Afrikaan Beat By Bert Kaempfert

Bert Kaempfert was a German orchestra leader, songwriter, arranger and producer who had a major impact on music in the 60s. He wrote the music for a number of well-known songs, such as “Strangers in the Night“, “Wooden Heart“, and “Danke Schoen“. “Danke Schoen“, with words added by Kurt Schwabach and Milt Gabler, became Wayne Newton’s signature song. His instrumental “Moon Over Naples,“ became “Spanish Eyes“, a hit for Al Martino and also recorded by Engelbert Humperdinck. Kaempfert’s own first hit with his orchestra came in 1960, with “Wonderland by Night“ which hit #1 on the Billboard charts. When “Wonderland by Night“ was first released, most thought that Kaempfert was the trumpet player. This selection was released in 1962 and reached #42 on Billboards Top 100.