Biography
Rolf Köhler (May 24, 1951 – September 16, 2007, Hamburg-Altona) was a German singer, musician and record producer.
Rolf Köhler is amongst Germany's most successful musicians. Köhler initially achieved commercial success performing under the pseudonym Marc de Ville in the 1970s. As Marc de Ville, Köhler released a number of chart-topping singles including Annie (I Don't Wanna Talk About The Weather), Walking Alone In The Rain and California.
Köhler performed with a diverse range of German musicians including Marius Müller-Westernhagen and hardrock band Saxony. Köhler also wrote and sang on a number of German commercial ads songs including "Wenn's um Geld geht", "Tortella" and "BIFI". Köhler's most successful venture was Modern Talking, a band which utilized a falsetto style. Köhler formed Modern Talking in collaboration with Dieter Bohlen, Detlef Wiedeke, Michael Scholz and Thomas Anders.
Köhler co-owned Karo Music Studios and produced music for artists including Kalle Trapp, Blind Guardian, Molly Hatchet, New Commix, Kentucky, Tollhouse, Ser, Ian Cussick, BLUE BLIZZ, Wave (with Wiedeke) and Gnadenlos Platt.
In the 1980s, Köhler worked on a number of disco productions with artists including Stag, L'Affair, C. Dorian and Tom Jackson. Several of Köhler's disco productions, including Solid Strangers, Boo Who, Straight Flush and Broken Dreams, achieved mainstream commercial success. Many of Köhler's disco productions are now considered disco music classics by disco collectors.
Köhler died on September 16, 2007, from an apoplectic attack.
Collaboration with Dieter Bohlen:
Following the success of Modern Talking, Köhler was recruited as the lead vocalist in Blue System, a pop group featuring Dieter Bohlen. Although Bohlen appeared in Blue System's video clips and on stage as the group's lead singer, Bohlen was lip-syncing to Köhler's vocals. Köhler's involvement with Bohlen ended in animosity, with Köhler and two fellow Modern Talking band members reporting that Bohlen was lip-synching to Köhler's vocals. Bohlen denied the allegations. The situation resulted in a court dispute over the alleged illegal use of vocal tracks from Modern Talking being digital altered as a sample.
Systems in Blue:
Led by Köhler, Systems in Blue was a group which evolved from Blue System. Systems in Blue released two albums, the first being "Out of the Blue" which reached #60 on Amazon.de. Systems in Blue performed in Russia and Israel and retain a cult following, consisting of a large number of Modern Talking fans.
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