Jürgen von der Lippe

Germany's veteran musical humorist Hans-Jürgen Dohrenkamp first performed under the stage name Jurgen von der Lippe in 1976, drawing the moniker from Lipperland. His initial outing came with the novelty ensemble Gebrüder Blattschuss, whose practice of fitting fresh comic lyrics to familiar German melodies brought immediate popularity. The following year he issued his first solo record, Sing was Süsses, while still delivering a second Gebrüder Blattschuss album and launching parallel work as a radio and television host. By 1979 he had completed the solo set Extra Drei and parted ways with the group.

A regular WDR radio variety program, screen roles in both television and cinema, and additional recordings occupied him for most of the 1980s. In 1989 he began presiding over the long-running game show Geld oder Liebe, in which contestants weighed cash prizes against romantic prospects; the series continued until 2001. By then he had already expanded into book and DVD projects, leaving him positioned for fresh ventures. Extensive touring filled 2002 and 2003, after which he assumed the lead in the 2004 sitcom Heiland auf Dem Eiland. Two years later he received the Adolf Grimme Award for hosting the competition program Extreme Activity.