Gerhard "Gerry" Friedle (born 7 January 1971), better known by his stage name DJ Ötzi (), is an Austrian music producer and singer. Successful mainly in German-speaking countries, he is best known in the English-speaking world for his 2000 single " Hey Baby (Uhh, Ahh)", a cover version of the

Bruce Channel Bruce Channel ( ; born November 28, 1940) is an American singer-songwriter best known for his 1962 number-one hit record " Hey! Baby". Career Channel performed originally for the radio program ''Louisiana Hayride'' and then joined with the harm ...

song "

Hey! Baby "Hey! Baby" is a song written by Margaret Cobb and Bruce Channel, first recorded at Clifford Herring Studios in Ft. Worth Tx, and recorded by Channel in 1961, first released on LeCam Records, a local Fort Worth, Texas label. After it hit, it wa ...

". His stage name comes from

Ötzi Ötzi, also called The Iceman, is the natural mummy of a man who lived between 3350 and 3105 BC. Ötzi's remains were discovered on 19 September 1991, in the Ötztal Alps (hence the nickname "Ötzi", ) at the Austria–Italy border. He i ...

the Iceman, the name given to the 5,300-year-old frozen remains of a mummified man discovered in 1991 in South Tyrol's

Ötztal Alps The Ötztal Alps (, ) are a mountain range in the Central Eastern Alps, in the Tyrol (state), State of Tyrol in western Austria and the South Tyrol, Province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. Geography The Ötztal Alps are arrayed at the head of ...

Biography

Early life

Ötzi was born Gerhard Friedle in St. Johann, Tirol, the son of Anton Friedle. Shortly after birth, his mother, aged 17 at the time, gave him up for adoption. He was raised by foster parents and later by his paternal grandparents in the nearby village of Erpfendorf in Tirol. At a young age, Ötzi suffered from

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of Non-communicable disease, non-communicable Neurological disorder, neurological disorders characterized by a tendency for recurrent, unprovoked Seizure, seizures. A seizure is a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activit ...

. At age 16, he was homeless and lived on the streets for a short time. His career rose gradually, first working as a student cook, then upon being discovered at a

karaoke is a type of interactive entertainment system usually offered in nightclubs and bars, where people sing along to pre-recorded accompaniment using a microphone. Its musical content is an instrumental rendition of a well-known popular song. I ...

competition, went on to work as an entertainer ( animateur), DJ and singer in

discothèque A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighting displays, and a ...

s around Austria, as well as in tourist destinations

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

and Turkey. In 2002, before the birth of his daughter, Ötzi suffered a severe form of

conductive hearing loss Conductive hearing loss (CHL) is a type of hearing impairment that occurs when sound waves are unable to efficiently travel through the outer ear, tympanic membrane (eardrum), or middle ear structures such as the ossicles. This blockage or dysfun ...

Musical career

Debut album and early success

In 1999, DJ Ötzi released the single "Anton aus Tirol". The song was a massive hit in German-speaking countries, reaching number one in Austria and Germany, while it peaked at number two in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. The song spent 75 weeks in the Austrian charts and was number one for ten weeks. The success of the single propelled the release of the Anton (feat. DJ Ötzi) album ''Das Album'' in 2000.

Second album and international recognition

In July 2000, Ötzi released a cover version of

's 1962 song " Hey Baby". This single reached number-one in several English-speaking countries, including Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom. He followed up this release with a cover version of " Do Wah Diddy".

Continued success

upÖtzi in 2014 In 2003, Ötzi released a cover version of "

A Ram Sam Sam "Ram Sam Sam" (), also known as "A Ram Sam Sam", "Aram Sa-sa", and by other names, is a Morocco, Moroccan Moroccan music, song that has gained popularity as a children's song around the world since the mid-20th century. Lyrics In most forms, th ...

", called the " Burger Dance", which reached number-one in Germany, number 3 in Austria, and number 7 in Switzerland. In 2006, he found success with the

Volksmusik Alpine folk music (; German's ''Volksmusik'' means "people's music" or as a Germanic connotative translation, "folk's music") is the common umbrella designation of a number of related styles of traditional folk music in the Alpine regions of S ...

hit "Sieben Sünden", which became a number 2 hit in Austria. In 2007, he released " Ein Stern (...der deinen Namen trägt)" with Austrian Schlager singer Nik P. It reached number one in (Germany) where it stayed for 13 weeks and Austria, number 2 in Switzerland, and number 5 in the European Union, despite the fact that at the time of its release, some of the most popular radio stations in Austria and Germany declined to play the song because its genre did not fit their programme style. The single has sold more than 2 million copies. Spending 106 weeks on the

German Singles Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official charts for music, home video, and video games in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on be ...

, it is the first song to be on that chart for two years or longer, and the longest running song ever on that chart.

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Otzi, Dj 1971 births Living people Austrian DJs Club DJs People from Tyrol (federal state) Eurodance musicians English-language singers from Austria Schlager musicians Electronic dance music DJs 21st-century Austrian male singers EMI Records artists