Photo: Archive Prods LLC
Austrian singer Wilfried had his first number one hit in the Austrian charts in 1973 with his English-language debut single, “Mary, Oh Mary.” With “Ziwui, ziwui,” he temporarily switched to singing in dialect and established himself as an early Austro-pop artist. His rock interpretation of the “Kufsteinlied” in 1981 is considered an early example of “new folk music.” From 1978 to mid-1979, Wilfried was the lead singer of the band Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung (EAV). He is featured on the band’s debut album, 1. Allgemeine Verunsicherung, and toured with them. Since EAV did not have a record deal at the time, the album was released through Wilfried’s deal with EMI. After releasing two English-language albums with EMI, Wilfried switched to Polydor in 1981 and only recorded German-language albums thereafter. He represented Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest with “Lisa Mona Lisa” and enjoyed repeated success as an actor in theater and film. In 1990, he released the live album Nachts in der City (At Night in the City). This album will be re-released end of February 2026 and will include the nearly 12-minute version of “Adler Bluusz.” Austrian film producer and director Rudi Dolezal, a close friend of the artist during his lifetime, wrote the liner notes. Wilfried passed away in the summer of 2017. More re-releases, reworkings, and digitizations from the charismatic singer’s archive are in the works.