Schlager singer, songwriter, producer, and television presenter Gerhard Breker – born January 21, 1942, in Sonneberg, Thuringia, Germany – was better known by his stage name Freddy Breck. Although he trained to be a mechanical engineer, he was discovered and trained under the guidance of musician, songwriter and Cornet Records founder Heinz Gietz. Freddy Breck was best known for singing schlager songs with melodies that were based on classical music favorites. He released his first single in 1968 but didn’t score a hit until the release of 1972’s "Überall auf der Welt", which was based on “Va, pensiero” from Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco. The song was a big hit, and he went back into the studio and recorded an English-language version of the song entitled “We Believe in Tomorrow”. Further hits included “Bianca” (1973), which was based on Tchaiovsky’s Capriccio Italien, and “Rote Rosen” (1973), based on Franz von Suppé’s Dichter und Bauer. These singles charted in several countries, landing in the Top 10 in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland. He continued to release a series of charting singles, many of which landed in the Top 40 across Europe. Over the course of his career, Freddy Breck was awarded 31 gold records, five platinum records, and many more honors and awards. By the 1980s, he had moved away from performing music and became a news presenter, songwriter, and label owner. He also began performing with his wife Astrid – as Astrid & Freddy Breck – in 1998. Freddy Breck died on December 17, 2008.
