| Die Flippers | |
| Origin: | Knittlingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany |
| Genre: | Schlager Easy Listening |
| Years Active: | 1964–2011 |
| Label: | Ariola Dino Bellaphon Vogue Schallplatten |
| Website: | Official website |
| Current Members: | Olaf Malolepski Manfred Durban Bernd Hengst |
| Past Members: | Claus Backhaus Franz Halmich Manfred Mössner Manfred Hehl Hans Springer Martin Krauss Roland Bausert Albin Bucher (aka Albin Berger) Harry Authenrieth> Stevie Blake |
Die Flippers (The Flippers) were a German Schlager group formed in 1964. They were one of the most successful Schlager groups of all time, and have been constantly recording and releasing new music since their self-titled debut album was released in 1970. They have released 45 albums, 5 of which have gone platinum, 24 gold. They have won 11 Goldene Stimmgabel awards (one of the biggest German music awards) in 1988, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004.
The group was formed in 1964 in Knittlingen, Baden-Württemberg consisting of Manfred Durban, Claus Backhaus, Franz Halmich, Manfred Mössner, Manfred Hehl and Hans Springer. They called themselves the "Dancing Band," and one year later renamed themselves the "Dancing Show Band." Hans Springer was soon replaced by Bernd Hengst. In 1967 Olaf Malolepski replaced Manfred Hehl.
In 1969 the group released their first single "Weine nicht, kleine Eva" under their new name, Die Flippers. The song enjoyed great success on Schlager radio. Their second single, also from their debut album, entitled "Nur mit dir allein" was released, but did not match the success of "Weine nicht, kleine Eva". Not long after, the group released their third single, "Sha La La, I Love You" which was also a great success, and is now considered one of their trademark songs.
In the following years the group released numerous albums and quickly became arguably the biggest Schlager group of the early 1970s. In 1973, the group started working with producer Jean Frankfurter. In 1974, Claus Backhaus left the group.
Towards the end of the 1970s, the group's record sales began to drop, but the attendance for concerts remained high. In 1979 Roland Bausert left the group, and Albin Bucher (who would later become famous touring solo as Albin Berger) replaced him as the lead singer. In the same year Mick Hannes and Walter Gerke became the new production team, in an attempt to regain the success the group enjoyed in years past.
The first half of the 1980s had passed, and the group was still unable to regain the success of the early 1970s. In 1985, lead Roland Bausert rejoined the group, but 1986 he exited the group once again. A new keyboardist, Harry Authenrieth, also joined the group but left shortly after Roland Bausert's exit.
The band continued as a trio, consisting of Bernd Hengst, Olaf Malolepski and Manfred Durban. This lineup would remain the same until the bands retirement in 2011. The band teamed up with producers Heinz Rupprich and Uwe Busse for the album Auf rote Rosen fallen Tränen. One year after in 1986, the group released their fifteenth album Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt. This played out to be their comeback album, and it was the group's first gold record. It also contained the massive hit "Die rote Sonne von Barbados". With this song, they appeared on many German television programs, including the ZDF-Hitparade. The album's title track was also a great success, and received a large amount of airplay on Schlager radio stations.
In 1988, the group went on tour for the first time. Since that year, they have been on yearly tours. Their biggest concert was at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, Germany before an audience of 17,000.
In 1994, the German television network ZDF aired the first Flippers special. This led to several more throughout the rest of the 1990s and the 21st century.
In 2004, they celebrated their 35th anniversary with a greatest hits compilation entitled 35 Jahre - Ein Leben für die Zärtlichkeit and the biggest tour of their career, during which they played in some of the biggest stadiums in Germany. Over the course of the tour, over 150,000 people were in attendance.
They performed their last concert in Manheim on 19 March 2011 and gave their final TV performance on 9 April 2011.
Founding member Manfred Durban died on 20 October 2016 at the age of 74.