Frank Farian(1941-2024)
- Composer
- Director
- Producer
His father, a fine furrier, died as a soldier in the Second World War in Smolensk, Russia, the year he was born. Frank and his two older siblings, Hertha and Heinz, grew up with their mother in simple but sheltered circumstances. His mother Cilli, who worked as a teacher, noticed Frank's voice and had him sing in the church choir. His musical ability became apparent early on; Frank got his first guitar at the age of 12. After graduating from school, he apprenticed as a chef. This career took him from Saarbrücken via Lindau to Ettelbruck in Luxembourg. His love for rock'' n'' roll was also awakened here. Through the stationed American GI's and their parties he became aware of bands like the "Drifters", Elvis Presley and Bill Haley. Now Frank Farian hung up his chef's hat and decided to form his own rock band. He took all of his savings and bought various equipment for his band, which didn't even exist yet. He changed his name from Franz to Frankie and finally to Frank.
In 1961, his five-piece band "Frank Farian and the Shadows" was put together and they toured the bars. Two years later, in 1963, the first self-produced record was released with a print run of 1,000 copies. The "Schatten" had their first highlight in 1964. They were one of only three German groups to appear at the international rock festival in the Starclub in Hamburg. In 1967 Frank Farian got his first record deal with Ariola. The band later broke up and Farian decided to remain solo as an artist and producer. He now devoted himself more to the more lucrative hit business. This also led to an appearance on the ZDF hit parade in 1969. In 1971 a production contract was signed with Hansa-Berlin, which still exists today. Farian had his big breakthrough in 1976 with the start of the group "Boney M." The single "Daddy Cool" hit like a bomb. The hit was placed in the charts not only in Germany, but throughout Europe. "Sunny" also became a huge success and Boney M's debut album "Take The Heat Of Me" proved to be an absolute top seller. But the nerve-wracking and strenuous work also left its mark.
Farian suffered a heart attack at the age of just 36, but that didn't stop him from producing one mega-success after another. "Boney M." had 38 top ten hits between 1975 and 1988, including 15 No.1 placements in Germany, 22 top ten hits in England, five of which were No.1 placements. Three titles by Boney M. grace the all-time bestseller list in England: "Mary's Boychild", "Rivers Of Babylon" and "Brown Girl In The Ring". Frank Farian didn't just concentrate on "Boney M.", in 1977 he helped the group "Eruption" into the top ten. In 1978, Farian's entry into the Guinness Book of Records followed: 175,000 singles of "Mary's Boychild" sold in just one day and 2.2 million within four weeks, which was a world record. He was also awarded the "Carl Allen Award" and Queen Elizabeth II received "Boney M." as the most successful pop group in England. Frank Farian's name was now in high demand on the international music scene. Big stars produced in his Rosbach studio, including Stevie Wonder, who recorded his global hit "I just called to say I love you" with Farian in 1982.
His instinct for talent and trends is also undisputed. He discovered, among others, Terence Trent D''Arby and helped him launch his career. In 1988, Farian achieved another milestone. With Milli Vanilli's "Girl you know it's true", the single and album were number one on the charts for six weeks. Milli Vanilli even reached platinum in the USA. In 1989 they received a Grammy for "Best New Act". Farian was honored with two 10x platinum diamond LPs in 1991 for Milli Vanilli and "Boney M." albums. This award made him the most successful producer in pop history. In the same year the Milli Vanilli scandal broke out. It turned out that the two actors had never sung themselves; Milli Vanilli was purely a studio production. The fans were outraged. Farian didn't allow himself to be irritated any further and devoted himself to new projects, including the formation "La Bouche" from 1994 and the group "No Mercy", with which he also celebrated global success. In 1997, Farian was awarded the "Echo" for his life's work.
It made its debut as a car in 2004 with the title "Stupid This Bohlen". The book is Farian's answer to Bohlen's "Behind the Scenes". The title is a reference to Michael Moore's "Stupid White Man", which accuses George W. Bush of not telling the truth. All proceeds from "Stupid This Bohlen" will go to the Nordhoff/Robbins Foundation, which aims to help autistic children with music therapy.
In 1961, his five-piece band "Frank Farian and the Shadows" was put together and they toured the bars. Two years later, in 1963, the first self-produced record was released with a print run of 1,000 copies. The "Schatten" had their first highlight in 1964. They were one of only three German groups to appear at the international rock festival in the Starclub in Hamburg. In 1967 Frank Farian got his first record deal with Ariola. The band later broke up and Farian decided to remain solo as an artist and producer. He now devoted himself more to the more lucrative hit business. This also led to an appearance on the ZDF hit parade in 1969. In 1971 a production contract was signed with Hansa-Berlin, which still exists today. Farian had his big breakthrough in 1976 with the start of the group "Boney M." The single "Daddy Cool" hit like a bomb. The hit was placed in the charts not only in Germany, but throughout Europe. "Sunny" also became a huge success and Boney M's debut album "Take The Heat Of Me" proved to be an absolute top seller. But the nerve-wracking and strenuous work also left its mark.
Farian suffered a heart attack at the age of just 36, but that didn't stop him from producing one mega-success after another. "Boney M." had 38 top ten hits between 1975 and 1988, including 15 No.1 placements in Germany, 22 top ten hits in England, five of which were No.1 placements. Three titles by Boney M. grace the all-time bestseller list in England: "Mary's Boychild", "Rivers Of Babylon" and "Brown Girl In The Ring". Frank Farian didn't just concentrate on "Boney M.", in 1977 he helped the group "Eruption" into the top ten. In 1978, Farian's entry into the Guinness Book of Records followed: 175,000 singles of "Mary's Boychild" sold in just one day and 2.2 million within four weeks, which was a world record. He was also awarded the "Carl Allen Award" and Queen Elizabeth II received "Boney M." as the most successful pop group in England. Frank Farian's name was now in high demand on the international music scene. Big stars produced in his Rosbach studio, including Stevie Wonder, who recorded his global hit "I just called to say I love you" with Farian in 1982.
His instinct for talent and trends is also undisputed. He discovered, among others, Terence Trent D''Arby and helped him launch his career. In 1988, Farian achieved another milestone. With Milli Vanilli's "Girl you know it's true", the single and album were number one on the charts for six weeks. Milli Vanilli even reached platinum in the USA. In 1989 they received a Grammy for "Best New Act". Farian was honored with two 10x platinum diamond LPs in 1991 for Milli Vanilli and "Boney M." albums. This award made him the most successful producer in pop history. In the same year the Milli Vanilli scandal broke out. It turned out that the two actors had never sung themselves; Milli Vanilli was purely a studio production. The fans were outraged. Farian didn't allow himself to be irritated any further and devoted himself to new projects, including the formation "La Bouche" from 1994 and the group "No Mercy", with which he also celebrated global success. In 1997, Farian was awarded the "Echo" for his life's work.
It made its debut as a car in 2004 with the title "Stupid This Bohlen". The book is Farian's answer to Bohlen's "Behind the Scenes". The title is a reference to Michael Moore's "Stupid White Man", which accuses George W. Bush of not telling the truth. All proceeds from "Stupid This Bohlen" will go to the Nordhoff/Robbins Foundation, which aims to help autistic children with music therapy.
