“Mein Leben ist der Rock'n Roll, ich bin dabei mit Leib und Soul.” - Die Puhdys, “Rockerrente.”

Die Puhdys consists of five members, with Peter Meyer. Keyboard, playing saxophone; Dieter Birr, on guitar, Dieter Hertrampf, also on guitar; Peter Rasyn, on bass; and Klaus Scharfschwerdt, on drums. Like other German rockbands, which have enjoyed long careers, part of their popularity can be attributed to the fact that virtually all of their songs are actually written in German.

In 30 years, die Puhdys have produced 20 full-length albums and sold over 18 million copies in more than 20 countries. They have also made at least five cinematic appearances, including the cult film: “The Legend of Paul and Paula” (1973).

After playing together and performing since 1965, die Puhdys struck their first hit in 1971, with “Türen öffnen sich zur Stadt.” While gaining popularity in Germany, the band’s first foreign concert was in Holland in 1975. The following year, they made the top ten three times in the GDR. Their first American tour was in 1981, with the hit songs: “He John, Was vom Leben bliebt” and “Fern von Zuhaus.” The hit song: “Rockerrente” (1984) came just in time for their 15th anniversary concert, which was televised and widely celebrated in Germany. Fifteen years later, their large-scale 30th anniversary concert sold out in Berlin in 1999.

By 1969, die Puhdys had played along side such big names as Deep Purple and Led Zepplin. In the 1980s, their concerts attracted tens of thousands of fans at a time. Their 30th anniversary concert wasn’t just about nostalgia either, as die Puhdys have continued to release popular albums throughout the 90s that are currently available through iTunes, both in Canada and the United States.

Das Beste Volume 2 is the best sampler of Puhdys style, which incorporates folk, punk, and heavy metal influences. Sometimes this band sounds like the Depeche Mode of Germany. At other times, they sound like Aerosmith or Meatloaf, but they always have their own distinct Puhdys sound.

Links:

• Official Site with free music downloads, album information, and pictures (in German)
• The largest Puhdys fan-page on the net: this site not only has tons of information on the band, but it has interactive video games as well (in German)Official Site with free music downloads, album information, and pictures (in German)
• Lyrics