To convey the remarkable appeal that German folksinger Heino holds for those outside his native culture, picture crowds of devoted admirers spanning generations who once swooned over Elvis Presley. Replace the American icon with a solo-named blond senior wearing rectangular vinyl-framed glasses, whose extraordinarily deep baritone delivers rousing polkas and marches.
During the 1980s his fame extended beyond Germany into other parts of Europe and over the ocean. Observers occasionally treat him as a curiosity, yet he ranks among the nation’s foremost vocalists and is revered at home as an “uberstar.” Record sales there eclipsed those of the Beatles, prompting German prime-time television to devote a 90-minute program to his 60th birthday under the title Der Goldene Heino (The Golden Heino). Devoted followings emerged, including the Cosmic Order of Heino, whose members hold that extraterrestrials implanted a chip in the singer’s brain linked to the welfare of humankind. One album cover shows him dressed in 1960s-inspired attire of peg pants and turtlenecks.
Born Heinz Georg Kramm, he lost his father in the 1940s. As a youth he learned accordion while training as a baker and working in Düsseldorf’s finer restaurants. His debut professional performance occurred in 1955; by 1960 he had abandoned baking for a full-time singing career. Discovery by Ralf Bendix in 1965 led to a recording contract, after which his first single exceeded 100,000 copies sold. The follow-up single, “Wenn die Bunten Fahnen Weh’n,” earned gold certification. Decades later he remains active on stage and tour. His wife, Hannelore, Princess of Auersperg, joined him in 1984 for the duet album Die Liebe Ist das Gold des Lebens.
Following a long studio absence, Heino returned in 2013 with Mit Freundlichen Grüßen, a collection of covers drawn from German hard-rock, punk, and hip-hop artists that debuted at number one and restored him to widespread attention.
