Georg Danzer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Georg Danzer
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Danzer in 2006
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Georg Danzer |
| Also known as | Schurl |
| Born | 7 October 1946 |
| Origin | Vienna, Austria |
| Died | 21 June 2007 (aged 60) |
| Genres | Pop Folk rock Blues |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1967–2007 |
| Associated acts | Austria3 |
Georg Franz Danzer (born October 7, 1946, in Vienna – died June 21, 2007, in Asperhofen, Lower Austria) was a famous Austrian singer and songwriter. He was known as one of the first artists to create a style of music called Austropop. This style often featured songs sung in the local Viennese German dialect.
Some of his most popular songs were funny ones like "Jö schau" and "Hupf' in Gatsch." Even though he was a pioneer of Austropop, Georg Danzer preferred not to be labeled as part of that specific music style.
He was very successful as a solo artist. He also performed in a group called Austria3 with two other well-known musicians, Wolfgang Ambros and Rainhard Fendrich. Besides music, Danzer translated two books from Spanish into German. He cared deeply about social issues and often spoke out against unfairness, racism, and discrimination. He wrote about 400 songs during his career.
Contents
Georg Danzer's Early Life
Georg Danzer's father was a government official in Vienna. After finishing high school, Georg traveled around Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy by hitchhiking.
In 1966, he tried to get into the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna but wasn't accepted. Instead, he started studying Philosophy and Psychology in Vienna. In a 1968 interview, he mentioned wanting to study Journalism. The interviewer, Gerhard Bronner, jokingly told him to "shift to music soon."
Music Career Highlights
Starting His Music Journey (1967-1979)
Georg Danzer began writing and playing music in 1967 after a long trip. In 1968, he released his first song, Vera, and appeared on Austrian radio. However, he didn't get a record deal right away.
In 1970, an editor named Eva-Maria Kaiser noticed his talent. She suggested he could earn a living by writing song lyrics for other artists. For the next three years, he wrote songs for many singers, including Marianne Mendt, Erika Pluhar, André Heller, and Wolfgang Ambros. Georg often met with these young musicians at a place called Cabaret Fledermaus.
Around this time, many singer-songwriters started singing in the Viennese German dialect. Danzer was briefly part of a band called The Madcaps and wrote some of their songs.
In 1973, Danzer released his album Honigmond, which he partly paid for himself. In 1974, he released a special album called Der Tätowierer und die Mondprinzessin along with a book he illustrated.
His big breakthrough came in 1975 with the funny song "Jö schau." This song became number one in the Austrian music charts and stayed there for 20 weeks! In the same year, he released the album Ollas leiwand, which means "Everything's all right" in slang.
In 1976, Georg Danzer signed a contract with a big record company, Polydor Records. Five of his songs were used in the soundtrack for the TV series Kottan ermittelt. He also started to become more known in Germany. In 1977, he produced the album Unter die Haut in Berlin.
Growing Fame and Challenges (1979-1990)
By 1979, Georg Danzer was very popular. His "Georg Danzer Tournee 79" had 32 sold-out shows. He released a double live album the next year. More successful albums followed, like Traurig aber wahr (1980) and Ruhe vor dem Sturm (1981). People in Austria began to see that Danzer was more than just his hit song "Jö schau."
In 1981, Danzer performed 47 solo concerts. He also joined an outdoor tour with other famous musicians. In 1982, he published a book of his lyrics and stories. In 1983, Danzer was one of the first German-speaking musicians to release an album on CD.
In 1984, Danzer decided to change things up. He stopped working with his band and went to Munich to create the album Weiße Pferde. While filming a music video for the album, he had a serious bike accident. This caused him to return to Vienna for treatment. The following year, he faced several personal and professional difficulties.
In 1986, he signed a new record deal with Teldec. He also traveled to Spain to study Spanish. In 1988, he moved to Hamburg and then traveled to Egypt and Kenya. In 1989, Danzer and his new partner, Bettina, moved to a farm in Germany. There, he translated two books by a Spanish author.
