Roberto Blanco
Encyclopedia
Roberto Blanco was born 7 June 1937 in Tunis, Tunisia. Of Afro-Cuban
origin, Blanco is a German-speaking Schlager
singer and actor.
and Madrid
. When Roberto was two, his mother died. After finishing school he began to study medicine in Madrid, but quit after two semesters.
(The Star of Africa). His singing career began with Josephine Baker
. In the 1960s he became a hit star in his own right and appeared in various films – among them Johannes Mario Simmel
penned Alle Menschen werden Brüder (All People Become Brothers) and the Erich Kästner
adaptation Drei Männer im Schnee (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 This). Following that, Blanco recorded a number of hit albums. His music career peaked in 1972 with Ein bisschen Spass muss sein (A Little Fun Is Mandatory) and Der Puppenspieler von Mexiko (The Puppeteer of Mexico). Since then he appeared on numerous music and variety TV shows, most frequently on ZDF
's Hitparade.
Afro-Cuban
The term Afro-Cuban refers to Cubans of Sub Saharan African ancestry, and to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community...
origin, Blanco is a German-speaking Schlager
Schlager
Schlager music is a style of popular music prevalent in Central and Northern Europe and the Balkans and also in France and Poland. In Portugal, it was adapted and became pimba music...
singer and actor.
Early life
Blanco is the son of Cuban folklorist and artist Alfonso Zerquera and his wife Mercedes Blanco. He grew up in BeirutBeirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
and Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. 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 AfrikaDer Stern von Afrika
Der Stern von Afrika is a 1957 black-and-white German war film portraying the combat career of Luftwaffe World War II fighter pilot Hans-Joachim Marseille. It stars Joachim Hansen and Marianne Koch and was directed by Alfred Weidenmann...
(The Star of Africa). His singing career began with Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker was an American dancer, singer, and actress who found fame in her adopted homeland of France. She was given such nicknames as the "Bronze Venus", the "Black Pearl", and the "Créole Goddess"....
. 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
Johannes Mario 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 the end of World War II...
penned Alle Menschen werden Brüder (All People Become Brothers) and the Erich Kästner
Erich Kästner
Emil Erich Kästner was a German author, poet, screenwriter and satirist, known for his humorous, socially astute poetry and children's literature.-Dresden 1899–1919:...
adaptation Drei Männer im Schnee (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 This). Following that, Blanco recorded a number of hit albums. His music career peaked in 1972 with Ein bisschen Spass muss sein (A Little Fun Is Mandatory) and Der Puppenspieler von Mexiko (The Puppeteer of Mexico). Since then he appeared on numerous music and variety TV shows, most frequently on ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
's Hitparade.
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
- 1972 – Ich komm' zurück nach AmarilloIs This the Way to AmarilloIn the United States, a version by the writer of the song Neil Sedaka made to number 44 in the Billboard charts in 1977, and the title was shortened to "Amarillo".-Tony Christie featuring Peter Kay version:...
- 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 MarshallTony Marshall (singer)Tony Marshall is a German Schlager and opera singer.Born in Baden-Baden as Herbert Anton Bloeth , Marshall trained as an opera singer in Karlsruhe, graduating in 1965...
) - 1992 – Limbo auf Jamaika (duet with Tony Marshall)
- 1996 – Da ist die Tür (feat. Lotto King Karl)
- 1999 – Last Christmas (with Frank Luis y su traditional Habana Orchester)
- 2001 – Born to Be Alive (with The Disco BoysThe Disco BoysThe Disco Boys are a German two-man DJ team from Hamburg, which consists of Raphael Krickow and Gordon Hollenga. They are disco and house music producers and are better know from playing at the German Love Parade, Nature One, and the Mayday and Life Ball festivals in Austria.Even though the group...
) - 2004 – Ein bisschen Spaß muss sein (new version with Captain JackCaptain Jack (band)Captain Jack is a musical duo, specializing in Eurodance music, originating from Germany.- History :Its members were Francisco Alejandro Gutierrez , and Sunny...
)