Die Flippers stood as a cornerstone of German pop music, amassing a string of successes that stretched across five decades. In Knittlingen during 1964, Manfred Durban, Claus Backhaus, Franz Halmich, Manfred Mössner, Manfred Hehl, and Hans Springer launched the band under the initial name Die Dancing Band. Over the following years the sextet became a fixture on the regional club scene, though membership shifted several times as Bernd Hengst took the place of Springer, Roland Bausert filled the vacancy left by Mössner, and Olaf Malolepski stepped in for Hehl. National attention arrived with the 1969 single “Weine Nicht, Kleine Eva,” the first release issued under the Flippers name. Their ascent to stardom was sealed the next year by “Sha La La, I Love You,” after which they maintained a steady presence on the charts throughout the 1970s with tracks such as 1974’s “Rosemarie,” 1975’s “Luana,” and 1977’s “Kinder des Sommers.” Backhaus departed in 1974; five years later Bausert, who had supplied lead vocals on many of the group’s signature recordings, also exited. With Albin Berger assuming his role the band’s popularity faded sharply, yet Bausert’s return in 1985 restored them to the upper reaches of the charts through singles including “Auf Rote Rosen Fallen Tränen” and “Die Rote Sonne von Barbados.” When Bausert stepped away once more in 1987—this time joining forces with Albin Berger—the remaining members Durban, Hengst, and Malolepski carried on as a trio and unexpectedly recaptured commercial momentum. Fresh hits such as “Sommerwind,” “Sieben Tage,” and “Ein Herz aus Schokolade” kept the act prominent on the charts well into the twenty-first century.
