Bill Ramsey born 17 April 1931

Bill Ramsey (William McCreery Ramsey, born April 17, 1931 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a German-American jazz and pop singer, journalist and actor famous for his German-language hits.

William McGreery Ramsey, called Bill, was the son of a teacher and an advertising manager for Procter & Gamble. His first real exposure to 'live' jazz came on a trip with his father to New York 
and a visit to Café Society Downtown, where Meade 'Lux' Lewis, Albert Ammons and Hazel Scott were the stars, and it was not long after that visit that Bill began playing a little "Boogie", by ear..

In his youth, he sang in a college dance band. He began to study sociology and business from 1949 to 1951 at Yale University in New Haven and sang jazz, Swing and Blues in the evenings. His greatest influences were Count Basie, Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington and Louis Jordan. Due to the Korean War, compulsory military service was again introduced in the USA and Bill Ramsey served with the U.S. Air Force in Germany.

During this time period, he appeared in clubs like Jazz Cellar in Frankfurt and was discovered by an employee of AFN and hired to entertain troops. There Ramsey advanced to executive producer and had, although still in service, more time for appearances at festivals. As of 1953, he appeared with, among others, Ernst 
Mosch, Paul Kuhn, Kurt Edelhagen and James Last. The jazz pianist and music producer Heinz Gietz organized an appearance with Hessischer Rundfunk for Bill Ramsey in 1955. There he did Playback – recordings for the musical film love, dance and 1000 hits with Peter Alexander and Caterina Valente.

Taking his discharge in Germany, Bill entered Frankfurt's University and continued his jazz activities, on the side. In May, 1955, he appeared at the German Jazz Festival -- the first American to do so -- with the Jutta Hipp Combo, and, later that summer, made it another first by touring Yugolslavia with one of Germany's top traditional bands, the "Two Beat Stompers". 

At the end of 1955, he returned to the United States for a short period, before coming back to Germany, permanently, in 1957. In two years, not much had changed. He returned to the University, played the clubs -- and spent every free evening jamming in Frankfurt's famous "Domicile du Jazz".

Producer Heinz Gietz took Ramsey under contract in 1958 and in the same year his first single with Polydor was released and launched the style, with which ”the man with the black voice” would land hits in the future. The music was oriented on the hits of that period Anglo American pop music. Among Ramsey’s hits published in the 1950s and 1960s were German-language cover versions of Hank Ballard, The Beatles, Fats Domino, Ivory Joe Hunter, Roger Miller, Elvis Presley, Jimmie Rodgers, Andy Williams, Sheb Wooley and others.

                            

In addition, numerous originals, which were composed almost exclusively by Heinz Gietz. The ironical texts of Kurt Feltz or Hans Bradtke often commented current events. His tongue twister Wumba Tumba chocolate ice cream seller, recorded in 1959, was a top four hit in the German hit parade. His unique hits, sung with 
irony and unmistakable American accents, occupied top positions in the German hit parade, as did the title Pigalle (The Great Mousetrap), his number one hit in 1961.

Ramsey and Gietz signed to Columbia label EMI Group in 1962, where they would continue their success. Amid the 1960s as Beatmusik changed the market, Bill Ramsey was a regular in the German Charts. His popularity provided numerous appearances in film and television, where he was seen as a singer and in comedy roles. In the second half of the 1960s Ramsey took up predominantly English-language songs and dedicated himself again to jazz and blues. 

In this musically varied decade he presented Operette, Musical and Beat songs as well as a LP with Children’s songs. 

Ramsey changed to Heinz Gietz’ record company Cornet in 1966, and later in the same year to Polydor. He appeared on different labels in the 1970s.

Ramsey had innumerable television appearances, played in 28 films and toured through Europe, the USA, and North Africa. He presented the television shows Hits for Schlappohren (1971) and Talent Shed (1974 to 1980), among others. He was a lecturer for many years at Hamburg University for Music and Performing Arts. Ramsey appears regularly as pop and jazz singer, mostly in duet with the guitarist Juraj Galan, with whom it released several albums.

The duo's LP Live in the House of Commons won the German record critics prize. Bill Ramsey is a commentator every Friday on Radio HR2’s Swingtime. In 2008 and 2009 he was on tour with Max Greger and Hugo Strasser as Swing legends.

Ramsey lived occasionally in Zurich, later in Wiesbaden and since 1991 with his fourth wife Petra in Hamburg. He became a German citizen on October 17, 1984. His wife is a doctor, and works as his manager.

(Edited from Wikipedia & Bill Ramseys’ website)