Bill Ramsey (singer)


Bill Ramsey is a German-American jazz and pop singer, journalist and actor famous for his German-language hits.

Biography

William McGreery Ramsey, called Bill, was the son of a teacher and an advertising manager for Procter & Gamble . In his youth, he sang in a college dance band. He began to study sociology and business from 1949 to 1951 at Yale University in New Haven and sang jazz, Swing and Blues in the evenings. His greatest influences were Count Basie, Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington and Louis Jordan. Due to the Korean War, compulsory military service was again introduced in the USA and Bill Ramsey served with the U.S. Air Force in Germany. During this time period, he appeared in clubs like Jazz Cellar in Frankfurt and was discovered by an employee of AFN and hired to entertain troops. There Ramsey advanced to executive producer and had, although still in service, more time for appearances at festivals. As of 1953, he appeared with, among others, Ernst Mosch, Paul Kuhn, Kurt Edelhagen and James Last. The jazz pianist and music producer Heinz Gietz organized an appearance with Hessischer Rundfunk for Bill Ramsey in 1955. There he did Playback – recordings for the musical film love, dance and 1000 hits with Peter Alexander and Caterina Valente. Upon his discharge from the military he continued his studies in America and returned to Frankfurt in 1957.
Producer Heinz Gietz took Ramsey under contract in 1958 and in the same year his first single with Polydor was released. It was a small but respectable success and launched the style, with which ”the man with the black voice” would land hits in the future. The music was oriented on the hits of that period Anglo American pop music. Among Ramsey’s hits published in the 1950s and 1960s were German-language cover versions of Hank Ballard, The Beatles, Fats Domino, Ivory Joe Hunter, Roger Miller, Elvis Presley, Jimmie Rodgers, Andy Williams, Sheb Wooley and others. In addition, numerous originals, which were composed almost exclusively by Heinz Gietz. The ironical texts of Kurt Feltz or Hans Bradtke often commented current events.
Ramsey and Gietz signed to Columbia label EMI Group in 1962, where they would continue their success. Amid the 1960s as Beatmusik changed the market, Bill Ramsey was a regular in the German Charts. His popularity provided numerous appearances in film and television, where he was seen as a singer and in comedy roles. In the second half of the 1960s Ramsey took up predominantly English-language songs and dedicated himself again to jazz and blues. In this musically varied decade he presented Operette, Musical and Beat songs as well as a LP with Children’s songs. Ramsey changed to Heinz Gietz’ record company Cornet in 1966, and later in the same year to Polydor. He appeared on different labels in the 1970s.
Ramsey had innumerable television appearances, played in 28 films and toured through Europe, the USA, and North Africa. He presented the television shows Hits for Schlappohren and Talent Shed , among others. He was a lecturer for many years at Hamburg University for Music and Performing Arts. Ramsey appears regularly as pop and jazz singer, mostly in duet with the guitarist Juraj Galan, with whom it released several albums. The duo's LP Live in the House of Commons won the German record critics prize. Bill Ramsey is a commentator every Friday on Radio HR2’s Swingtime. In 2008 and 2009 he was on tour with Max Greger and Hugo Strasser as Swing legends. Ramsey lived occasionally in Zurich, later in Wiesbaden and since 1991 with his fourth wife Petra in Hamburg. He became a German citizen on October 17, 1984. His wife is a doctor, and works as his manager.

Discography (selection)

Singles

YearTitleChartposition Label/Catalogue no.
1958Yes, Fanny, ich tu das
So ein Stroll in Tirol		Polydor NH 23 738
1958Wumba-Tumba Schokoladeneisverkäufer
Casa Bambu		4Polydor NH 23 883
1959Er war vom konstantinopelitanischen Gesangsverein
Cecilia		Polydor NH 24 002
1959Souvenirs
Mach keinen Heck-Meck		1Polydor NH 24 037
1959Caldonia
Big Fat Mama		Columbia C 21 261
1959Hier könn' Matrosen vor Anker geh'n
Go Man Go		Polydor NH 24 090
1960Go Man Go
Rockin' Mountain		Polydor NH 66 812
1960Telefon aus Paris
Gina, Gina		39Polydor NH 24 211
1960Jeden Tag 'ne andre Party
Die Welt ist rund		Polydor NH 24 330
1961Pigalle
Café Oriental		6Polydor NH 24 428
1961Telefon fra Paris
Pigalle 		Polydor NH 22 974
1961Immer zieht es mich zu ihr
Missouri Cowboy 		10Polydor NH 24 437
1961Zuckerpuppe
Das Mädchen mit dem aufregenden Gang		5Polydor NH 24 553
1961Das Leben ist doll
Ich habe beides ausprobiert – kein Vergleich		45Polydor NH 24 616
1962Nichts gegen die Weiber
Mach ein Foto davon		25Polydor NH 24 663
1962Old Jonny war ein Wunderkind
Hilly Billy Banjo Bill		47Polydor NH 24 774
1962Brauner Señor Mexicano
Keine Zeit und kein Geld 		Polydor NH 24 915
1962Ohne Krimi geht die Mimi nie ins Bett
Flotter Dampfer		3Columbia C 22 197
1962Mimi Needs A Thriller When She Goes To Bed
Sailors Need A Girl In Every Port		Columbia F 4948
1963Maskenball bei Scotland Yard
Hallo, Boss, Hallo		8Columbia C 22 333
1963Sagst du alles deiner Frau?
Zwei alte Freunde 		Columbia C 22 397
1963Parlez-vous Francais?
Canary-Blues		51Columbia C 22 456
1963Molly
Feuerwasser und Liebe		Columbia C 22 512
1963Es gibt doch immer wieder Ärger
Na na, nanu? 		Electrola E 22 515
1964Bossa Nova Baby
Wer heißt hier Jonny?		14Columbia C 22 635
1964Ein bequemer Arbeitnehmer bin ich nicht
Käpt'n Brown von Clipper 107		Columbia C 22 689
1964Ein Student aus Heidelberg
Schöne Mädchen haben's gerne		21Columbia C 22 701
1964Zicke Zacke Hoi
Wenn ich Geigen hör', muß ich weinen		Columbia C 22 842
1965Chug-a-lug
Was kann denn ich dafür		Columbia C 22 884
1965Bin nur ein Tramp
Kiss me Candy		Columbia C 22 888
1965Crazy Cowboy Grand Hotel
Unter Wasser		Columbia C 23 012
1966Fat Man
What You Gonna Do Now Girl 		Cornet 3012
1966Hollywood-Schaukellied
Le Tour de France		Polydor 52 699
1966Yellow Submarine
Such dir was Liebes		Polydor 52 725
1967Limonade wär' besser gewesen
Wenn die großen Krokodile nicken		Polydor 52 770
1967Body Building Bill aus Boston
No, no – nicht so!		Polydor 52 874
1968Otto ist auf Frauen scharf
Verlieb' dich nicht in ein Hippie-Mädchen		Polydor 53 043
1968Piccadilly Circus
Die Welt, die ist kaputt		Polydor 53 066
ca. 1968Blue-Eyed Lady
Early in the Morning 		Heco S 45 007
1969Gesellschaftsspiele
Ein zauberhafter Sommer 		Polydor 53 130
1969Sing ein kleines Lied vom Frieden
Bye, bye, Sadie 		Polydor 53 155
1970Haschisch Halef Omar
High And Happy		Cornet 3165
1993Probier's mal mit Gemütlichkeit
Probier's mal mit Gemütlichkeit
Theme from Panic At The Jungle		ZYX Music 706012

EPs