Herbert Grönemeyer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Herbert Grönemeyer
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Grönemeyer in 2014
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Herbert Arthur Wiglev Clamor Grönemeyer |
| Born | 12 April 1956 Göttingen, West Germany |
| Origin | Bochum, Germany |
| Genres | Rock, pop rock, soft rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, producer, composer, actor |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano, guitar |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Labels | EMI, Grönland |
Herbert Grönemeyer is a famous German singer, musician, and actor. He was born on April 12, 1956. Herbert is very popular in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
He became well-known for his role as Lieutenant Werner in the 1981 movie Das Boot. After that, he mostly focused on his music. His albums 4630 Bochum (from 1984) and Mensch (from 2002) are among the best-selling records in Germany. Herbert Grönemeyer is one of Germany's most successful artists, with over 13 million albums sold.
Contents
Early Life and Music Start
Herbert Grönemeyer was born in Göttingen. However, he often says his true home is Bochum. He spent most of his childhood and youth there. His brother, Dietrich Grönemeyer, is a medical professor.
Herbert became interested in music when he was 8 years old. That's when he started taking piano lessons. These lessons helped him become a pianist and composer later on.
Herbert Grönemeyer's Career
Herbert's piano skills led him to work at the Schauspielhaus Bochum, a local theater. In 1979, he acted in a play called The Merchant of Venice in Cologne. Even though he never went to acting school, he soon appeared in many TV shows. He met his future wife, actress Anna Henkel-Grönemeyer, during one of these filmings.
In 1978, Herbert released an album with a jazz group called Ocean Orchestra. He also wrote music for a film that year. His first solo album, Grönemeyer, came out in 1979. It even won an award for having the "ugliest album cover"! His second album, Zwo, was released in 1981. Neither of these first two albums became very popular.
Acting Success and Musical Focus
In 1981, Herbert starred in Wolfgang Petersen's hit movie Das Boot. He played Lieutenant Werner. He also spent six months in East Germany for his role as composer Robert Schumann in the movie Spring Symphony. He even wrote the music for that film.
In the early 1980s, Herbert decided to focus more on his music. His next two albums, Total egal (1982) and Gemischte Gefühle (1983), didn't do well. Many of his planned concerts had to be canceled.
Breakthrough with 4630 Bochum
Herbert Grönemeyer finally found success as a musician in 1984. He released the album 4630 Bochum. This album became the best-selling album in Germany that year. Songs like "Männer" and "Flugzeuge im Bauch" were especially popular.
A year later, Herbert appeared in the TV movie Väter und Söhne. He also took part in Germany's first big charity event for AIDS awareness. In his album Sprünge (1986), he started to share his thoughts on important issues. In 1986, he performed at the Anti-WAAhnsinns Festival against nuclear power. He also won an award for his music in the TV film Sommer in Lesmona.
Herbert's next album, Ö (1988), also came out in an English version called What's all this. This album did well in Canada. After the Berlin Wall came down, Herbert released the album Luxus. In this album, he sang about the feelings of people in East and West Germany.
International Recognition and Personal Challenges
More than 600,000 people attended his tour after the Luxus album. In 1994, MTV invited Herbert Grönemeyer to perform an "unplugged" concert. He was the first artist who didn't sing in English to be asked.
Four years later, Herbert moved to London. He released the album Bleibt alles anders (Everything Remains Different). He also started his own record label, Grönland Records. In the same year, he faced a very difficult time. His brother Wilhelm and his wife Anna both passed away from cancer within four days of each other. It took Herbert a year to start working on music again. In 2000, he recorded a concert with an orchestra and released a DVD called Stand der Dinge.
In August 2002, he released his album Mensch (Human). It was so popular that it went Platinum even before it was officially released! The song "Mensch" became Herbert's first number one hit in Germany. About 1.5 million people saw his 2-year tour for this album. In 2004 and 2006, Herbert recorded songs for big sports events. He sang "Everlasting" for the Olympic Games in Athens and "Celebrate the Day" for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
In March 2007, he released his 12th studio album, 12. This was followed by a big stadium tour across German-speaking countries. He also played smaller concerts in Amsterdam, Munich, Dresden, and London's Royal Albert Hall.
Herbert tried to release English versions of his albums What's all this, Luxus, and Chaos. However, they didn't sell very well in English-speaking countries. He was supposed to perform in New York City in 2007, but the show was canceled.
In January 2010, Herbert sang the song "Komm zur Ruhr" for the opening of "RUHR.2010". This event celebrated the city of Essen as the "European Capital of Culture 2010".
In March 2011, Herbert released his album Schiffsverkehr. It became a number-one album in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. His tour for this album in 2011 had an audience of 550,000 people.
His English-language album, I Walk, came out in the U.S. in February 2013. He played his first American concerts in Chicago and New York. The album featured guest artists like Bono from U2 and James Dean Bradfield from the Manic Street Preachers. It was released in the UK in October 2012.
In 2005, TIME magazine called him a "European Hero" for his work helping others.
Herbert Grönemeyer's 2014 album Dauernd jetzt won the Goldene Kamera award for the best German album of 2014 and 2015. Herbert also won the Best National Music award himself. In March 2015, he won an Echo award for this album too.
On November 25, 2016, his new album Live aus Bochum was released. This album has live recordings from concerts he gave in Bochum's Ruhrstadion in July 2015.
Discography
Studio Albums
- 1979 Grönemeyer
- 1980 Zwo
- 1982 Total egal
- 1983 Gemischte Gefühle
- 1984 4630 Bochum
- 1986 Sprünge
- 1988 Ö
- 1990 Luxus
- 1993 Chaos
- 1998 Bleibt alles anders
- 2002 Mensch
- 2007 12
- 2011 Schiffsverkehr
- 2014 Dauernd jetzt
- 2018 Tumult
- 2023 Das ist los
Filmography
- 1981: Das Boot as Lt. Werner
- 1983: Spring Symphony as Robert Schumann
- 2007: Control as Local GP (a small role)
- 2010: The American (Herbert Grönemeyer wrote the music for this film)
- 2014: A Most Wanted Man (Herbert Grönemeyer wrote the music for this film)
See also
In Spanish: Herbert Grönemeyer para niños
