Various - History Hootenanny in Ost-Berlin (CD)

1-CD Digipak (4-sided) with 40-page booklet, 35 tracks. Total playing time approx. 80 minutes.

• An impressive audio document telling the history of singer/songwriters and folk musicians in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) during the 1960s.
• Actors and vocalists like Wolfgang Dehler and Gerry Wolff, the beat band Team 4 and crooner Fred Frohberg.
• Contains rare recordings by Manfred Krug, Bettina Wegner and Perry Friedman.
• Pete Seeger’s contributions were recorded during a public performance at West Berlin’s ‚Schaubühne’ in January, 1967.

Since 1941 the Almanac Singers (Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, a.o.) called their informal performances ‚Hoontenanny’. The first German Honntenanny took place in the ‚Zentralen Klub der Jugend und Sportler’ (Central Club of youth and sports) in East Berlin’s Stalinallee. , It was the Canadian folk singer Perry Friedman who brought the Hootenanny to the GDR. Friedman had lived in East Berlin since 1959.

In the fall of 1965, hardliners in the central committee of the SED (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands) stopped the liberal course of the ‚Communique of the Youth’ and banned critical motion pictures, singer/songwriter Wolf Biermann, and many beat bands. Now folk songs, chansons and Hootenannies were promoted and supported instead.

In early 1967, Pete Seeger, icon of the American folk song, came to West and East Berlin. He sang at the ‚Schaubühne’ (West), and at the ‚Volksbühne’ (East). GDR televison recorded and filmed his show at the ‚Klub der Jugend und Sportler’. Also performing that night was the Hootenanny-Klub Berlin. After February 8, 1967 it was no longer allowed to use the term ‚Hoontenanny’. Bands and singers were no longer allowed to bear English names. The Hoontenanny-Klub now was called Oktober-Klub and became the flagship of the ‚Singebewegung’ which was promoted and regimented by the FDJ, the youth organisation of the SED.

This collection presents some oft he most popular folk acts and sionger/songwriters from the German Democratic Republic.

Perry Friedman: Tumbalalaika - Careless Love - Zwischen Berg und tiefem Tal ,Lin Jaldati: As der Rebbe weijnt - Wenn die Lichter wieder brennen ,
Gerry Wolff: Kling-klang - Treue ,
Manfred Krug: Es geht eine dunkle Wolk herein - Ballade vom Briefträger William L. Moore ,
Fred Frohberg: Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho - Das Lied von der Kirschblüte ,
Christel Schulze &, Klaus Schneider: Zogen einst fünf wilde Schwäne - Liebeslied ,
Horst Schulze: Ballade vom Weib und dem Soldaten ,
Wolfgang Dehler: Brasilianisches Volkslied ,
Bettina Wegner: Jan Bernd Walther: Und der Wind streicht mir sanft durch die Haare ,
Hootenanny-Klub Berlin / Oktober-Klub: Knüpflied auf eine Unruhestifterin - Es saß ein schneeweiß Vögelein - Ech jablotschko - Venezolanisches Marktlied - Schau her (Lied von der friedlichen Welt) - Sag mir, wo du stehst ,
Dorit Gäbler: Der Herbst steht auf der Leiter - Das Ende des Osterhasen ,
Kurt Demmler: Davon, was diesem und jenem Mädchen beim Wäscheaufhängenpassieren kann - Pas de deux im Zwiebelmond - Zart soll es bleiben ,
Team 4 / Thomas Natschinski &, seine Gruppe: Die Straße - Denn sie lehren die Kinder ,
Reiner Schöne: Liebste, Liebste, schläfst Du noch? - Ledernacken-Blues ,
Pete Seeger: Turn! Turn! Turn! - If I Had A Hammer