Birthe Wilke

Last updated
Birthe Wilke
Birthe Wilke & Gustav Winckler.jpg
Gustav Winckler (left) & Birthe Wilke (right)
Background information
Born (1936-03-19) 19 March 1936 (age 88)
Copenhagen, Denmark
Origin Denmark
OccupationDanish Singer
Partner Gustav Winckler

Birthe Wilke (born 19 March 1936) is a Danish singer. She grew up in a musical family in Copenhagen's Vesterbro area.

Career

When Wilke was in her teens, she won a talent competition at the National Scala Theatre in Copenhagen, sang as soloist with Bruno Henriksen's Orchestra at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, made her first recording, and was named "Denmark's Doris Day" and recorded "Que sera sera" in 1956.

After qualifying in the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix to represent Denmark at the Eurovision Song Contest, she participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957, where she sang "Skibet Skal Sejle I Nat" ("The Ship Is Leaving Tonight") with Gustav Winckler. [1] They ranked 3rd of out 10 at the end of the voting, and stunned television audiences with an 11-second long kiss at the end of their performance.

She also participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959 where she sang solo "Uh-Jeg Ville Ønske Jeg Var Dig" ("Oh – I wish I were you"). [2] She was ranked 5th place at the end of voting.

In the late 1950s she toured Poland, West Germany and United States.

In 1961 she played a nightclub singer in the Danish film Reptilicus . She sang "Tivoli Nights".

In the same year, she won the award for best singer at the first international song festival in the Gdansk shipyard hall, the forerunner of the Sopot festival and Intervision Song Contest. [3]

In 1966 she retired from public life, but made a short-lived return in 1973.

In addition to her recording successes, she participated in radio, television, advertising and commercial film.

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Denmark was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1959 with the song "Uh, jeg ville ønske jeg var dig", composed by Otto Lington, with lyrics by Carl Andersen, and performed by Birthe Wilke. The Danish participating broadcaster, Danmarks Radio (DR), organised the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 1959 in order to select its entry for the contest. Wilke had previously come third for Denmark in 1957 in a duet with Gustav Winckler, who was one of her competitors in the 1959 national final.

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This is a list of Danish television related events from 1964.

This is a list of Danish television related events from 1957.

This is a list of Danish television related events from 1958.

This is a list of Danish television related events from 1959.

This is a list of Danish television related events from 1960.

This is a list of Danish television related events from 1961.

References

  1. Toft-Nielsen, F. (2024). Gustav Winckler & vennerne (in Norwegian). Lindhardt og Ringhof. p. 93. ISBN   978-87-27-06504-5 . Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  2. de Mylius, J. (2018). Alle tiders Melodi Grand Prix. Eurovision Song Contest 1956–2013 (in Danish). Lindhardt og Ringhof. p. 20. ISBN   978-87-26-02435-7 . Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  3. "Nagrody SF '61 – sopot festival – Bałtycka Agencja Artystyczna BART". Archived from the original on 2015-02-02. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
Preceded by
none
Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest
1957
(with Gustav Winckler)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest
1959
Succeeded by