Dieter Bohlen

Born February 7, 1954, in Oldenburg, Germany, Dieter Bohlen gained his greatest renown as the songwriter and studio architect of Modern Talking’s signature Eurobeat style from the 1980s. The sound of the Beatles sparked his interest at age ten, prompting him to take up guitar and later keyboards. While pursuing economics at the University of Gotteingen he performed with several local groups; after graduation he circulated demo tapes to countless labels, meeting only rejection until Intersong, the Hamburg publisher, hired him in 1979 to write and produce. Over the ensuing years he oversaw an extensive catalog issued under the aliases Steve Benson, Ryan Simmons, Sunday, and Countdown G.T.O.

Bohlen encountered singer Thomas Anders in 1983 and together they launched Modern Talking, whose first single, “You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul,” appeared the following year. The pair scored repeated European club successes with tracks such as “Brother Louie” and “Cheri Cheri Lady.” Mounting friction dissolved the partnership in 1987, after which Bohlen recorded alone as Blue System; the project’s debut album, Walking on a Rainbow, yielded the hits “Sorry Little Sarah,” “She’s a Lady,” and “Gangster Love.” By the early 1990s Blue System’s sales had declined, leading Bohlen and Anders to resume their collaboration in 1994 under the Modern Talking name and to release Back for Good in 1998.