Werner Lämmerhirt
Encyclopedia
Werner Lämmerhirt is a noted German
singer-songwriter
and guitarist in the contemporary folk music
style. He writes and sings in both German and English languages. His recording career has spanned more than three decades.
, East Berlin
. Following the arrest of his father for alleged spying in 1957, his mother fled to West Berlin
with Lämmerhirt and his two sisters. They eventually settled in Schlachtensee
, Berlin. His father joined the family in West Berlin when Lämmerhirt was 12 years old, but he had become violent and drunken; Lämmerhirt believes this is why he has, since then, had a strong aversion to violence and injustice. This has influenced his songwriting. He had taken up the harmonica
and bought his first guitar - a 12 string - when he was 16. Rock
and blues clubs were springing up over Berlin in the mid-1960s and Werner picked up playing tips in these. In 1967 he dropped out of school and, accompanied by just his guitar and a sleeping bag, set out to travel around Scandinavia
, England
and Holland. For 3 years he travelled around Europe, spending the winters back in Berlin, doing whatever work was available, to finance his next trip. His influences at this time were, to begin with, mainstream performers such as the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan
and Donovan
. Later influences were legendary blues artists such as Big Bill Broonzy
and Mississippi John Hurt
. At the end of the 1960s British-style folk clubs had become very popular in Berlin, and Lämmerhirt decided to return to the city where he would spend the day busking in S-bahn
stations and the evening playing in folk clubs.
, who invited him to collaborate with him in making an album, "Ich hatte mir noch so viel vorgenommen". The success of this album led to Lämmerhirt accompanying Wader on tours - his first assignment as a professional musician. Werner collaborated with Wader on two further albums.
, Eddie and Finbar Furey
and Alex Campbell
.
In the winter of 1973-74 Lämmerhirt was approached with a proposal to record his first solo album on a new label
, Stockfisch Records
. This album, Ten Thousand Miles was successful, leading to further and larger live performances. Lämmerhirt began to write his own songs at this time, and his second solo album was released in 1975.
Lämmerhirt continues to tour in Germany and released his most recent CD in 2007.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and guitarist in the contemporary folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
style. He writes and sings in both German and English languages. His recording career has spanned more than three decades.
Early life
Lämmerhirt was born in AdlershofAdlershof
-External links:*...
, East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
. Following the arrest of his father for alleged spying in 1957, his mother fled to West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
with Lämmerhirt and his two sisters. They eventually settled in Schlachtensee
Schlachtensee
Schlachtensee is a lake in the south west of Berlin, in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough , on the edge of the Grunewald forest. The lake lends its name to the surrounding area and to the nearby Studentendorf Schlachtensee, a student residence...
, Berlin. His father joined the family in West Berlin when Lämmerhirt was 12 years old, but he had become violent and drunken; Lämmerhirt believes this is why he has, since then, had a strong aversion to violence and injustice. This has influenced his songwriting. He had taken up the harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
and bought his first guitar - a 12 string - when he was 16. Rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and blues clubs were springing up over Berlin in the mid-1960s and Werner picked up playing tips in these. In 1967 he dropped out of school and, accompanied by just his guitar and a sleeping bag, set out to travel around Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Holland. For 3 years he travelled around Europe, spending the winters back in Berlin, doing whatever work was available, to finance his next trip. His influences at this time were, to begin with, mainstream performers such as the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
. Later influences were legendary blues artists such as Big Bill Broonzy
Big Bill Broonzy
Big Bill Broonzy was a prolific American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. His career began in the 1920s when he played country blues to mostly black audiences. Through the ‘30s and ‘40s he successfully navigated a transition in style to a more urban blues sound popular with white audiences...
and Mississippi John Hurt
Mississippi John Hurt
John Smith Hurt, better known as Mississippi John Hurt was an American country blues singer and guitarist.Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself how to play the guitar around age nine...
. At the end of the 1960s British-style folk clubs had become very popular in Berlin, and Lämmerhirt decided to return to the city where he would spend the day busking in S-bahn
S-Bahn
S-Bahn refers to an often combined city center and suburban railway system metro in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark...
stations and the evening playing in folk clubs.
