Eberhard Hertel

Eberhard Hertel (; 29 November 1938 – 20 June 2024) was a German singer who was known for Volkstümliche Musik.

Life and career Hertel had originally wanted to become a farmer after leaving school, but he then chose otherwise. He found that he preferred singing the local Volkslieder (a genre of German folk music), which led him to become a star in East Germany. His musical career began in 1976 at a talent contest called Heitere Premiere ("Cheerful Premiere"). In the 1970s success came his way when he appeared onstage with Hannelore Kalin (b. 1939) as a yodeller. In 1979, both were chosen as East Germany's most successful yodelling duo. Over many years, Hertel was a regular on the Volkstümliche Musik programme Oberhofer Bauernmarkt ("Oberhof Farmers' Market"), which was recorded at the Hotel Panorama in Oberhof (and indeed, the show was named after a series of public events held at that same hotel). He did renditions of a great many well known Saxon folksongs on the programme; in particular, his interpretation of Der Vugelbeerbaam ("The Rowan Tree") with Gerhard Honig's orchestra in 1984 was greatly popular.

After German Reunification, Hertel successfully continued his career, even if he did yield the spotlight ever more often to his daughter Stefanie Hertel, withdrawing somewhat into the background. She had been accompanying him since her appearance in 1985 on Oberhofer Bauernmarkt. Together they sang such songs as Wenn der Vater und die Tochter, Kleine Träume, the Rennsteiglied, folk poet Anton Günther's Feieromd or Christmas songs like s Raachermannel. In 1996, Hertel, along with his daughter, released the joint single Kleine Fische werden groß ("Little Fish Get Big"), a cover version of Vader Abraham's Als je weggaat, in which he sings about his daughter's early love, and the dread of her leaving her girlhood home. Thereafter, he and she went mostly their separate musical ways, but even so, they sometimes still appeared as a duet act in various television shows until early 2024. Hertel stood on the stage all together more than 60 years and published eleven studio albums.

On 29 November 2008, Hertel marked his 70th birthday at the Adventsfest der 100.000 Lichter ("Advent Festival of the 100,000 Lights") at the Congress Centrum Suhl. Moreover, he produced for MDR Fernsehen the film Papa wird 70 ("Papa Turns 70") by his daughter Stefanie Hertel and Stefan Mross. In 2018, Hertel's eleventh and last studio album, Ich brauch Musik ("I Need Music"), came out, a jubilee album meant to mark his 80th birthday. Hertel was always setting himself to work on charitable goals, and thus he organized in August 2002 a benefit concert for victims of the flooding in Saxony earlier that year. He himself appeared at the concert.

Hertel was married to his wife Elisabeth (1950–2017) until her death. They had four children, among them singer, media presenter and musical theatre performer Stefanie Hertel. He died on 20 June 2024, at the age of 85. On the occasion of his death, the town flag outside the town hall overlooking the marketplace in his hometown, Oelsnitz, was flown at half-mast.

Honours On 3 December 2008, Hertel was named an honorary citizen of his hometown, Oelsnitz, by the Chief Mayor (Oberbürgermeisterin) of Oelsnitz, Eva-Maria Möbius. The citation reads in part "Through his success throughout Germany and beyond, he has made his hometown famous." It also praises Hertel's benefit work for the town, in particular that done for the town's 650th anniversary in 2006.

Discography Music albums 1997: Lieder wie das Leben 1999: Die besten Jahre kommen noch 2000: Das Beste der Volksmusik 2000: Wenn das kein Grund zum Feiern ist 2001: Wir sind alle kleine Sünderlein 2002: So schön ist unsere Welt 2005: Voll im Leben 2007: Auf das Leben, auf die Liebe 2008: Danke Freunde – das Jubiläumsalbum zum 70. Geburtstag 2012: Wir feiern ab heute das Leben – inkl. 2 Duette mit Tochter Stefanie 2018: Ich brauch Musik – das Jubiläumsalbum zum 80. Geburtstag

Television 2008: Papa wird 70 (by Stefanie Hertel and Stefan Mross; MDR Fernsehen) 2018: Musikgeschichten mit Eberhard Hertel (90-minute MDR programme in which Hertel presents clips of his own and colleagues' appearances from various television programmes, interspersed with stories of his life and career)

Hertel also made many guest appearances on various musical programmes; a selection follows: 1983: Zwischen Frühstück und Gänsebraten 1987: Ein Kessel Buntes 1988: Zwischen Frühstück und Gänsebraten 1989: Musikantenstadl 1990: Zwischen Frühstück und Gänsebraten 1991: Ein Kessel Buntes 1996: Das Sommerfest der Volksmusik (from the series Feste der Volksmusik) 1997: Das Weihnachtsfest der Volksmusik (from the series Feste der Volksmusik) 2004: Zauberhafte Heimat 2005: Musikantendampfer 2005: Willkommen bei Carmen Nebel 2005: Das Hochzeitsfest der Volksmusik (from the series Feste der Volksmusik) 2005: Das Adventsfest der Volksmusik (from the series Feste der Volksmusik) 2007: Danke Dieter Thomas Heck 2008: Das Adventsfest der Volksmusik (from the series Feste der Volksmusik) 2009: Musikantenstadl 2017: Die große Show der Weihnachtslieder 2021: Schlager-Spaß mit Andy Borg 2023: Schlager-Spaß mit Andy Borg 2023: Zauberhafte Weihnacht im Land der ‚Stillen Nacht‘

He also appeared on some talk shows (selection): 1998: MDR Sachsenspiegel 2005: Wir in Bayern 2005: Zibb 2013: MDR Sachsenspiegel 2018: Riverboat 2019: Riverboat 2020: Riverboat