Margot Eskens

Margot Eskens, born on August 12, 1936 in Düren and died on July 29, 2022 at Lake Wörthersee in Austria, was a well-known German pop singerwho enjoyed great success, especially in the 1950s and 1960s.

Her musical career began early on, as her father Karl Eskens worked as a solo entertainer and so she came into contact with the music industry at a young age. In 1954, Margot Eskens, who originally worked as a dental assistant, took part in a Polydor competition for young talent, which she won with the song “Moulin Rouge”. This earned her a recording contract and marked the beginning of her rapid rise in the music business. As early as 1955, she reached third place in the German Schlager Parade with “Ich möcht’ heut’ ausgehn”.

However, she celebrated her greatest successes in 1956 and 1957 with the number 1 hits “Tiritomba” and “Cindy, oh Cindy”, the former of which sold over 800,000 copies. Her duets with Silvio Francesco and other artists such as René Carol, Udo Jürgens and Peter Alexander were also very successful.

Her collaboration with the Krefeld producer and lyricist Kurt Feltz, which lasted until 1961, was crucial to her success. Although her later production team under Hans Bertram was no longer able to build on this success, she managed another hit in 1962 with “Ein Herz, das kann man nicht kaufen”, which earned her third place at the German Schlager Festival. In 1966, she represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest and came 10th with “Die Zeiger der Uhr”.

Although she was still represented in the charts in the 1960s with songs such as “Mama”, her star faded in the following years. Her moves to the record labels CBS and Columbia brought no further success and she gradually withdrew from the active pop business. Even a comeback attempt in the 1970s, after financial losses due to the Herstatt Bank scandal, did not bring the breakthrough she had hoped for. Nevertheless, she continued to perform on stage and in television shows until the 2010s.

Margot Eskens was married to her manager Karl-Heinz Münchow for many years and lived with him on Lake Wörthersee. After his death, she withdrew from the public eye. In 2013, she was diagnosed with dementia and spent her last years in a nursing home. Margot Eskens died at the age of 85 and was buried in Cologne’s Melaten Central Cemetery on August 27, 2022.

Singles

• 1955 Mummy, you mustn’t cry, I want to go out today
• 1956 Tiritomba, Mamatschi, In the little café, Peterle
• 1957 Cindy, oh Cindy, Bombalu, Calypso Italiano (with Silvio Francesco)
• 1958 Alle schönen Frauen, Himmelblaue Serenade, Du bist mir lieber als die Andern, Vergiß mich nicht so schnell (with Peter Alexander), Andalusische Märchen
• 1959 Moonlight party, Three bars of music in the heart (with Udo Jürgens)
• 1960 So wonderful, so fabulous
• 1961 When you come home, Don’t forget that I’m with you (with René Carol), I want to be married to you (with Will Brandes)
• 1962 A heart you can’t buy
• 1963 Marcel, Whether in Bombay, whether in Rio, White Christmas
• 1964 Mama, A journey into the past
• 1966 The hands of the clock
• 1975 Life is beautiful
• 1990 Seek tenderness with me
• 1991 Every woman is born for love
• 1996 Lili Marleen
• 1993 I know
• 2000 Dream bird of love
• 2005 Fallen from a tree

Studio albums

• 1960 Margot Eskens
• 1963 Bonjour la France
• 1964 Serenade of love
• 1987 This feeling
• 1990 Seek tenderness with me
• 1993 Even sailors are homesick
• 2009 Me for you
• 2011 Rollercoaster of love