Gitte Hænning
Encyclopedia
Gitte Hænning is a Danish singer and film
actress, who rose to fame
as a child star
in the 1950s.
Because her name was relatively unique, she was known primarily without a surname
in Europe. She moved to Sweden
in 1958. Her first hit
in Swedish
was "Tror du jag ljuger" from 1961. As a teenager
, Gitte sang popular hits in German
, English
, Italian
(4 songs, "Amo Johnny", "Parla", "La mela" and "Il ricordo", recorded on two singles
) and Danish
. She had five different Nr. 1-Hits in three countries. One in Denmark, two in Sweden and two in Germany. Her first german Nr.1-Song was "Ich will 'nen Cowboy als Mann". The recording
sold 1.05 million copies by mid 1965, earning Gitte a gold disc
.
In 1962 she attempted to compete for Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest
in the Eurovision Song Contest
with "Jeg Snakker med mig Selv" but was disqualified because the composer Sejr Volmer-Sørensen had whistled the song in the canteen of the DR. In 1973 she competed for Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest
with the song "Junger Tag". Her success continued after famous duets with Rex Gildo
as 'Gitte & Rex' in a number of popular film
s. Gitte made an attempt to represent Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest
in 1978 with the song "Rien qu'une femme" but she lost out to the group Baccara
.
In the 60's she also starred in several music and drama movies and on TV in Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
Gitte was among the most popular Schlager
(hit music) singers of the post-war
era, and continued to be popular in Germany and Denmark even as American music
increasingly dominated the airwaves in the 1970s. Surprisingly at the time, she recorded a jazz
album
with The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band
in 1968. Through the ensuing decades her singles have still reached the German charts
, but never with the same success she enjoyed in the 1960s. In the 80s, she changed her image and performed more adult music. She won some awards as a singer/entertainer. Her chart entries ended in the mid 80s, but since that time, she has been successful as a live performer till today. A number of compilation album
s have been recently released in Germany, among them a biographical DVD
, all to commemorate one of the most famous singers of the German and Danish languages.
From 2004-2006 she starred with two other Scandinavian entertainers, Wencke Myhre and Siw Malmkvist
, in a huge stage and tour success. The Live-CD of their show entered the German charts. In 2010 she presented a new CD, which also had a German chart entry.
She had in 1960 her first chart entry in Sweden and her last in 2010 in Germany.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
actress, who rose to fame
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
as a child star
Child star
Child star can refer to:* a child actor* a child singer*"Child Star," a song by The Unicorns from their 2003 album Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?...
in the 1950s.
Because her name was relatively unique, she was known primarily without a surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
in Europe. She moved to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1958. Her first hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
was "Tror du jag ljuger" from 1961. As a teenager
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
, Gitte sang popular hits in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
(4 songs, "Amo Johnny", "Parla", "La mela" and "Il ricordo", recorded on two singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
) and Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
. She had five different Nr. 1-Hits in three countries. One in Denmark, two in Sweden and two in Germany. Her first german Nr.1-Song was "Ich will 'nen Cowboy als Mann". The recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
sold 1.05 million copies by mid 1965, earning Gitte a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
.
In 1962 she attempted to compete for Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest
Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest
Denmark has competed in the Eurovision Song Contest from 1957 to 1966 and from 1978 to the present day and has a good record, finishing in the top three six times and winning twice. From 1967 until 1977, Denmark didn't participate in the contest....
in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1962
The Eurovision Song Contest 1962 was the seventh in the series. France's win was their third and marked the first time a country had won three contests. Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, and Spain all scored "null points" for the first time....
with "Jeg Snakker med mig Selv" but was disqualified because the composer Sejr Volmer-Sørensen had whistled the song in the canteen of the DR. In 1973 she competed for Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
with the song "Junger Tag". Her success continued after famous duets with Rex Gildo
Rex Gildo
Rex Gildo was a German singer of Schlager ballads who reached the height of his popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, selling over 25 million records and starring in film and television roles....
as 'Gitte & Rex' in a number of popular film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s. Gitte made an attempt to represent Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
in 1978 with the song "Rien qu'une femme" but she lost out to the group Baccara
Baccara
Baccara was a female vocal duo formed in 1977 by Spanish artists Mayte Mateos and María Mendiola . The pair rapidly achieved international success with their debut single "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie", which reached number one across much of Europe...
.
In the 60's she also starred in several music and drama movies and on TV in Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
Gitte was among the most popular Schlager
Schlager
Schlager music is a style of popular music prevalent in Central and Northern Europe and the Balkans and also in France and Poland. In Portugal, it was adapted and became pimba music...
(hit music) singers of the post-war
Aftermath of World War II
After World War II a new era of tensions emerged based on opposing ideologies, mutual distrust between nations, and a nuclear arms race. This emerged into an environment dominated by a international balance of power that had changed significantly from the status quo before the war...
era, and continued to be popular in Germany and Denmark even as American music
American music
The music of the Americas is very diverse since, in addition to many types of Native American music, the music of Africa and the music of Europe have been found there for some five centuries, creating many hybrid forms that have influenced the popular music of the world.-See also:*Canadian...
increasingly dominated the airwaves in the 1970s. Surprisingly at the time, she recorded a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
with The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band
The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band
The Kenny Clarke–Francy Boland Big Band was one of the most noteworthy jazz big bands formed outside the United States.It was formed in 1961, when, with the help of producer Gigi Campi, the US drummer Kenny Clarke and Belgian pianist and composer Francy Boland and ex-Ellington bassist Jimmy Woode...
in 1968. Through the ensuing decades her singles have still reached the German charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, but never with the same success she enjoyed in the 1960s. In the 80s, she changed her image and performed more adult music. She won some awards as a singer/entertainer. Her chart entries ended in the mid 80s, but since that time, she has been successful as a live performer till today. A number of compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s have been recently released in Germany, among them a biographical DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, all to commemorate one of the most famous singers of the German and Danish languages.
From 2004-2006 she starred with two other Scandinavian entertainers, Wencke Myhre and Siw Malmkvist
Siw Malmkvist
Siw "Siwan" Gunnel Margareta Malmkvist is a Swedish singer who is popular in Scandinavia and Germany...
, in a huge stage and tour success. The Live-CD of their show entered the German charts. In 2010 she presented a new CD, which also had a German chart entry.
She had in 1960 her first chart entry in Sweden and her last in 2010 in Germany.