Gunter Gabriel

Gunter Gabriel (born Günter Caspelherr; 11 June 1942 – 22 June 2017) was a German singer, musician and composer. Gabriel became famous in Germany as a singer of Schlager songs. Gabriel lived in Harburg, Hamburg. He was a friend of Johnny Cash and introduced American Country music to German audiences, even covering some of Cash's songs in German.

Background and education

Günter Caspelherr, later known as Gunter Gabriel, grew up with his younger sister in Bünde and Kirchlengern. His mother hanged herself when he was four, after his father had pressured her to have an abortion with a knitting needle. when Caspelherr was four. His father remarried after a year, and often beat his son.

He dropped out of elementary school early to get a job, working at various positions in different countries of Central Europe. He eventually obtained his vocational high school diploma and studied mechanical engineering at the Hanover University of Applied Sciences, but dropped out of his studies. He then devoted himself entirely to music, working as a DJ and eventually becoming a promoter at a record company. This brought him into contact with various artists for whom he began to write songs.

Musical career

After Gunter Gabriel composed his first song for Norman Ascot in 1970, he came up with an album in December 1973 with the "track-driven" song "Er ist ein Kerl (der 30 Tonner Diesel)" his first hit. It got the Golden Europe and paved the way for German-language hits in the country music style with artists such as Truck Stop, Tom Astor, or Linda Feller.