Helen Schneider
Encyclopedia
Helen Schneider is an American
singer and actress working mainly in Germany
.
Born the daughter of Dvora and Abraham Schneider (the name is German and means tailor), she studied piano before starting to perform as a singer in venues in New England
and New York.
Between 1978 and 1984, she achieved success as a rock singer in Germany; her song Rock'n' Roll Gypsy reached the top 10 record chart
s and she received a Gold Record Award and shared the Goldene Europa Award with John Lennon. In 1980 she toured with the German rock legend Udo Lindenberg
. She played one of the leads and the love interest of Eddie Wilson in the 1983 film Eddie and the Cruisers
, which has since gained a huge cult following
, especially in unusual places for an American film such as Nepal
, Russia
and especially Germany, where Schneider had name recognition
.
In 1987, she began her acting career at the Theater des Westens in Berlin
playing the Sally Bowles in the musical Cabaret
. From 1995 to 1998, she performed as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard
by Andrew Lloyd Webber
. She worked with Eberhard Schoener
on the recording of the Short Opera (1996) and on the goodbye-song for the TV series Derrick
. From 1999 to 2001, she performed as Eva Perón
in the musical Evita at the Bad Hersfelder Festspiele. She received enormous acclaim for her one-woman performance pieces: A Walk on the Weill Side, A Voice and A Piano, and Transformations Ver.0.1. In 2006 she received the DIVA - German Entertainment Prize for her life time achievements.
In 2007 Helen Schneider returned to the recording business. She recorded three cd's with Edel Music. For "Dream a Little Dream" she received a golden cd award in jazz.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer and actress working mainly in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Born the daughter of Dvora and Abraham Schneider (the name is German and means tailor), she studied piano before starting to perform as a singer in venues in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and New York.
Between 1978 and 1984, she achieved success as a rock singer in Germany; her song Rock'n' Roll Gypsy reached the top 10 record chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
s and she received a Gold Record Award and shared the Goldene Europa Award with John Lennon. In 1980 she toured with the German rock legend Udo Lindenberg
Udo Lindenberg
Udo Lindenberg is a German rock musician and composer.-Career:Lindenberg started his musical career as a drummer. In 1969 Lindenberg founded his first band Free Orbit and also appeared as a studio and guest musician . In 1970 he collaborated as a drummer with jazz-saxophonist Klaus Doldinger in...
. She played one of the leads and the love interest of Eddie Wilson in the 1983 film Eddie and the Cruisers
Eddie and the Cruisers
Eddie and the Cruisers is a 1983 American film directed by Martin Davidson with the screenplay written by the director and Arlene Davidson, based on the novel by P. F. Kluge...
, which has since gained a huge cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
, especially in unusual places for an American film such as Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and especially Germany, where Schneider had name recognition
Name recognition
Name recognition is a concept used in politics to describe the number of people who are aware of a politician. It is considered an important factor in elections, as candidates with low name recognition are unlikely to receive votes from people who only casually follow politics. Name recognition is...
.
In 1987, she began her acting career at the Theater des Westens in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
playing the Sally Bowles in the musical Cabaret
Cabaret (musical)
Cabaret is a musical based on a book written by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The 1966 Broadway production became a hit and spawned a 1972 film as well as numerous subsequent productions....
. From 1995 to 1998, she performed as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard (musical)
Sunset Boulevard is a musical with book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Based on the 1950 film of the same title, the plot revolves around Norma Desmond, a faded star of the silent screen era, living in the past in her decaying mansion on the...
by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
. She worked with Eberhard Schoener
Eberhard Schoener
Eberhard Schoener is a German composer, conductor, arranger, and keyboard player."My message is the music. The goal of my life is to create an original form of contemporary music in which the opera, jazz, ethnical and electronic music melt together...
on the recording of the Short Opera (1996) and on the goodbye-song for the TV series Derrick
Derrick (TV series)
Derrick is a German TV series produced by Telenova Film und Fernsehproduktion in association with ZDF, ORF and SRG between 1974 and 1998 about Detective Chief Inspector Stephan Derrick and his loyal assistant Inspector Harry Klein , who solve murder cases in Munich and surroundings Derrick is a...
. From 1999 to 2001, she performed as Eva Perón
Eva Perón
María Eva Duarte de Perón was the second wife of President Juan Perón and served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. She is often referred to as simply Eva Perón, or by the affectionate Spanish language diminutive Evita.She was born in the village of Los Toldos in...
in the musical Evita at the Bad Hersfelder Festspiele. She received enormous acclaim for her one-woman performance pieces: A Walk on the Weill Side, A Voice and A Piano, and Transformations Ver.0.1. In 2006 she received the DIVA - German Entertainment Prize for her life time achievements.
In 2007 Helen Schneider returned to the recording business. She recorded three cd's with Edel Music. For "Dream a Little Dream" she received a golden cd award in jazz.
Discography
- 2010 CD The World We Knew" (Edel)
- 2009 CD Working Girl - The Very Best of Helen Schneider (Edel)
- 2008 CD Dream a Little Dream
- 2007 CD Just Like A Woman
- 2001 CD Cool Heat (Elysium Recordings)
- 2000 CD A Voice and A Piano (Preiser Records)
- 1996 CD Rock'n'Roll Gypsy (WEA Warner Music, 1996; Compilation of WEA-Alben, i.e. "Schneider With The Kick")
- 1995 CD Right as Rain
- 1991 CD Vagabond
- 1995 CD Songs of Kurt Weill (Tomato, reissue with changed tracklisting and bonus track „Barbara's Song“)
- 1989 CD Walk on the Weill Side
- 1988 CD Back On Track (CBS)
- 1983 EP Smuggled Out A-Live (Warner Music; Live-EP)
- 1983 LP The Best of Helen Schneider (WEA Warner Music, 1983; LP)
- 1983 LP Breakout (WEA Warner Music, 1983; LP)
- 1982 LP Exposed (WEA Warner Music, 1982; LP)
- 1981 LP Schneider with the Kick (WEA Warner Music, 1981/ 1992)
- 1980 LP Crazy Lady (WEA Warner Music, 1980; LP)
- 1979 LP Ein Mädchen aus New York – Live in Hamburg (RCA, 1979; LP) - (Transl.: a girl from New York)
- 1978 LP Let It Be Now
- 1977 LP So Close
External links
- www.helenschneider.com official homepage
- www.helenschneider.de official Edel homepage