Song:Danke Schoen
Album:Capitol Collectors Series
Later in life, Wayne Newton typified the excess of Las Vegas. When he recorded his breakthrough hit and signature song Danke Schoen in 1963, he was sold as much younger than he was because his voice was high. But he was already a Vegas veteran and having chart success was gravy for Newton. He was born Apr. 3, 1942 in Roanoke, VA and began performing professionally at age six. His father was in the Navy. The family moved to Newark, OH and then to Phoenix in 1952 because of Newton's asthma. Newton and his brother Jerry performed as Rascals of Rhythm. They were spotted by a Las Vegas booking agent in 1958 and they signed to perform for two weeks. They stayed for five years. They also recorded for Capitol Records. Jerry left in 1962 and Wayne signed with Capitol as a solo act. Danke Schoen was written and recorded by German bandleader Bert Kaempfert as an instrumental in 1962. Veteran producer Milt Gabler wrote lyrics for it and planned to have Bobby Darin record it. But after Darin saw Newton perform, he reworked the song for him and gave it to him. When the record was first played on the radio, people thought Newton was a girl. Danke Schoen reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 but it did better on the Adult Contemporary charts. I think parents used Newton to show kids that they liked young singers. But Newton was only young in age. His music was already dated in 1963. He continued to perform in Vegas but none of his 60s recordings had the impact of Danke Schoen. You can get them on this budget comp. Newton returned to the top ten with the 1972 hit Daddy, Don't You Walk So Fast but that wasn't on Capitol. He still performs in Vegas today and I think folks have forgotten that he had chart success at one time. Here's Wayne Newton performing Danke Schoen 1968.
No comments:
Post a Comment