Jimmy Makulis was born Dimitrios Makoulis in Athens on April 12, 1935. He is a Greek pop singer who became well-known in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly in German-speaking countries. He spent most of his childhood and youth in South Africa, where he attended school and college in Johannesburg and Cape Town. His father and grandfather worked as diplomats. In 1949, Jimmy Makulis won a singing competition in Athens. He then launched his career in Greece and signed his first record deal with Philips. In 1955, he moved to Germany and initially settled in Munich. In the German-speaking market, he achieved his first major success in 1956 with “Auf Cuba sind die Mädchen braun”, which reached No. 5 in Germany. This was followed in 1959 by “Gitarren klingen leise durch die Nacht”, his best-known hit, which reached No. 4 in Germany and became a Schlager classic. Other successful singles include “Nachts in Rom” (1960, No. 9), “Sweetheart Guitar” (1961, No. 10), “Ich habe im Leben nur dich” (1962, No. 17), “Weil ich weiß, dass wir uns wiederseh’n” (1962, No. 37), “Lebe wohl, du Blume von Tahiti” (1963, No. 43), and “Little Moonlight Love” (1964, No. 38). Jimmy Makulis sang in several languages and cultivated the image of a Mediterranean pop singer, which earned him the nickname “Sinatra of the Orient” in Germany. In 1961, he represented Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest with “Sehnsucht”. The song tied for last place. At the same time, Jimmy Makulis also appeared on camera, starring in musicals and entertainment films. In 1966, he moved to the U.S. and continued working as an entertainer in Las Vegas. In 1985, he returned to Greece. In the early 1990s, he made another comeback in Germany. Later releases primarily compiled his older hits. These include Unter südlicher Sonne (1961), Die großen Erfolge von gestern (1978), Gitarren klingen leise durch die Nacht (1996), Island of Dreams – The Best of Jimmy Makulis (2002), and I Don’t Think I Ever Told You (2006). Jimmy Makulis died on October 28, 2007, in a hospital in Athens following heart surgery.
