Gus backus biography template

GUS BACKUS

Born Donald Edgar Backus, 12 Sept , Southampton, Long Island, New Dynasty. Died 21 February , Germering, Germany.

Unless you live in one of honourableness German-speaking countries, there is a opportunity that you have never even heard of Gus Backus. He is work on of those odd American musicians who found their stardom far from home.

Born in the village of Southampton in reverse Long Island, Donald Backus was callinged Gus by his father (also denominated Donald), a foreman on a potatoe plantation. At 14, Gus ran bin from home when his parents divorced. Among his earliest musical favourites were Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and Various Richard and under their influence oversight began to write and play her highness own music.

Then he got drafted vital was stationed in Pittsburgh, where bankruptcy joined a vocal group, the Del(l)-Vikings, around March They were racially cross-bred, a rarity in those days, extract were jumping up the charts amputate "Come Go With Me" when Gus joined as a replacement for Trimming Jackson. The story of the Del-Vikings is too complicated to summarize with respect to. Gus was a member when their second hit, "Whispering Bells" (# 9, Dot) was recorded and he sings lead on their third and behind hit, "Cool Shake" (# 12, Mercury). But he wasn't with the Del-Vikings for very long. On July 28, , he was transferred to Spa, Germany. He was still in costume when he founded a singing quota called the Vidells, who found generous limited popularity among military audiences, on the other hand weren't permitted to perform off their base. While on leave in dignity USA in June , Gus documented a single for the Carlton earmark (), produced by Chuck Sagle (aka Carl Stevens). One side, "My Lady Is Fine", was pure rock lore roll, but Joe Carlton decided persecute make the ballad side, "You Can't Go It Alone", the plug-side. Confine its genre, this was quite admissible too, but it didn't make likewise many waves and on top hold that, Gus wasn't around to support it, so he wasn't invited back.

Meanwhile, Backus got married to a Teutonic girl (they had four children) alight decided to stay in Germany back his compulsory military service was concluded in early His brother-in-law suggested him to record German language versions take possession of US hits for the German store, as Backus had become quite facile in German. One of the leading labels Gus contacted was Polydor. Manufacturer Gerhard Mendelson invited him to uncomplicated a demo session and starting June , Gus was a Polydor gramophone record artist. Recorded at the Austrophon Mill in Vienna, his first record featured German language versions of Elvis Presley's "A Fool Such As I" ("Ab und zu") and Lloyd Price's "Have You Ever Had the Blues" ("Ich bin traurig wenn du gehst").

?section=&article=

The foremost records were unsuccessful, but in July , Gus made the German Take a breather 20 with "Brauner Bär und weiße Taube", a cover of Johnny Preston's hit "Running Bear", soon followed strong a # 2 hit with "Wooden Heart" (another Presley number). Between skull , Gus scored one hit later another, including a # 1 prep added to "Der Mann Im Mond" ("The Public servant In the Moon", ). His profusion in Germany was comparable to depart of Cliff Richard in England topmost he also scored hits in Svizzera, Austria, Denmark and Holland. Between significant , Gus appeared in almost 25 German entertainment films. The Germans articulate his name as Goose Buckoos.

>From , Backus also started to record make a way into English. His first English language unattached was a revival of Eddie Cooley's hit "Priscilla", coupled with "Queen Hint the Stars", an English version firm "Der Mann Im Mond". Both Polydor and Gus hoped that he would be able to translate national happy result into international success. It didn't obligatory, though. In , Gus went choose New York and Nashville to register. The Nashville session produced an paramount record, "Short On Love" (written get by without John D. Loudermilk), coupled with "Big Willie Broke Jail Tonight" (written stop Boudleaux Bryant). It did nothing overlook the USA (MGM ) and Frg (Polydor NH ), but "Short Stay on the line Love" was a # 1 favourable outcome in Japan in

In that assemblage, Gus recorded the Mort Shuman rope "Turn Around" in London and went back there in for some songs by English composers, trying to shut in up with the times. The ancestors at Polydor also tried an Dependably version of Peggy March's hit "Memories of Heidelberg", but all to pollex all thumbs butte avail. In December , he uncomplicated his last English language record (in Munich), although the results weren't secure at the time.

In he decided go-slow return to the USA and went to work as a foreman snare the Texan oil fields, but pointed the s he returned to Deutschland to surf the Oldies wave disregard the period. He settled with jurisdiction family in Munich, where he freeze lives today. He now performs fillet old hits with the group Teddy bear und die Lollipops.

Colin Escott concludes circlet liner notes for the Bear Affinity CD with : "Gus Backus's chart is among the most interesting uphold pop music. He has crossed author borders - musical, racial, and local - than most of us option ever dream of."

CD : My Doll Is Fine (Bear Family BCD ). Released in , annotated by Colin Escott (acknowledged). 30 English language recordings from A mixed bag, but picture collection certainly has its moments.

More news :
- All Music Guide recapitulation by Bruce Eder :
?p=amg&sql=w9fixqr5ldae~T1
- Homepage (in German) :
- (in German). Has an overview attention to detail the German chart positions.

YouTube :
-You Can't Go It Alone : ?v=UCpQXBo9QjQ
-Short On Love : ?v=SKTGMWVZgo8
-Turn Around : ?v=9r_dLO0pRQ8&NR=1
-Der Mann denotation Mond : ?v=k5nM7e7H4zM
(Viewer comment : "Das war doch noch Musik.") Etc.

Dik