fans
-
Wu Ming — 1 year ago(January 09, 2025 08:44 AM)
mattrossfan February 28, 2004 05:28 PM
Member since February 2004
hi,
ich suche kontakt zu rio fans.würde mich auf eure antwort freuen.
gruss
manu
Manuela
"Manu"
probably won't see this reply anymore.
Rio Reiser, the
"King of Germany"
In the 70s, he shook up the Republic with the band
"Ton Steine Scherben"
(Clay Stones Shards).
In the 80s, he had a hit with his solo debut
"König von Deutschland"
(King of Germany).
Rio Reiser lived a short, wild life.
Rio Reiser (January 09, 1950 – August 20, 1996)
Ralph Christian Möbius, Rio Reiser's real name, was born on January 09, 1950 in Berlin as the youngest of three sons. His father was an engineer at Siemens AG. The family had to move several times as a result of his transfers. The brothers grew up in Mannheim, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Traunreut, Brühl, Fellbach, Rodgau and West-Berlin.
Music grabbed little Möbius at an early age. He saw the movie
"Ben Hur"
in 1961 and was intrigued by the film music. He started playing the melodies by ear on the piano. When he heard
The Beatles
on the radio for the first time in 1963, he was fascinated. At the age of 14, he was a
"deadly fan"
of the boys from Liverpool and their new music style. He wanted nothing more than to make music and write songs.
He taught himself several instruments.
Rio plunked down School and Apprenticeship for Music
While Rio preferred music to school, the family had to move again. In the small town Nieder-Roden near Frankfurt in Hesse, Ralph is renamed Rio by a friend and from then on calls himself Rio too. He eventually quits school and an apprenticeship as a photographer to devote himself entirely to music.
Generation Anthem:
"Destroy what Destroys you!"
In January 1966, Rio met guitarist Ralph Peter Steitz, who was the same age as him, and was hired by him as the singer in his band. This encounter developed into a lifelong friendship. A year later, Rio followed his brothers to Berlin and later founded the theater group
Hoffmanns Comic Theater
with them. Rio was the house composer. One of the songs from this time -
"Destroy what Destroys you"- later became the anthem of a generation. He felt connected to the theater, but dreamed of a band and making German rock music.
Summer 1970 - Birth of the Band
"Ton Steine Scherben"
In the summer of 1970, Rio founded the band
"Ton Steine Scherben"
with his friend Steitz, bassist Kai Sichtermann and drummer Wolfgang Seidel. The guys performed for the first time in September at the
"Love and Peace"
festival on the Baltic island of Fehmarn - and became famous overnight. Jimi Hendrix gave his last concert at the legendary event. The rise of the new anarchic band around Rio began.
"Ton Steine Scherben" is the musical mouthpiece of an entire generation - political, critical, rebellious.
With
"No Power for Anyone"
into the Heart of the left-wing scene
The first record
"Why is it that I'm so dirty"
is produced and released. The second LP follows in 1972 with the title
"No Power for Anyone" - and after this almost everyone in Germany knows the musicians who played their way into the heart of the left-wing scene. At a time when the terrorist group RAF (Red Army Faction) made waves, their songs are the non-violent counterpoint. They speak to the soul of young people.
Rio and the Band move North to the Countryside in Schleswig-Holstein
In order to escape the influences of the commercial music industry, the musicians of
"Ton Steine Scherben"
founded the record label
David Volksmund Produktion
and released their albums through it.
In 1975, Rio moved with friends and band from Berlin to Fresenhagen in Schleswig-Holstein where they bought an old farmhouse. In the specially set up recording studio, he wrote and composed various plays and film music with his colleagues.
Rio Reiser's house in Fresenhagen
Rio Reiser not only works for his band, he also writes lyrics and composes songs for other musicians and gives his first solo concert at the end of 1983. At Kampnagel in Hamburg, Reiser sits alone at the grand piano and sings pieces by Marlene Dietrich, the Rolling Stones and his own compositions.
"Ton Steine Scherben"
split up in 1985 and Reiser begins his solo career.
"King of Germany"
makes Rio a
"Folk Singer"
The year 1986 was the most successful of his solo career. With songs like
"Alles Lüge"
and
"Junimond"
from his first release
"Rio I."
he catapulted himself into the German charts.
His most successful song from this album, “King of Germany,” will be associated with him from then on.
The
Folk Singer
(newly named by the press) landed his biggest hit with it.
Rio, the "Folk Singer"

A year later, Rio Reiser joined the anti-nuclear movement and allowed his song
"Alles Lüge"
to be used as an election campaign song for the Greens. The restless artist released two more solo albums which weren't able to match the commercial success of the first album. Rio continued to work tirelessly though. He composed film music, took on smaller roles in TV movies and wrote an oper
- later became the anthem of a generation. He felt connected to the theater, but dreamed of a band and making German rock music.