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Artist Detailed Info: Puhdys
The Puhdys were a German rock band founded in 1969, although an earlier version of the group, later referred to as the "Ur-Puhdys", had existed since the mid-1960s. They were among the most prominent rock bands in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and remained active after German reunification. Following the announcement of their dissolution in February 2014, the band gave its final official concert in Berlin in January 2016.
The final line-up consisted of Dieter "Maschine" Birr, Peter "Eingehängt" Meyer, Dieter "Quaster" Hertrampf, Peter "Bimbo" Rasym and Klaus Scharfschwerdt.
The origins of the band can be traced to the Udo-Wendel-Combo, formed in 1965 by singer and guitarist Udo Wendel, keyboardist Peter Meyer, bassist Harry Jeske and drummer Udo Jacob. After Wendel's departure later that year, Dieter Hertrampf joined the group. The band adopted the name Puhdy-Quartett, derived from the initials of the members' first names, and from 1966 was known as the Puhdys. In its early years, the group performed dance music. During the late 1960s, the membership changed frequently, with musicians such as Herbert Dreilich and Reinhard Lakomy briefly joining. These early formations were later collectively described as the "Ur-Puhdys".
In 1969, Meyer and Hertrampf returned to the group, joined by vocalist and guitarist Dieter Birr and drummer Gunther Wosylus. The band's first performance under the revived name took place on 19 November 1969 at the Tivoli venue in Freiberg, a date later recognised as the official founding of the Puhdys. At the time, their repertoire consisted entirely of English-language cover versions.
In 1970, the band received a temporary performance ban in the Karl-Marx-Stadt district after local cultural officials criticised their use of English-language lyrics, the volume of their sound system, and the atmosphere at their concerts. Following discussions with authorities, the group began writing and performing original songs in German, after which the ban was lifted.
Initially influenced by hard rock bands such as "Deep Purple", "Uriah Heep" and "Led Zeppelin", the Puhdys developed their own style through original compositions and lyrics by writers including Wolfgang Tilgner and Burkhard R. Lasch. They gained wider recognition in the GDR through television appearances in 1971 and achieved success with songs such as "Türen öffnen sich zur Stadt" and "Geh dem Wind nicht aus dem Wege".
In 1973, the band recorded the songs "Wenn ein Mensch lebt" and "Geh zu ihr" for the soundtrack of the film "Die Legende von Paul und Paula". Both songs became closely associated with the film and contributed significantly to the band's popularity. In the same year, the Puhdys also appeared in the film "Das zweite Leben des Friedrich Wilhelm Georg Platow" and performed at the 10th World Festival of Youth and Students in East Berlin.
During the 1970s, the band became one of the few GDR rock groups permitted to perform abroad. They appeared at the International Song Festival in Sopot in 1976 and gave concerts in West Germany, West Berlin and other Western countries. In 1977, they became the first East German band to appear on the West German television programme "Musikladen". By that time, their first two albums had reportedly sold more than 400,000 copies. The same year saw the release of "Rock 'n' Roll Music", an English-language album consisting entirely of cover versions.
In 1979, drummer Gunther Wosylus left the band and was replaced by Klaus Scharfschwerdt, formerly of Prinzip. The Puhdys recorded another English-language album in London in 1980, featuring original material such as "Far From Home". In 1981, they performed at the Waldbühne in West Berlin before an audience of approximately 12,000 and undertook a promotional tour of the United States.
In 1982, the Puhdys became the first East German rock band to receive the National Prize of the GDR.
The 1984 album "Das Buch" included the song "Ich will nicht vergessen", which addressed themes related to Germany and the division of the country. Although the song was not broadcast on GDR radio or television, it attracted considerable attention. During the late 1980s, the band's popularity also increased in West Germany through television broadcasts and concert appearances. Their 1989 album "Neue Helden" featured lyrics by Kurt Demmler that reflected contemporary social and political developments.
