Bert Kaempfert (1923–1980), one of the most famous representatives of easy listening, developed his own unmistakable style early on with titles such as Danke Schoen, A Swingin’ Safari, and Red Roses for a Blue Lady—and made music history. He discovered and produced The Beatles, arranged for Elvis Presley, and helped Al Martino make a comeback with Spanish Eyes. His own biggest success was Strangers in the Night—a century-defining hit.  

But the road to his breakthrough was long and rocky. The saying about a prophet being without honor in his own country certainly applied to the Hamburg native, because the long-awaited success only came in the United States. “The most fascinating German export since Dietrich,” wrote an editor of the Sunday Ledger Inquirer in 1961 about Kaempfert’s major success with Wonderland by Night, the first No. 1 hit by a German artist in the U.S.  

Around 400 compositions and more than 750 arrangements came from his pen and made him immortal. By 1980 he had sold more than 150 million records.  

Bert Kaempfert – first broadcast: 22 November 2003 on NDR Fernsehen (12.2% audience share)