Wise Guys (band)

Last updated
Wise Guys
Wise Guys Tanzbrunnen 2011.jpg
Wise Guys performing at Tanzbrunnen 2011
Background information
Origin Cologne, Germany
Genres A cappella, pop
Years active1990–2017
LabelsEMI, Pavement, Universal Music Group
MembersDaniel (Dän) Dickopf (1990-2017), Edzard (Eddi) Hüneke (1990-2017), Marc (Sari) Sahr (1990-2017), Björn Sterzenbach (2016-2017), Nils Olfert (2009-2017)
Past membersChristoph Tettinger (1990-1995), Clemens Tewinkel (1990–2008), Ferenc Husta (1995-2012), Andrea Figallo (2012-2016)
Website www.wiseguys.de

The Wise Guys were a German a cappella band that was formed in 1990 in Cologne, Germany and split in 2017.

Contents

History of the group

Apart from Nils Olfert and Björn Sterzenbach, the members all attended the Hildegard-von-Bingen-Gymnasium in Cologne from 1981 to 1990. With their schoolmates Clemens Tewinkel and Christoph Tettinger, who also founded a brass band with them, they formed a rock band. At a school event, the band performed a single a cappella song.

After graduating from high school with their A-levels (Abitur) in 1990, the group focussed on the a cappella genre. They soon named themselves the "Wise Guys". Eddi (Edzard) joined an 18-month alternative service for conscientious objectors in Brussels, which left the group as a quartet. The remaining four joined the Ersten Kölner Barbershop Choir. In early 1994, the group placed third in a Barbershop Quartet competition. However, this type of music was not representative of their later work.

In April 1995, Ferenc Husta joined the group as the bass voice, replacing Christoph Tettinger, who could no longer sing for professional reasons. Christoph Tettinger instead became the group's manager.

After their first album Dut-Dut-Duah! (1994), which was mostly in English along with some cover songs, the band concentrated on German language, rhythm-based compositions. In 1997, the Wise Guys turned professional, and released their third album Alles im grünen Bereich, produced by Uwe Baltrusch. Their following album was with EMI. With their Live-Album (2000), the band moved to Pavement Records.

The usual tours were supplemented by big events such as "Tanzbrunnen", "Totalnacht", and "Spezialnacht", festivals taking place in Cologne. In 2001 they got a world record for the concert on "Tanzbrunnen" (a big area for concerts in Cologne) with 12,500 spectators. Their open-air concerts at the "evangelischer Kirchentag" in 2005, 2007 and 2009 (Protestant church congress) were visited by 35,000, 70,000, and 65,000 viewers respectively.

In 2012, the band released an album in two parts entitled "Zwei Welten". It consisted of an a capella album released in May 2012 and an instrumental album released in September 2012. "Zwei Welten" was also released as a two-disc package with two bonus tracks in December 2012, which brought them to their fifth gold record. [1]

At the end of March 2012, Ferenc Husta decided to leave the group. [2] Andrea Figallo took his place in December 2012. [3] In February 2016, the band published an official statement on their web site announcing that bass singer and producer Andrea Figallo would leave the band in April 2016, and that the group would stop performing altogether in summer 2017. [4] Björn Sterzenbach replaced Andrea Figallo in May 2016.

Discography

Protestant Church Congress 2007 DEKT 2007 Wise Guys nach dem Abschlussgottesdienst.jpg
Protestant Church Congress 2007

Albums

YearTitleChart Positions [5] Produced by
DE AT CH
1994Dut-Dut-Duah! (Dut-Dut-Duah!)
1996Haarige Zeiten (Difficult Times [lit. Hairy Times])
1997 Alles im grünen Bereich (Everything OK [lit. Everything in the Green Zone])Uwe Baltrusch und Hannes Schöner
1999Skandal (Scandal)Uwe Baltrusch
2000Live (Live)93Uwe Baltrusch
2001Ganz weit vorne (two meanings: Right in Front / Really Great)49Uwe Baltrusch
2003Klartext (Straight Talk)10
2004Wo der Pfeffer wächst (Long Way Off [lit. Where the Pepper Grows])13Uwe Baltrusch
2006 Radio (Radio)3Uwe Baltrusch
2008Frei! (Free!)267Uwe Baltrusch
2010Klassenfahrt (School Trip)248Uwe Baltrusch
2012Zwei Welten – a cappella (Two Worlds - a capella)3545Uwe Baltrusch
Zwei Welten – instrumentiert (Two Worlds - instrumental)
Zwei Welten Komplett (Two Worlds Complete)6458Uwe Baltrusch
2013Mein Herz macht bumm! (My heart goes boom!)36Uwe Baltrusch
2014Achterbahn (Roller Coaster)2 Andrea Figallo
2015Läuft bei euch (What's up)622 Andrea Figallo
2016Live in Wien (Live in Vienna)2258 Andrea Figallo
2016Das Beste komplett (The Best complete)33

Singles and EPs

(Numbers in brackets indicate highest position achieved on the German Music Hits List.)

