Wolfgang Petry

He first learned to play the piano and had his first appearance in a school band. Later Petry also played guitar and keyboard. After school he completed an apprenticeship as a precision mechanic and was a member of the dance band "The Top Singers". In 1972 he married Rose Marie. Their son Achim was born in 1976. In the same year, 1976, Petry performed without a band for the first time and made his first solo recordings. In 1977 his debut single "Every friend is also a man" was released. Shortly afterwards, the hit "Sommer in der Stadt" followed, which was heard for the first time on the ZDF hit parade by Dieter Thomas Heck. Petry became the new star in the hit sky. He celebrated further success in 1980 with the album "Ganz oder nicht". For a few years, Petry disappeared with his songs in the middle of the charts without being able to repeat his past sales successes. In 1992, Petry scored a surprise hit with "Verlieben, Verloren", which helped him make a sensational comeback. The albums "Sehnsucht nach Dir", "Frei für Dich" and "Egal" achieved high chart positions and paved the way for "Wolle" to become one of the most successful artists of the 1990s. When the best-of "Alles" was released in 1996, Petry became a superstar and was able to stay at number one in the album charts for weeks. This was followed by another platinum record, "Nie Enough," and sold-out tours in front of over 500,000 fans every year. His successes were also reflected in numerous awards. In 1996 and 1998 Petry was the annual winner of the "Deutsche Schlagerparade"; In 1997, 1998 and 1999 he was the annual winner of the "ZDF Hitparade" three times in a row. Wolfgang Petry was awarded the German record prize "Echo" in the "Artist / Schlager" category five times between 1997 and 2001. In 2003 the albums "No Reason to Panic" and "Joyful Christmas" were released. In September 2003, Petry was honored with the "Golden Tuning Fork" music award. This was followed by the albums "Ich Bin Ene Kölsche Jung", "My Favorite Songs" and the farewell album "30". In September 2006, Wolfgang Petry celebrated his 30th stage anniversary. On this occasion he was awarded the "Platinum Tuning Fork" by Dieter Thomas Heck at the "Golden Tuning Fork" award ceremony. At the event, Petry announced the end of his career. In February 2014 he released the album "One more time!" back and the comeback album "Brandneu" followed in 2015. His 23rd studio album was released in 2021. "Here's to life."