The Puhdys were voted the most popular rock band in the GDR twelve times by readers of the youth magazine "Neues Leben". Their records were also distributed in West Germany and other Western countries. By the time of German reunification, the band had reportedly sold nearly 20 million albums worldwide, making them one of the most commercially successful rock acts from East Germany.
Between 1988 and 1989, the band embarked on a farewell tour, but reunited in 1992 and resumed recording and touring. Unlike many other East German rock groups, they maintained a successful career after reunification.
In 1994, they recorded "FC Hansa – Wir lieben Dich total" for the football club Hansa Rostock. Other sports-related songs followed, including "Hey, wir woll'n die Eisbär'n sehn!" for the Eisbären Berlin ice hockey club and "Eisern Union 2000" for 1. FC Union Berlin.
In 1997, bassist Harry Jeske retired for health reasons and was replaced by Peter Rasym, previously a member of Stern Meißen and Datzu. On 19 June 1999, the band performed its 3,000th concert at a sold-out Waldbühne in Berlin. Members Dieter Birr, Dieter Hertrampf and Peter Meyer also appeared in the 1999 film "Comeback für Freddy Baker".
The Puhdys additionally recorded promotional songs for commercial partners and continued to release new material. Their 2000 song "Wut will nicht sterben" featured a guest appearance by Till Lindemann of Rammstein. Due to legal and management-related issues, different versions of the single were subsequently released with and without Lindemann's contribution.
The band celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2004. Subsequent releases included the studio album "Alles hat seine Zeit" (2005), the Christmas album "Dezembernächte" (2006), and participation in the "East Rock Classic" concert series, which brought together prominent artists associated with East German rock music.
In 2009, the Puhdys marked their 40th anniversary with a major concert in Berlin and released the album "Abenteuer". Additional anniversary releases included the DVD "Kultband des Ostens – Der Film – Die Geschichte", the book "Abenteuer mit den Puhdys", the box set "Lieder für Generationen", and the live album "Akustisch. Die Hits". A commemorative stone was unveiled near the Tivoli venue in Freiberg on the anniversary of the band's founding.
In 2012, the Puhdys collaborated with City, Karat and Pankow on the song "Was uns verbindet". The same year, keyboardist Peter Meyer indicated that the band was considering retirement. Their album "Es war schön" reached number 14 in the German charts, their highest chart position to that date.
A third Christmas album, "Heilige Nächte", was released in 2013. Unlike previous recordings, most of the new material was sung by Dieter Hertrampf, while Klaus Scharfschwerdt also contributed lead vocals.
On 17 February 2014, the band's management announced a farewell tour, citing the members' age as the principal reason. The tour began later that year, and the final official concert took place on 2 January 2016 at Berlin's Mercedes-Benz Arena. The performance was recorded for television and DVD release. Further appearances followed as part of the "Rocklegenden" tour with City and Karat, concluding in June 2016.
The concert recording "Das letzte Konzert" reached number two on the German album charts, the band's highest chart position after reunification. In April 2016, the Puhdys received an Echo award for lifetime achievement.
In 2019, reports emerged of a dispute between Dieter Birr and the other former members of the band concerning authorship and copyright issues related to early Puhdys compositions. The matter was settled out of court in July 2021, with the copyrights being awarded to Birr.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puhdys
Studio albums
Die Puhdys (1974)
Puhdys (1975)
Sturmvogel (1976)
Rock 'n' Roll Music (1976)
Perlenfischer (1977)
10 wilde Jahre (1978)
Heiß wie Schnee (1980)
Far from Home (1981)
Schattenreiter (1982)
Computer-Karriere (1983)
Das Buch (1984)
Ohne Schminke (1986)
Neue Helden (1989)
Wie ein Engel (1992)
Zeiten ändern sich (1994)
Frei wie die Geier (1997)
Wilder Frieden (1999)
Zufrieden? (2001)
Dezembertage (2001)
Undercover (2003)
Alles hat seine Zeit (2005)
Dezembernächte (2006)
Abenteuer - Jubiläumsalbum (20 Jahre Puhdys) (2009)
Es war schön (2012)
Heilige Nächte (2013)
This User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; Source: Last.fm.
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