Margot Eskens born 12 August 1939

Margot Eskens (born 12 August 1939) is a German Schlager singer. Although virtually unknown outside the German-speaking world, lovely Margot Eskens was a big part of the German music scene in the 1950s and 60s, and continued to make appearances on German 

TV well into the 2000s.

Born in Düren, Germany she was able to escape a drab career as a dental assistant when she entered a song contest for Polydor records in 1954. She won, singing the French song, “Moulin Rouge.” Her prize was a recording contract with Polydor, and she put it to good use with a series of hit records in the 1950s. She had two number one hits in the German charts: “Tiritomba” in 1956 and “Cindy, Oh Cindy” in 1957. Several duets with Silvio Francesco, the brother of Caterina Valente, also ensued.

                             

The latter song has an interesting history. Written in 1956 by Robert Barron and Burt Long, its melody was based on a stevedore song of the black slaves of the Georgia Sea Islands.

It was first recorded by American pop star Eddie Fisher (who's best remembered today for having been Elizabeth Taylor's first husband) in 1956 and was his last Top 40 single. But it was Margot Eskens’ biggest hit, and in '57, it stayed on the German Singles Top 10 for 25 weeks. Interestingly, in the US the song resurfaced in 1963, when it was covered by the Beach Boys.

Eskens collaborated with producer/songwriter Kurt Feltz until 1961 when she appeared in the German film "Auf Wiedersehen: Drei gegen Amerika" (Goodbye: Three Against America), playing an American singer. This bizarre and obscure spy spoof tells the story of 3 World War II German spies who go to America plotting 
to blow up an American aircraft factory, only to end up being seduced by American culture. Besides Eskens, the film has appearances by Gert Fröbe (Auric Goldfinger to 007 film fans), the German bombshell Elke Sommer (familiar to Americans from her appearance in the Pink Panther films), and even Louis Armstrong!

Margot went to the German Schlager Festival in 1962 with the song “Ein Herz” (One Heart) and took 3rd place. In 1963 she was a backup nomination to the famed German songstress and actress, Heidi Brühl for the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1966 she did attain the spot as Germany’s representative in the contest, singing the bittersweet “Die Zeiger der Uhr" (The Hands of the Clock) which, disappointingly, only reached 10th place.

Nevertheless Margot Eskens went on to have several more hits in the 60s and made frequent television appearances in the subsequent decades. She produced dozens of records and CDs, ultimately selling over 40 million copies. At the end of the 1980s she began to record more traditional "Schlagermusik" like her album Mein Traumland am Wörthersee (1990).

In a 2005 TV interview she still looked beautiful well into her 60s. Today she lives beside the scenic lake Wörthersee in the Carinthian region of Austria. She was previously married to her manager Karl-Heinz Münchow until his death in 2011.

Happy birthday to Margot, who is 81 years old today.

(Edited from chicagoschlager blog & Wikipedia)