco Gatti and Marina Occhiena. Active since the late 1960s, they have sold over 20 million r ...
- 1973
*
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record ...
Alla Pugacheva
Alla Borisovna Pugacheva, ) (born 15 April 1949), is а Soviet and Russian musical performer. Her career started in 1965 and continues to this day, even though she has retired from performing. For her "clear mezzo-soprano and a full display of ...
Eruption
Several types of volcanic eruptions—during which lava, tephra (ash, lapilli, volcanic bombs and volcanic blocks), and assorted gases are expelled from a volcanic vent or fissure—have been distinguished by volcanologists. These are often ...
Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...
- 1982
*
Mungo Jerry
Mungo Jerry are a British rock band, formed by Ray Dorset in Ashford, Middlesex in 1970. Experiencing their greatest success in the early 1970s, with a changing lineup always fronted by Ray Dorset, the group's biggest hit was "In the Summertime ...
- 1987
*
Paco de Lucía
Francisco Sánchez Gómez (21 December 194725 February 2014), known as Paco de Lucía (;), was a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist, composer, and record producer. A leading proponent of the new flamenco style, he was one of the first flame ...
- 1988
*
Boney M.
Boney M. was a German-Caribbean vocal group that specialized in disco and funk created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's o ...
- 1990
*
Toto Cutugno
Salvatore "Toto" Cutugno (; born 7 July 1943) is an Italian pop singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known for his worldwide hit song, "L'Italiano", released on his 1983 album of the same title. Cutugno also won the Eurovision Song Conte ...
- 1993
*
Boy George
George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, author and mixed media artist. Best known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance, Boy George has been the lead singe ...
- 1994
*
La Toya Jackson
La Toya Yvonne Jackson (born May 29, 1956) is an American singer and television personality. The fifth child and middle daughter of the Jackson family, Jackson first gained recognition on the family's variety television series, ''The Jacksons'', ...
- 1994
*
Demis Roussos
Artemios "Demis" Ventouris-Roussos ( ; el, Αρτέμιος "Ντέμης" Βεντούρης-Ρούσσος, ; 15 June 1946 – 25 January 2015) was a Greek singer, songwriter and musician. As a band member he is best remembered for his work in ...
- 1995
*
The Temptations
The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...
- 1995
*
Paul Rodgers
Paul Rodgers (born 17 December 1949) is a British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead vocalist of numerous bands, including Free, Bad Company, The Firm, and The Law. He has also performed as a solo artist, and co ...
- 1995
*
Alannah Myles
Alannah Myles (née Byles; born December 25, 1958) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who has won both a Grammy and a Juno Award for the song " Black Velvet". The song was a top-ten hit in Canada; it was also a number one hit on the US ''Billboar ...
- 1996
*
2 Unlimited
2 Unlimited are a Belgian/Dutch dance music act, founded by Belgian producers/songwriters Jean-Paul De Coster and Phil Wilde in 1991 in Antwerp, Belgium. From 1991 to 1996, Dutch rapper Ray Slijngaard and Dutch vocalist Anita Doth fronted the a ...
- 1996
*
Philipp Kirkorov
Philipp Bedrosovich Kirkorov PAR (russian: Филипп Бедросович Киркоров; bg, Филип Бедросов Киркоров, Filip Bedrosov Kirkorov; born 30 April 1967) is a Bulgarian-born Russian pop singer. He is a five ...