Drafi Deutscher

Drafi Deutscher entered the world as Drafi Richard Franz on May 9, 1946, in Berlin. By age eleven he was already entering talent contests, routinely delivering Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti” with raw, impassioned intensity. During his teenage years he performed with Charlie & the Timebombs before joining the Magics in 1963. That same year Decca Records signed him as a solo artist; his debut release for the label, “Teeny,” placed him on the German pop charts, where he remained a fixture for the balance of the decade. As time passed, Deutscher devoted more energy to songwriting and production, collaborating with Tina Rainford, Peter Orloff, Peggy March, and additional artists while frequently issuing material under assorted pseudonyms. On June 9, 2006, he succumbed in Frankfurt to pneumonia compounded by a weakened heart.