Roberto Blanco (legal name: Roberto Zerquera Blanco), was born 7 June 1937 in

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

. Of

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural ele ...

origin, Blanco is a German Schlager singer, actor, and entertainer.

Early life

Blanco is the son of Cuban folklorist and artist Alfonso Zerquera and his wife Mercedes Blanco. He grew up in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

and

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

. When Roberto was two, his mother died. After finishing school he began to study medicine in Madrid, but quit after two semesters.

Career

In 1957, Blanco played a role in the movie ''

Der Stern von Afrika ''Der Stern von Afrika'' () is a 1957 black-and-white German war film portraying the combat career of a World War II Luftwaffe fighter pilot Hans-Joachim Marseille. The film stars Joachim Hansen and Marianne Koch and was directed by Alfred Weid ...

'' (The Star of Africa). His singing career began with

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 ...

. In the 1960s, he became a hit star in his own right and appeared in various films – among them

Johannes Mario Simmel Johannes Mario Simmel (7 April 1924 – 1 January 2009), also known as J. M. Simmel, was an Austrian writer. He was born in Vienna and grew up in Austria and England. He was trained as a chemical engineer and worked in research from 1943 to ...

penned ''

All People Will Be Brothers ''All People Will Be Brothers'' (german: Alle Menschen werden Brüder) is a 1973 West German drama film directed by Alfred Vohrer and starring Harald Leipnitz, Doris Kunstmann and Rainer von Artenfels.Bock & Bergfelder p.504 Cast * Harald Leipnit ...

'' and the

Erich Kästner Emil Erich Kästner (; 23 February 1899 – 29 July 1974) was a German writer, poet, screenwriter and satirist, known primarily for his humorous, socially astute poems and for children's books including '' Emil and the Detectives''. He received ...

adaptation '' Three Men in the Snow''. In 1969, Blanco won the German "Schlager-Festspiele" with his song "Heute so, morgen so" (Today like this, tomorrow like that). Following that, Blanco recorded a number of hit albums. His music career peaked in 1972 with the song "Ein bisschen Spass muss sein" (A little fun must be) and "Der Puppenspieler von Mexiko" (The Puppeteer of Mexico). Since then he has appeared on numerous music and variety TV shows, most frequently on

ZDF ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...

's ''

Hitparade A hit parade is a list of tunes that are most popular at any given time. Hit Parade or hitparade or The Hit Parade may also refer to: Film and television * ''Hit Parade'' (film), a 1953 West German musical film * ''Hit Parade'' (TV series), a ...

''.

Singles

*1957 – "Jesebell" *1957 – "Ob schwarz, ob weiß" *1963 – "Twistin' mit Monika" *1968 – "Tschumbala-Bey" *1968 – "Jennifer" *1969 – "Heute so, morgen so" *1969 – "Auf Liebe gibt es keine Garantie" *1970 – "Auf dem Kurfürstendam sagt man "Liebe"" *1970 – "San Bernadino" *1971 – "

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

" *1972 – " Ich komm' zurück nach Amarillo" *1972 – "Der Puppenspieler von Mexiko" *1972 – "Ein bisschen Spaß muss sein" *1973 – "Ich bin ein glücklicher Mann" *1973 – "Pappi, lauf doch nicht so schnell" *1974 – "In El Paso" *1976 – "Bye Bye, Fräulein" *1977 – "Morgen sind wir reich" *1978 – "Porompompom" *1978 – "Hey Mama Ho" *1978 – "Viva Maria" *1978 – "Wer trinkt schon gern den Wein allein" *1979 – "Der Clap Clap Song" *1979 – "Samba si! Arbeit no!" *1979 – "Am Tag, als es kein Benzin mehr gab" *1980 – "Rock 'n' Roll ist gut für die Figur" *1981 – "Humanaho (Alle Menschen sind Brüder)" *1990 – "Resi bring Bier" (duet with Tony Marshall) *1992 – "Limbo auf Jamaika" (duet with Tony Marshall) *1996 – "Da ist die Tür" (feat.

Lotto King Karl Lotto may refer to: * Lotto, original, 15th century name of the Italian lottery * Lotto (Milan Metro), a railway station in Milan, Italy * Lotto carpet, a carpet having a lacy arabesque pattern * Lotto Sport Italia, an Italian sports apparel manuf ...

) *1999 – "

Last Christmas "Last Christmas" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, originally released in December 1984 on CBS Records internationally and as a double A-side on Epic Records with "Everything She Wants" in the UK. Described as a "high watermark of mid-80s Br ...

" (with Frank Luis y su traditional Habana Orchester) *2001 – "

Born to Be Alive ''Born to Be Alive'' is the first studio album by Patrick Hernandez, released internationally in 1978 and in the US in 1979. It features the eponymous disco hit "Born to Be Alive" as well as a less-successful single, "Disco Queen". Background W ...

" (with

The Disco Boys The Disco Boys are a German house music DJ and production duo from Hamburg, which consists of Raphael Krickow (* 1966) and Gordon Hollenga (* 1969). They play a mixture of disco classics and modern house songs. The Disco Boys have played at the ...

) *2004 – "Ein bisschen Spaß muss sein" (new version with

Captain Jack Captain Jack may refer to: People * Calico Jack (1683–1720), a pirate in the 18th century * Captain Jack (Hawaiian) (died 1831), Naihekukui, commander of Kamehameha's fleet and father of Kalama * Captain Jack (fl. 1830s on), Kaurna man in c ...

)

Selected filmography

* ''

The Bloody Vultures of Alaska ''The Bloody Vultures of Alaska'' (German: ''Die blutigen Geier von Alaska'') is a 1973 German Western film directed by Harald Reinl and starring Doug McClure, Harald Leipnitz and Angelica Ott.Pitts, Michael R. ''Western Movies: A Guide to 5,1 ...

'' (1973)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blanco, Roberto 1937 births Living people People from Tunis Spanish emigrants to Germany German male singers German people of Cuban descent Spanish-language singers of Germany