Early career
During this time he met with Hannes WaderHannes Wader
Hannes Wader is a German singer-songwriter . He was an important figure in German leftist circles from the 1970s on, with his songs covering such themes as socialist and communist resistance to oppression in Europe and other places like Latin America...
, who invited him to collaborate with him in making an album, "Ich hatte mir noch so viel vorgenommen". The success of this album led to Lämmerhirt accompanying Wader on tours - his first assignment as a professional musician. Werner collaborated with Wader on two further albums.
Solo career
Lämmerhirt worked as a session musician at this time with artists such as Tom PaxtonTom Paxton
Thomas Richard Paxton is an American folk singer and singer-songwriter who has been writing, performing and recording music for over forty years...
, Eddie and Finbar Furey
The Fureys
The Fureys are an Irish male folk band of four brothers - Eddie, Finbar, Paul and George, from Ballyfermot, Dublin. They have also been credited as The Fureys and Davey Arthur.The group formed in 1978 and consisted initially of four brothers....
and Alex Campbell
Alex Campbell (singer)
Alex Campbell was a Scottish folk singer. Described by Colin Harper as a "melancholic, hard-travelling Glaswegian", he was influential in the British folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s and was one of the first folk singers to tour the UK and Europe...
.
In the winter of 1973-74 Lämmerhirt was approached with a proposal to record his first solo album on a new label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Stockfisch Records
Stockfisch Records
Stockfisch Records is a record label aimed at audiophile fans of guitar-oriented singer-songwriter music and was formed in 1974 by Günter Pauler...
. This album, Ten Thousand Miles was successful, leading to further and larger live performances. Lämmerhirt began to write his own songs at this time, and his second solo album was released in 1975.
Lämmerhirt continues to tour in Germany and released his most recent CD in 2007.
Solo LPs
- Ten Thousand Miles (Stockfisch, 1974)
- With Friends, For Friends (Stockfisch, 1975)
- Die Dritte (Stockfisch, 1976)
- White Spots (Froggy Records, 1978)
- All Alone (Froggy Records, 1979)
- Roll On RiverRoll On RiverRoll On River is the 1981 album by the German Werner Lämmerhirt and British Wizz Jones, both of them noted solo folk guitarists, singers and songwriters. Jones had first met Lämmerhirt at the Steve Club in Berlin in the early 70's...
(with Wizz JonesWizz JonesRaymond Ronald Jones better-known as Wizz Jones is an English acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter. He has been performing since the late 1950s and recording from 1965 to the present...
) (Folk Freak, 1981) - Crossroads (Froggy Records, 1982)
- Personal Favourites (Froggy Records, 1986)
- White Water (Stockfisch, 1988)
Solo CDs
- Die frühen Jahre (The Early Years)( Stockfisch, 1991)
- In Between Times (Stockfisch, 1992)
- Collection I (Stockfisch, 1995)
- Collection II (Stockfisch, 1995)
- Mit Pauken und Trompeten (With Timpani and Trumpets) (Stockfisch, 1997)
- SaitenZauber (Magic Strings) (Stockfisch, 1999)
- Heimspiel (Home Game (Toca Records, 2003)
- Harte Zeiten (Hard Times) (Toca Records, 2007)
Other recordings featuring Werner Lämmerhirt
- Hannes Wader: Ich hatte mir noch so viel vorgenommen (1971)
- Hannes Wader: 7 Lieder (1972)
- Alex Campbell: Life Is Just That Way (1972)
- Folk-Pub Berlin (1972)
- Guy & Candy Carawan: Sitting On Top Of The World (1973)
- Acoustic Guitar Scene (1975)
- Ingelheim Festival (1975)
- Gitarre’76 (1976)
- Knut Kiesewetter: Fresenhoff (1976)
- Folk-Friends I (1978)
- Acoustic Guitar Festival (1979)
- Gitarrenspiele (1980)
- Hannes Wader: Es ist an der Zeit (1980)
- Folk-Friends II (1981)
- Hannes Wader: Liebeslieder (1985)
- Hannes Wader: Nie mehr zurück '(1991)
- Davey Arthur: The Big Easy (1996)