95 years of Freddy Quinn: Hamburg's voice of longing

AUDIO: Freddy Quinn 95th Birthday (4 min)

95 years of Freddy Quinn: Hamburg's voice of longing

As of: 28.09.2026 00:00

Freddy Quinn turned 95 on Sunday. Shortly before his birthday, forgotten archive footage surfaced again.

The hamburger of choice embodies the lonely seafarer like no other - but the singer never went to sea. He is considered the most successful artist of the post-war period in Germany. Between 1956 and 1966, Freddy Quinn had ten number one hits. Unforgotten: "Boy, come back soon" and songs like "Heimweh", "Seemann, lass das Träumen" or "Die Gitarre und das Meer". They shape his reputation as a Hamburg young man and seafarer with a troubadour flair.

He sold more than 60 million records by the turn of the millennium, and received 17 gold records, 16 lions and two bambis. He plays with music films such as "Freddy, the Guitar and the Sea" or "Homesick for St. Pauli" with Hollywood actress Jayne Mansfield. He usually mimics the homeless loner, who is drawn into the wide world as a sailor. The roles are tailor-made for him and serve the aspirations of the post-war generation. In 1984, Quinn was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit by Federal President Karl Carstens for his services to the German Liedgut.

Old cover songs as a birthday surprise

According to the German press agency, just before his day of honor, old, previously unknown recordings of Quinn have appeared, in which he covers the two country classics "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and "Home on the Range". They were stored in archives together with Quinn's music catalogue of the past 50 years and are available on streaming platforms. Quinn is happy about the find. "That was a successful surprise. I had no idea those old recordings still existed.”

Singers and tightrope walkers: a life on stage

Freddy Quinn has been on stage for over 60 years, which means his life - as a singer, actor, entertainer and circus performer. But the man Freddy Quinn has always remained mysterious - there are said to be around 20 versions of his life story. Poetry and truth interweave, there are always rumours. Quinn doesn't seem to mind. When asked if he was gay, he replied in 2006: "I was almost amused when people spread the word that I was gay.“ He manages to keep his private life largely away from the media.

Dislike of adoptive father

Freddy Quinn was born Manfred Franz Eugen Helmuth Nidl on 27 September 1931 in Niederfladnitz, Lower Austria - he himself gave Vienna as his place of birth. Not Hamburg, as one would like to assume, but after all, he was conceived according to his own statements in his adopted home - he likes to divulge this little detail from his usually closed sewing box. His mother was a journalist in Vienna, his father - according to Quinn - a merchant of Irish descent, where he lived for some time in the USA. Back in Austria, a stepfather comes into play, against whom little Manfred rebels. For a while, his name was Manfred von Petz - only 15 years later he was officially allowed to change his name to "Quinn".

Hamburg originals: striking types you should know

Hamburg is a city full of history and charisma, shaped by people who remain unforgotten - such as Uwe Seeler, Heidi Kabel and Helmut Schmidt.

Young Quinn escapes from the police

After the end of the Second World War - Quinn is just 14 years old - he leaves Vienna to visit his father in the USA. There he learns that he has died in a car accident and is sent back by the US authorities. “That's when I first learned what real soul pain is,” Quinn later said in an interview about this distressing experience.

Back in Europe, the Austrian first attended primary school in Antwerp and later in Vienna. After a short presence at the grammar school in Albertgasse, he ran away as a 16-year-old and joined a circus. There he is an all-round talent, working as a bandmaster and acrobat. Because he is still a minor, he is wanted by the police by his stepfather. After a warning, Quinn flees from Burgenland to Rome by car stop. In the Italian capital, he plays piano for the American soldiers. Via Palermo, he travels by ship to Tunis and from there as a hitchhiker to Algeria.

Freddy Quinn makes it clear - and tells "How it really was"

In the autobiography, which was released on Thursday, the singer clears up life lies and show myths.

Foreign Legionnaire in the works - for three weeks

In the Algerian city of Sidi bel Abbès, Quinn plays on his guitar in bars in front of the foreign legionnaires stationed there. His songs about longing and homesickness are well received and bring him a lot of money. An instructor of the legionnaires suggests that he take part in basic training with the professional soldiers on a trial basis. After three weeks of basic training, Quinn decides against the Foreign Legion and returns to Europe in the early 1950s.

Grand Prix entrant and record millionaire

In the 50s and 60s - here in December 1957 - Quinn regularly appears in the Aktuelle Schaubude.

In 1954, Quinn earns his money with a firm commitment to country, rock 'n' roll and shanties at Hamburg's "Washington Bar" on St. Pauli. Jürgen Roland, television director and editor of the NWDR, and the musician Werner Baecker discover Quinn in the pub and make recordings for the station. The record company Polydor becomes attentive and knitted a biography adapted to the market for the handsome and talented young man. He takes singing lessons with Professor Möbius and acting lessons with Joseph Offenbach. From then on, Freddy's life merged with his songs: Freddy on a journey, homeless, in search. In 1956, he had his first hit with "Heimweh", becoming the first German record millionaire. In the same year, he starts at the premiere of the Grand Prix for Germany. The song "This is how it works every night" lands in 13th place.

Freddy Quinn is also successful as an actor

Longing and the guitar usually play a role in Freddy's films, here a scene from "Weit ist der Weg" from 1960.

Seafaring romance, longing and homesickness are the keywords that young people still associate with Freddy Quinn today, along with the fisherman's hat and crying brides at the port. That he was never really a seafarer doesn't bother anyone. The image stands. Even if he repeatedly emphasizes that the sailor ballads are only part of his repertoire. On December 7, 1957, he made an appearance in the first Aktuelle Schaubude. After that, he is a regular guest there. The following year, Jürgen Roland brought him in front of the camera for the crime series "Stahlnetz" in the episode "Die Tote im Hafenbecken" for a supporting role. Afterwards, he played the lead role in many music films, side by side with well-known actors such as Heidi Brühl, Heinz Erhardt, Gustav Knuth or Grethe Weiser. "Freddy, the Guitar and the Sea" was awarded the Bambi in Gold in 1959 as the most successful film.