DVDs

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ABBA</span> Swedish pop group

ABBA were a Swedish pop supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's name is an acronym of the first letters of their first names arranged as a palindrome. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the best-selling music acts in the history of popular music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A cappella</span> Group or solo singing without instrumental sound

Music performed a cappella, less commonly spelled a capella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term a cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato musical styles. In the 19th century, a renewed interest in Renaissance polyphony, coupled with an ignorance of the fact that vocal parts were often doubled by instrumentalists, led to the term coming to mean unaccompanied vocal music. The term is also used, rarely, as a synonym for alla breve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockapella</span> American a cappella musical group

Rockapella is an American a cappella musical group formed in 1986 in New York City. The group's name is a portmanteau of "rock" and "a cappella". Rockapella sings original vocal music and a cappella versions of other songs. Over time, their sound has evolved from high-energy pop and world music style toward a sound more influenced by R&B. Rockapella found their enduring success in Japan early in their career. They are most successful for their role as a house band and comedy troupe on the PBS children's geography game show Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klee (band)</span> German pop band

Klee is a German pop band from Cologne. Named after German painter Paul Klee, the band was formed in 2002 by singer Suzie Kerstgens and musicians Sten Servaes and Tom Deininger. Klee's brand of pop music incorporates electronic as well as acoustic sounds and, in more recent years, the band has embraced chanson and schlager. Four of Klee's albums have entered the top 30 of the German albums chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Razorlight</span> English indie rock band

Razorlight are an English indie rock band, formed in 2002 in London by lead singer and guitarist Johnny Borrell. Along with Borrell, the current line-up of the band is composed of founding members Björn Ågren on guitar and bassist Carl Delemo, as well as drummer Andy Burrows. This lineup is a reunion of the lineup from the band's second and third albums.

The Flying Pickets is a British a cappella vocal group which had a Christmas number one hit in 1983 on the UK Singles Chart with their cover version of Yazoo's track "Only You".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea Figallo</span> Musical artist

Andrea Figallo is an Italian vocal coach, vocalist and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bläck Fööss</span>

The Bläck Fööss are a music group from Cologne, Germany, started in 1970. From 1973 to 2003 Werner Dies was producer of the music group.

<i>Burrito Deluxe</i> 1970 studio album by The Flying Burrito Brothers

Burrito Deluxe is the second album by the country rock group the Flying Burrito Brothers, released in May 1970 on A&M Records, catalogue 4258. It is the last to feature Gram Parsons prior to his dismissal from the group. It contains the first issued version of the Mick Jagger/Keith Richards-written song "Wild Horses," released almost a year before the Rolling Stones' own take on it appeared on Sticky Fingers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thank You for the Music</span> 1977 song by ABBA

"Thank You for the Music" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally featured on the group's fifth studio album, The Album (1977), and was released as a double-A sided single with "Eagle" in May 1978 in limited territories, namely Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland and Australia. In South Africa where it peaked at number 2 in August 1978 and became the eighteenth best-selling single of that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Gentlemen</span> American a cappella group

The Virginia Gentlemen (VGs) is a lower voices collegiate a cappella group and the oldest a cappella group at the University of Virginia. The group was founded in 1953 as an elite octet of the Virginia Glee Club. Since establishing independence from the Virginia Glee Club in 1987, the group has continued to perform a mix of contemporary pop and classic vocal music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klaus Heuser</span> German rock guitarist, composer and producer

Klaus "Major“ Heuser is a German musician, composer and producer. He found international fame as the lead guitarist of the Cologne rock band BAP.

Wise guy or Wiseguy may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Not Too Sharp</span> American university a cappella group

Not Too Sharp is an all-male a cappella group from the University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire, USA. Begun in 2002, the 9-12 man group performs live on the college campus, at other groups’ venues, and in the New Hampshire community. Their annual benefit show supports the American Cancer Society. The ensemble has previously competed twice in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella in 2015 and 2018. The Recorded Acappella Review Board says of Not Too Sharp, “All male, slightly goofy and possessed of an infectious energy… Charisma just drips out of the speakers.” In 2010, the group was presented with a "Best of New Hampshire" award for contemporary a cappella.

The Other Guys (TOG) are an all-male a cappella ensemble from the University of St Andrews, Scotland and reigning Scottish champions after winning the Scottish A Cappella Championships (SACC) for three consecutive years from 2022-24. The group was founded in 2004 and has been one of the groups responsible for the rise of collegiate a cappella in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentatonix</span> American a cappella group

Pentatonix are an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, consisting of vocalists Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Matt Sallee, and Kevin Olusola. Characterized by their pop-style arrangements with vocal harmonies, scat singing, riffing, vocal percussion, and beatboxing, they produce cover versions of modern pop works or Christmas songs, sometimes in the form of medleys, along with original material. Pentatonix was formed in 2011 and subsequently won the third season of NBC's The Sing-Off, receiving $200,000 and a recording contract with Sony Music. When Sony's Epic Records dropped the group after The Sing-Off, the group formed its YouTube channel, distributing its music through Madison Gate Records, a label owned by Sony Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Howard</span> British musician (born 1955)

Gary William Howard is a British musician, best known as a member of the a cappella group The Flying Pickets.

<i>Alles im grünen Bereich</i> 1997 studio album by Wise Guys

Alles im grünen Bereich(Everything OK [lit. Everything in the Green Zone]) is the third album of the German-speaking a cappella group Wise Guys. It was released in 1997 and is the first album by the group under the EMI label and with producer Uwe Baltrusch. Except for the last two songs, everything is the work of Daniel Dickhopf and Edzard Hüneke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharrie Williams</span> American singer-songwriter

Sharrie Williams is an American blues/soul/gospel singer-songwriter.

References

  1. de:Wise Guys
  2. "Wise Guys - News - Leider kein Scherz: Ferenc hört auf". Wiseguys.de. Archived from the original on 2012-03-12. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
  3. "Wise Guys - News - Unser neuer Bass". Wiseguys.de. Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
  4. "Wise Guys - News - "Wir hatten eine gute Zeit" - eine wunderschöne Reise geht zu Ende". wiseguys.de. Archived from the original on 2016-02-12. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
  5. Album chart positions: DE, AT