Reinhard Mey

The renowned author, composer, and performer Reinhard Mey was born Reinhard Friedrich Michael Mey on 21 December 1942 in Berlin, Germany and is also known in France under the name of Frédérik Mey, forging a career in both countries simultaneously. After tinkering around with the piano, guitar, and trumpet as a child, he began to develop an interest in the folk style of skiffle and in 1957 joined a skiffle-led group called the Rotten Radish Skiffle Guys. He formed the group Les Trois Affamés four years later and abandoned his economic studies in order to focus on music full-time. He released his debut album Ich wollte wie Orpheus singen in 1967 and the following year was awarded the prestigious Prix International de la Chanson française, becoming the first non-French singer to receive the award. He found commercial success during the 1970s with Ich Bin Aus Jenem Holze, which achieved gold certification and reached number eight in Germany, and 1972's Mein Achtel Loorbeerblatt, which charged to the top of the charts. In 1983 he was awarded the Verdienstkreuz am Bande in Germany (Cross of Merit on ribbon) and in 2001 the Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse (Cross of Merit, First class). In 2007, now with countless albums under his belt, he achieved platinum certification for Bunter Hund and the same for Dann Mach's Gut in 2013. His career in France, recording under the name of Frédérik Mey, yielded seven volumes of self-titled albums between 1968 and 2005. His discography was completed in 2023 with a live album, In Wien - The Song Maker, which went to number three on the German and Austrian charts.

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