Musical actor, folk actor, operetta singer

In the 1960s, Quinn moved his residence to the USA for some time. In 1962, he starts another career as a musical star and folk actor. With the musical "Heimweh nach St. Pauli" (Nostalgia for St. Pauli), he has appeared more than 600 times on German stages. In 1968, he made a guest appearance with Heidi Kabel at the Ohnsorg Theatre in the play "Die Kartenlegerin". In the same year, he also proved his versatility as an operetta singer at a performance of "Fledermaus". With the folk play "Der Junge von St. Pauli" ("The Boy from St. Pauli") he celebrated as much success in 1970 as he did three years later with "Mensch, Kuddel, wake up!" ("Man, Puddle, wake up!"). Quinn can be seen about 1,000 times on the stage of the St. Pauli Theatre.

Quinn's star drops with criticism of student movement

At the end of the 1960s, when Elvis, the Beatles and rock 'n' roll were hot, Freddy Quinn tried to be different, but misjudged the protest song "We" - a criticism of the student movement at the time, which, in Quinn's opinion, did not want to work and lived at the expense of society. On the A-side of the record, he deals with the Vietnam War with the song "For a Handful of Rice". His star is sinking. But it remains active.

Exciting decades: The 70s and 80s

Freddy Quinn (l.) with his true explorer Jürgen Roland during filming for an episode of the "Großstadtreviers".

At the opening ceremony for the 1974 World Cup, he sang the song "Das große Spiel" with the Fischer Choirs in front of 62,000 spectators in Frankfurt's Waldstadion. Although Quinn can no longer land any major hits, he remains a welcome guest on numerous television shows and successfully tours. In 1981, the singer makes a guest appearance at New York's Carnegie Hall. The concert is sold out to the last seat. In the same year, he received the Hamburg honorary lock keeper award. He appeared in the musical "Große Freiheit Nr. 7" in Hamburg in 1984 and starred in two episodes of the television series and NDR production "Großstadtrevier" in 1987 and 1991.

Back to the roots - the circus

“The most important thing I learned at the time was to have discipline and respect for the audience and for honest work,” Quinn says of his beginnings at the circus.

He is also increasingly stepping back in his old footsteps - anyone who has ever tasted circus air can no longer get away from this passion. Freddy Quinn hosts the television shows "Circus, Circus" and "Manegen der Welt", appears in "Stars in der Manege" and goes over the rope in the "Arena of Sensations" - without a net and double floor. With his skills, he acquires a high reputation in artistic circles. He even receives the "Circus Oscar" from Prince Rainier of Monaco. Quinn is also entrusted with TV shows. Accompanied by the Bert Kaempfert Orchestra, he presented his first own shows in 1976 and 1977. He also hosts shows such as "It's Country Time" in the early 1980s, featuring stars such as Dave Dudley, Emmylou Harris and Johnny Cash.

Quinn as a repentant tax evader

But the successes of the previous decades cannot be repeated, although he still makes more than 50 appearances a year in 1999. In 2004, Freddy Quinn is charged with tax evasion because his main residence is registered in Switzerland, but his centre of life is said to have actually been in Hamburg. On the first day of the trial, he made a confession in tears before the district court of the Hanseatic city - he had already paid around 900,000 euros in tax debts before the trial. In November, the taxpayer is sentenced to two years on probation and a fine of 150,000 euros.

Farewell tour "Memories" with loyal fans

Despite the process, his most loyal fans stick with him. This is shown by his farewell tour "Memories" in spring 2005. His motto is always: Stop before people feel sorry for him. But Freddy Quinn remains present: for the reception of the "Queen Mary 2" in the port of Hamburg at the end of August 2006, Hamburgers choose their favorite songs, including two hits by Freddy: "Boy, come back soon" and "La Paloma".

Fate: Death of Lilli Blessmann

Then, in January 2008, the stroke of fate: Quinn's manager and partner Lilli Blessmann dies of pneumonia in a hospital in Hamburg. She was 89 years old. “She was my good star,” Freddy Quinn says. “At the front line in front of the audience - I was good at that. But Mrs. Blessmann always stood behind me."

Freddy Quinn: Late Marriage at 91

Pop singer Freddy Quinn remarries in 2023.

Since then, Freddy Quinn has become quieter. He has largely withdrawn from the public eye, but in 2023 the musician still makes headlines: he and his new partner Rosi, whom he has known for several decades and with whom he has been together for several years, got married in Hamburg on 2 May. The then 64-year-old says to the "Bild"newspaper: "A few weeks ago, he suddenly said: We're doing this now! Let's get married! And then everything went very fast.“ According to the report, 25 friends and relatives are coming to the ceremony. Quinn himself is in a good mood: "Please speak out loud - I don't have my hearing aid in. But don't worry: I've already noticed what this is about."

Moving to the countryside

In 2024, the couple's plan to move to the countryside matured. Freddy Quinn and his Rosi found an old farmhouse with barn and orchard in Schleswig-Holstein, where they now live, according to media reports. The singer does not know boredom, he tells the German Press Agency. He and his wife were busy setting up the yard and they even had geese now.

The Hamburg Harbour Concert

Exciting reports and exclusive reports on the port of Hamburg, shipping and northern German history.

This topic in the program:

NDR Kultur | Das Hamburger Hafenkonzert | 27.09.2026 | 06:00

Tags for this article

Theater

Portrait

Rock Pop

Share Socials