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Biography
Infobox musical artist|name = Silver Convention|background = group_or_band|alias = Silver Bird Convention Silver Bird|origin = Munich , Germany |genre = Rhythm and blues|R& B , Eurodisco |years_active = 1974& ndash;1979|label = Jupiter Records|Jupiter , Midland International Records|Midland International |past_members = Linda G. Thompson Penny McLean Ramona Wulf Jackie Carter Zenda Jacks Rhonda Heath Silver Convention (sometimes mistakenly called "Silver Connection") was a Germany|German euro disco musician|recording act of the 1970s. The musical ensemble|group was originally named Silver Bird Convention , or Silver Bird .
Career
The group was initiated in Munich by record producer|producers and songwriter s Sylvester Levay and Michael Kunze (writer)|Michael Kunze . The group was named after Levay, "Silver" being Levay's nickname . Kunze had in the late 1960s been a pop lyricist who wrote protest songs in German; when these tunes went out of style, he began producing pop records and commercials.Vickers, Tom. "Singles: Surprising Takeoff of 'Fly, Robin, Fly.'" Rolling Stone 203 (January 1, 1976), p. 18. Levay had developed a taste for American music while growing up in Yugoslavia, eventually becoming a music arranger and lyricist.Vickers, Rolling Stone 03.
Using female session musician|session singing|vocalists for their first sound recording and reproduction|recordings , they scored a hit record|successful single (music)|single in the United Kingdom in 1975 with the song " Save Me (Silver Convention song)|Save Me ", which peaked at #30. http://www.everyhit.com/ They were only a recording studio|studio group, and realized then that they would need to find professional entertainers for presentation to the public.
They recruited vocalists Linda Thompson (real name Linda Übelherr, who would be billed on her solo (music)|solo Gramophone record|records as Linda G. Thompson, formerly a member of Les Humphries Singers ), Penny McLean (real name Gertrude Wirschinger) and Ramona Wulf (real name Ramona Kraft, born to a German mother and black American G.I. (military)|G.I. father). http://surf.to/ramonawulf Ramona Wulf biography Their first production was the minor successful single named ironically "There Is Always Another Girl".
As Silver Convention they scored two major United States|U.S. and Canada|Canadian hit singles. " Fly, Robin, Fly ," of which the complete lyrics consisted of only six different words (Fly, Robin, Up, To, The, Sky), maintained three weeks at Chart-topper|#1 in late November and early December 1975, and won the group a Grammy Award for Best R& B Instrumental Performance . It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a music recording sales certification|gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in December 1975.cite book | first= Joseph | last= Murrells | year= 1978 | title= The Book of Golden Discs | edition= 2nd | publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd | location= London | page= 364 | isbn= 0-214-20512-6 Initially the song was titled "Run, Rabbit, Run", changed by the writers moments before the recording took place. Their next success "Get Up And Boogie", which also consisted of only six different words (Get, Up, And, Boogie, That's, Right), hit #1 in Canada on June 15, 1976, http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php? brws_s=1& file_num=nlc008388.4147a& type=1& interval=24& PHPSESSID=kjerdnvbvl3a8p4jfufutrc7u6 had 3 weeks at #2 in the U.S in June 1976 and also peaked at #7 in the UK, in May 1976. Their next release, "No No Joe," only scored #60 in September 1976. The further singles released by the Trio (music)|trio attempted to duplicate the sound that had made them successful briefly, but they were only minor successes. At this time, Linda G. Thompson left the group and was replaced by New York er Rhonda Heath, who was chosen over other hopefuls at an open casting call to become the newest singer for the group. http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/rhonda_heath Rhonda Heath biography
Michael Kunze wrote the lyrics on the first two album s under the pseudonym Stephan Prager. During this time the three singers released their own solo work. McLean and Thompson achieved hit singles with "Lady Bump" and "1, 2, 3, 4 ... Fire!", and "Ooh What a Night" respectively. Wulf's solo effort was only a moderate success.
Silver Convention represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977 with "Telegram", finishing eighth. The entry had only English language|English lyrics (with considerably more words than their past hits), but was allowed to enter in spite of the Rules of the Eurovision Song Contest#Languages|language rule being reintroduced this year, because the song was chosen to represent Germany before the reintroduction was announced. In 1994, Rhonda Heath returned to Eurovision, providing backing vocals and keyboards for the German entry " Wir Geben 'Ne Party " performed in German language|German by Mekado . This entry did better than Silver Convention's effort, finishing third out of the 25 entries in Dublin .
With a new producer (John Davis), and a revised line-up of singers (Suzie McClosky aka Zenda Jacks, Rhonda Heath and Ramona Wulf), Silver Convention was successful again during 1978 with the album Love in a Sleeper . The Gramophone record|12" single release from the LP was "Spend the Night With Me" backed with "Mission To Venus".
Levay also worked with Giorgio Moroder , and Kunze began work with Jim Steinman . The solo careers of the three singers ended quickly and they left the music industry . Levay and Kunze later collaborated on the successful Vienna productions of the musical theatre|musicals Elisabeth , Mozart! and Rebecca .
Cover versions
American jazz flautist Herbie Mann recorded a cover version of "Fly, Robin, Fly" for his 1976 album, Bird in a Silver Cage, which was co-produced and arranged by Sylvester Levay.Mann, Herbie. Bird in a Silver Cage. iTunes album review. Accessed February 26, 2010. The Australian/British string quartet Bond (band)|Bond also recorded a version of "Fly, Robin, Fly" for their 2004 album, Classified. In 2003, German lifestyle company Apartment20 produced a version of "Fly, Robin, Fly," which featured Ramona Wulf on lead vocals and in the video for the song.
Silver Convention's hit, "Get Up and Boogie," was re-tooled for a 2009 commercial for the "Snuggie" ( sleeved blanket ).
Discography
Singles
"Always Another Girl" (1974)
" Fly, Robin, Fly " (1975)
"Tiger Baby" (1975)
" Save Me (Silver Convention song)|Save Me " (1975)
"Get Up and Boogie" (1976)
"No, No, Joe" (1976)
"Dancing in the Aisles" (1976)
"Everybody's Talking 'bout Love" (1976)
"Boys from Liverpool" (1977)
"Telegram" (1977)
"Spend the Night with Me" (1978)
"Café au Lait" (1979)
Albums
Save Me (Silver Convention album)|Save Me (1975)
Get Up and Boogie (album)|Get Up and Boogie (alternate title for Silver Convention in some territories) (1976)
Silver Convention (alternate title for Get Up and Boogie in some territories) (1976)
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/silverconvention/ Silver Convention message board at Yahoo
http://www.myspace.com/silverconventiontributespace Silver Convention Tribute Space on Myspace
s-startsuccession box |before= Les Humphries Singers with Sing Sang Song | title= Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest | years= Eurovision Song Contest 1977|1977 | after= Ireen Sheer with Feuer (song)|Feuer s-end Category:German Eurovision Song Contest entrants Category:German dance music groups Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1977 Category:Eurodisco groups Category:Girl groups Category:Musical trios Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Musical groups established in 1974 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1979
