Together forever: Alice & Ellen Kessler

You read the news, Alice and Ellen Kessler (1936-2025) are no longer with us. They departed the way they lived: Together.
Eurovision fans know them from the 1959 Eurovision entry for Germany Heute Abend wollen wir tanzen Geh’n which is one of the earliest examples of choreography on the Eurovision stage. The song finished in 8th place.

But the twins' fame reached far beyond Eurovision, they sang and danced all over the world with great success in France, Italy, the USA and their home Germany.
The Eurovision records are hard to find rarities now as are their international albums.

Here’s their Eurovision Discography

Coverversions:

France 1959 Oui Oui Oui (french)
- on EP (France: Polydor 21517 méd) also includes Hello Boy, the French version of their Eurovision song.
Austria 1964 Warum nur warum (German) as “Warum”
Germany 1971 Wunder gibt es immer wieder (German) as “Wunder”                                
- both on LP Around the world  (Italy: Valiant ZSLV 55022)
Italy 1964 This is my prayer (English version of Non ho l’eta)
- LP Discotheque dance date (USA: Midnight records HSLP 2100).

Pictures borrowed from Discogs.

More

Oui oui oui oui also a very lovely video at our FB

Non ho l'eta

Warum nur warum

Wunder gibt es immer wieder

Rob De Nijs & Rita Reys - New Fashioned Waltz (Sweden 1966)

Dutch Legend Rob de Nijs passed away. Here's his coverversion of the Swedish entry of 1966. It's a duet with jazz singer Rita Reys (1924-2013).

the single from 1966

Anno Domenico: Gay 'ole times with Anita Bryant

Ding Dong....

American singer / actress Anita Bryant shot to international infamy when she used her star status in her battle to stop a Miami law against discrimination on the basis of sexual preference. That surely alienated her gay fanbase, who felt like she was smashing their heads in with the Bible. And she only wanted to stop them from recruiting (!) and molesting innocent children.
Later on she toned down a little bit and changed her crusade against the bad bad gays corrupting American family values and American society to "Hate the sin, love the sinner".

After magically surviving her birth, her career started at a young age in the pageant industry, later winning titles like Miss America Pageant and Miss Oklahoma.
At 16 she released her first record Sinful To Flirt. She scored three hits in the early 60's including Paper Roses and released christian music records later in the 60's and 70's.
When she divorced she lost her new christian fundamentalist fanbase, and her career seemed to end in bankrupcy in 1997. 

In 2005 Barnsdall, Oklahoma she was honoured when a street got her name (Why?). Today she runs Anita Bryant Ministries International. (link here). (well not anymore, update ed)
Read more about her birth story, (which is second to Jesus' birth only), a very effective gay orange juice boycott, a fruit pie (pictured) and Bryants life and hate campaigns and at her Wiki.

Her biography subtitled The Survival Of Our Nation's Families And The Threat Of Militant Homosexuality seems still available in the second hand bookstores bargain bins.

Anita Bryant recorded a great version Volare which appeared on her 1962 LP In A Velvet Mood (Columbia CS-8685) and it was also released as a 7" single (Columbia - S731571)


2008: Anno Domenico is a tribute to Domenico Modugno's Eurovision classic Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare) which conquered the world 50 years ago. Eurocovers will feature half a century of remarkable coverversions of the Italian evergreen. With this link you'll get all the Eurocovers posts that have featured (or mentioned) the song so far.