Texas Lightning
Encyclopedia
Texas Lightning is a German
quintet
from Hamburg which fits in the country music
genre and describes itself as old fashioned and hip. Their music is a mix of country and pop
drawing from country classic stars like Patsy Cline
, Loretta Lynn
, Johnny Cash
and Tammy Wynette
and pop stars such as ABBA
, Nancy Sinatra
, Linda Ronstadt
, Madonna
, Michael Jackson
and the Beatles, performed with some country humour. The band members are Olli Dittrich
as Ringofire (drums and vocals), Jon Flemming Olsen as The Flame (vocals and guitar), Markus Schmidt as Fastfinger (electric guitar and banjo), Uwe Frenzel as Friendly (doublebass and vocals) and Australian Jane Comerford
(vocals and ukulele). The band's first performance took place on December 23, 2000, in the music club "Knust" in Hamburg
, as Texas Lightning & The Rodeo Rockets, although there have been various changes in the lineup of the band since.
and represented Germany in the Finals on May 20, 2006 in Athens
, Greece
. The winning song was "No No Never
", written and composed by Jane Comerford. They became the first country band to participate in the ESC. The song finished 15th place with 36 points, much to Germany's surprise, as they expected a better outcome.
"No No Never" was released as a single in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It reached number 1 on the German Media Control Charts
, number 4 in Austria and number 6 in Switzerland.
and the submittal by Texas State Senator
Tommy Williams, the members of Texas Lightning were, by Proclamation 603 before the Texas Senate, declared to be Honorary Texans. The proclamation was passed by the senate in June 2006.
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...
quintet
Quintet
A quintet is a group containing five members.It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single unit....
from Hamburg which fits in the country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
genre and describes itself as old fashioned and hip. Their music is a mix of country and pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
drawing from country classic stars like Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline , born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Gore, Virginia, was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville sound in the early 1960s...
, Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
and Tammy Wynette
Tammy Wynette
Virginia Wynette Pugh, known professionally as Tammy Wynette , was an American country music singer-songwriter and one of the genre's best-known artists and biggest-selling female vocalists....
and pop stars such as ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
, Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"....
, Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
and the Beatles, performed with some country humour. The band members are Olli Dittrich
Olli Dittrich
Olli Dittrich is a German actor, comedian, television personality and musician.- Life :Dittrich became in Germany famous for his work as actor and comedian in German television comedy-programme RTL Samstag Nacht. He sang in band Die Doofen. As musician he also plays in band Texas Lightning...
as Ringofire (drums and vocals), Jon Flemming Olsen as The Flame (vocals and guitar), Markus Schmidt as Fastfinger (electric guitar and banjo), Uwe Frenzel as Friendly (doublebass and vocals) and Australian Jane Comerford
Jane Comerford
Jane Comerford is a singer, songwriter, lecturer and vocal coach working in Germany.-Education:Jane has an extensive musical and music-related education. She studied violin and piano for 12 years, and later music theory, and graduated from Newcastle Conservatorium...
(vocals and ukulele). The band's first performance took place on December 23, 2000, in the music club "Knust" in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, as Texas Lightning & The Rodeo Rockets, although there have been various changes in the lineup of the band since.
Eurovision Song Contest
On March 9, 2006 Texas Lightning won the German heat for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
and represented Germany in the Finals on May 20, 2006 in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. The winning song was "No No Never
No No Never
"No No Never" was the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, performed in English by Texas Lightning. While Germany had finished the 2005 Contest in last place, their position as one of the Contest's "Big Four" ensured the song an automatic final berth...
", written and composed by Jane Comerford. They became the first country band to participate in the ESC. The song finished 15th place with 36 points, much to Germany's surprise, as they expected a better outcome.
"No No Never" was released as a single in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It reached number 1 on the German Media Control Charts
Media Control Charts
The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...
, number 4 in Austria and number 6 in Switzerland.
Honorary Texas Citizenship
Through a nomination by Steve Sivek of Baytown, TexasBaytown, Texas
Baytown is a city within Harris County and partially in Chambers County in the Gulf Coast region of the U.S. state of Texas. Located within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, it lies along both State Highway 146 and Interstate 10. As of 2010, Baytown had an population of 71,802...
and the submittal by Texas State Senator
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
Tommy Williams, the members of Texas Lightning were, by Proclamation 603 before the Texas Senate, declared to be Honorary Texans. The proclamation was passed by the senate in June 2006.
Album
- 2006 "Meanwhile, Back at The RanchMeanwhile, Back at the Ranch (album)Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch… is a pop/country album by the German band Texas Lightning, made up of country-style covers of pop songs. The album was re-released on 3 March 2006 including the song "No No Never" from Texas Lightning's Eurovision entry...
" (Gold Status) - 2009 "Western Bound"
Singles
- 2005 "Like a Virgin"
- 2006 "No No Never" (Platinum Status)
- 2006 "I Promise"
- 2009 "Seven Ways to Heaven"
External links
- Texas Lightning website in German and English
- Germans ask why Europe hates them after Eurovision - article about the aftermath of Eurovision 2006