Puhdys

The Puhdys in 2013.
Background information
Origin	Oranienburg, Germany
Genres	Rock, hard rock, progressive rock, art rock, pop rock, industrial metal (later)
Years active	1965–2016
Labels	BMG, Amiga
Website	www.puhdys.com
Members	Dieter Birr Dieter Hertrampf Peter Meyer Peter Rasym Klaus Scharfschwerdt
Past members	Gunter Wosylus Harry Jeske

The Puhdys (German pronunciation: [ˈpuːdis]) were a veteran German rock band, formed in Oranienburg (Brandenburg), GDR, in 1969, although by then they had been performing together—with various lineups—as the Puhdys since 1965. Although they are especially popular in their native eastern Germany, the Puhdys enjoyed significant success outside the GDR, and were one of the first East German bands allowed to tour West Germany. They are one of the most successful German-language rock groups.

The Puhdys developed out of the Udo-Wendel-Combo, founded in 1965. When guitarist and singer Wendel left the band late in the year, it needed a new name. The four members took the letters from their first names — keyboardist Peter Meyer, drummer Udo Jacob, bassist (and sometimes manager) Harry Jeske, and lead guitarist and singer Dieter Hertrampf (who had replaced Wendel) — to become the Puhdys (the name otherwise has no specific meaning). The band went through further personnel changes until 1969, when they were given a professional performance license, which was all-important in East Germany. By then, Jacob had been replaced by Gunter Wosylus and vocalist-guitarist Dieter Birr had joined, cementing the band's lineup for the next ten years; the band dates this, rather than 1965, as its foundation. (The two Dieters are differentiated by their nicknames: "Quaster" Hertrampf, from a corruption of the title of The Shadows' "Quartermaster's Stores," after his long attempt to learn the Hank Marvin guitar solo; and "Maschine" Birr, once called an "eating machine" by his bandmates for his voracious appetite).

Their first concert took place in Freiberg, Saxony, on November 21, 1969. Early performances were heavily influenced by British hard rock bands such as Deep Purple and Uriah Heep, although the band were fond of earlier American rockers such as Elvis Presley. At first, they largely performed cover versions of foreign acts. Although there was a great demand for covers in East Germany, largely because the audience was unable to buy western albums, rock music was still viewed with suspicion in the GDR. The artistic climate changed after Erich Honecker came to power in 1971, and the Puhdys were offered the chance to record for the state-run Amiga label, as long as they performed in the German language and remained apolitical.