Schlager singer and producer Christian Franke (real name: Christian Hese) was born on February 15, 1956, in Nuremberg, Germany. His first single, 1981's "Ich Wünsch Dir die Hölle auf Erden," was an immensely successful career start, charting at number seven and staying in the singles charts for 26 weeks. After his 1982 debut album Du und Ich, Franke continued to release singles throughout the '80s, but then focused on production work during the '90s. In 1999, he returned with a new single ("Sprung im Herzen") and released a new album titled Genau Wie Du in 2002. A compilation album followed in 2003 before Franke went on another hiatus. He made a second comeback with his 2009 single "Geh Nicht Fort (Guardian Angel)" and the 2012 album Leben!, which featured the David Brandes-produced single "Apfelbaum." ~ Christian Genzel