Werner Böhm, better known under his artist name Gottlieb Wendehals (5 June 1941 – 2 June 2020) was a German singer and musician.
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Biography
Böhm was born in Thorn in German-occupied Poland. In the late 1950s, he was the pianist with the "Cabinet Jazzmen" in Hamburg until the early 1960s, at the time one of the most popular jazz bands in Northern Germany. From 1970 to 1971 he was a jazz pianist in Hamburg at "Jazz House", "Riverkasematten", "Logo", "Dennis Swing Club", "Cotton Club", "Remter" and in the legendary "Onkel Po". Böhm accompanied on piano singers such as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Erroll Garner.
Böhm achieved his greatest commercial success with his character Gottlieb Wendehals, a bespectacled, bow-tie-wearing schlager singer with a chessboard pattern suit. His most successful hit "Polonäse Blankenese" spent nine weeks at the top of the German single charts in late 1981 and early 1982. Together with Karl Dall and Helga Feddersen he appeared in the comedy film Sunshine Reggae auf Ibiza (1983).
In 1982 he took part in the preliminaries of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Der Ohrwurm". He finished 11th in the second-last place. He was also involved, together with Michael Chambosse, as writer and composer of the song "Lady" (6th place), sung by his wife (at that time) Mary Roos and David Hanselmann. He died in Gran Canaria, Spain, three days short from his 79th birthday.
Discography
Singles
1979: Herbert
1980: Morgens Fango – Abends Tango
1981: Mensch ärgere Dich nicht
1981: Polonäse Blankenese
1982: Jap dadel dip, dadel dup dadel
1982: Der Ohrwurm
1982: Polonäse mit Getöse
1982: Damenwahl
1983: Schick, Schick Bum, Bum
1984: Get On Up
1984: I’m a Winner
1985: Schlappi Räp met Klaus Schlappner
1986: Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei
1990: Wenn die Nordlichter feiern
1990: Wenn die Kirschblüten blüh'n im Alten Land
1997: Samba Ramba Zamba
2000: Polonäse 2000
2004: King of the Jungle (Werner Böhm vs. Gottlieb Wendehals)
2004: Old Mac Donald
2004: Summertime – Sunny Days (Werner Böhm vs. Gottlieb Wendehals)
2006: Saalrunde
2006: Tarzan ist wieder da
2008: Fernsehen macht dumm dumm
Albums
1979: Polonäse Blankenese
1982: ErVolksLieder
1982: Polonäse mit Getöse
1983: Da kommt Freude auf
1983: Gran Canaria
1984: 84 AHEAD
1988: Polonäse Blankenese
1990: Freibier für Deutschland
1991: Wenn die Kirschblüten blüh'n
1998: Schmarozza
2009: Darf ich bitten, Polonäse
2020: Let's Party ohne Ende