Returning to Vienna and New Projects (1990s)
From 1990 onwards, Danzer spent more time in Vienna. He produced the album Wieder in Wien ("Back to Vienna") with other musicians like Peter Cornelius. The tour that followed in Austria was very successful. In 1992, he married Bettina, and their son Jonas was born.
His CD Nahaufnahme came out in 1993, and he toured Austria, Germany, and Switzerland for three months. In 1994, another son, Jakob, was born, and the family moved back to Austria. He released more albums, including Große Dinge (1995) and Liada ohne Grund, an album of Viennese songs.
On December 10, 1997, the group Austria3 was formed. Rainhard Fendrich brought Georg Danzer and Wolfgang Ambros together for a charity event to help homeless people. This turned into one of Austria's most successful music groups. In the same year, Danzer was the first European musician to release a CD with extra multimedia content. Even while touring with Austria3, he continued to release his own solo albums.
In 2000, Danzer became the president of "SOS Mitmensch," a human rights organization. In 2002, he released a double CD called Sonne & Mond. This album looked back at his 30 years of performing. In 2004, he released the album Persönlich, which featured other talented musicians.
Final Years and Legacy (2006-2007)
In September 2006, Georg Danzer shared that he was battling lung cancer. He had to cancel some concerts. In December 2006, he supported campaigns to warn people about the dangers of smoking.
His cancelled Vienna concert finally took place on April 16, 2007. His friends, Wolfgang Ambros and Rainhard Fendrich, joined him on stage for a few songs. This brought back the spirit of their Austria3 days. The concert was a huge success and was Georg Danzer's last public performance.
Georg Danzer passed away at home on June 21, 2007. He was cremated the next day. He wanted his burial place to be private. Only a few close friends were invited to the funeral. His long-time manager, Franz Christian "Blacky" Schwarz, was given the task of telling the news to the press a few hours after the burial. Before his death, Danzer had said he would not accept a special honorary grave from the Viennese authorities, which is usually given to very famous artists.
Discography
Georg Danzer released many albums throughout his career. Here are some of them:
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Awards and Recognition
Georg Danzer received several awards for his music:
- In 1993, he won the Swiss "Goldenes Ohr" award.
- In 1995, a Belgian radio station gave him the "Silver Antenna" award. This was because his song lyrics were used in schoolbooks more than any other artist worldwide.
- In 1996, he received Vienna's "Goldener Rathausmann" award.
- In 1999, Danzer, Ambros, and Fendrich (as Austria3) won the "BASF Master Award."
- In 2005, he won the Amadeus Austrian Music Award for "Best Album of 2004" for his album Persönlich.
- In 2007, he received a second "Amadeus" award for his entire life's work in music.
Books by and about Georg Danzer
Here are some books written by Georg Danzer or about him (all in German):
By Danzer:
- Die gnädige Frau und das rote Reptil. Erzählungen, Lieder, Gedanken, Betrachtungen, Heyne 1982, ISBN: 3-453-01585-1
- Auf und davon, Edition Tau 1993, ISBN: 3-900977-43-7
Translations by Danzer (from Spanish)
- Manuel Vicent: Mein Name ist Kain, Residenz Verlag, Salzburg 1991, ISBN: 3-7017-0695-6
- Manuel Vicent: Der Flug der erloschenen Schönheit, Residenz Verlag, Salzburg 1992, ISBN: 3-7017-0739-1
On Danzer
- Kathrin Brigl (Interviews) und Siegfried Schmidt-Joos (Edition): Selbstredend… Rowohlt, Reinbek 1985, 252 S., Ill., Interviewporträts mit Gerorg Danzer, Klaus Hoffmann, Peter Horton, Heinz Rudolf Kunze, Reinhard Mey, Erika Pluhar, Hans Scheibner, Stephan Sulke
- Beate Dapper (Hrsg.): Liedermacher. Ulla Meinecke, Klaus Hoffmann, Georg Danzer, Hannes Wader, Reinhard Mey. Bund-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1998, 75 S., Ill., ISBN: 978-3-7957-5685-7
- Georg Danzer: Jetzt oder nie. Im Gespräch mit Christian Seiler. Amalthea Signum, Wien 2006, 152 S., Gebunden, ISBN: 978-3-85002-584-3
