Dorthe

Dorthe, originally uploaded by Truus, Bob & Jan too!.

German postcard by Krüger, nr. 902/377. Photo: Lothar Winkler.

Danish-German singer Dorthe Kollo or just Dorthe (1947) was a popular schlager singer in the 1960’s. She appeared often on tv in both Denmark and Germany.

Dorthe Kollo was born Dorthe Larsen in 1947 in Frederiksberg (Copenhagen), Denmark, and she grew up in Copenhagen. Her father was the director of the symphonical orchestra of Århus and he gave her musical lessons. She also attended acting, dance and pantomime classes.When she was eight, she recorded her first single in Denmark, Min Piphans. In the early 1960’s she went to Germany. In 1965 she sang Eine Menge Verehrer at the Deutschen Schlager-Festspielen in Baden-Baden, but didn’t reach the finals. This song and also the B-side, Deiner Nase seh’ ich’s an, were received well. The following year she had her first hit with Junger Mann mit roten Rosen, that became fifth at the Schlager-Festspielen 1964. In 1965 she reached the 4th place with Blondes Haar am Paletot and Eine Schwalbe macht noch keinen Sommer.

In 1968 Dorthe Kollo had her first mass success with Sind Sie der Graf von Luxemburg?. That same year she had another hit with Wärst du doch in Düsseldorf geblieben, with which she became second at the Deutschen Schlager-Wettbewerb 1968 and for which she got a golden record. Both songs are now evergreens of the German schlager music. Other hits were Jeder Schotte (1969) and Seine Hoheit, der Herr Kronprinz (1969). In the early 1970’s she continued making records, but with less success. She often appeared on television. She acted in tv films like the comedy Paris ist eine Reise wert (1966) with Gus Backus and Fernandel and the musical comedy Guten Rutsch! (1969, Harry Engel, Ferry Olsen). She was a tv host for seven years for the German regional broadcaster NDR and had her own program Bi uns to Huus for four years. Although she did not have new hits, her songs continued to be popular on the radio in the 1980’s and 1990’s. She now still regularly appears on both Danish and German tv. Dorthe Kollo was married to opera singer René Kollo from 1967 till 1977. They have a daughter, Nathalie (1967). In 1983 she married prop master Bernd Klinkert, with whom she has a daughter, Jil (1983). They divorced in 1988. From 1996 till 2000 she was married to film producer Just Betzer. Today she lives together with shipowner Heiner Dettmer in Bremen, Germany.