Howard Carpendale

One of Germany's most successful pop singers during the 1970s and '80s, Howard Carpendale was born Howard Victor Carpendale on January 14, 1946 in Durban, South Africa. Howie, as he is affectionately known, was working as an Elvis impersonator when he relocated to Europe in 1966, settling first in the U.K. He moved to Germany in 1969 when he was offered a recording contract with Electrola Records, having success right out of the gate that year on the German pop charts with a cover of the Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da." Carpendale was unable to follow up on that success, however, and his stay with Electrola was over by the early '70s.

The singer turned to writing his own material, often with the help of guitarist Joachim Horn, and turned his fortunes around, as he hit the German pop charts numerous times in the '70s and '80s while building a large audience with his live shows. He retired from the music business in 2003 and turned his attention to acting. The retirement was short-lived, though, and by 2007 Carpendale had returned with a comeback album and a sold-out tour. The comeback continued with a follow-up album, Stark, which peaked at number two on the German charts in 2009.