Biography
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Years Active
1979 – present (45 years)
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Founded In
München, Bayern, Germany
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Members
- Edina Pop
- Henriette Heichel
- Leslie Mandoki
- Louis Hendrik Potgieter
- Steve Bender
Dschinghis Khan (Pronounced "Jingis" Khan) was a German pop band, created in 1979 to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest. The name of the band is the German spelling of "Genghis Khan", and was chosen to fit the song of the same name, written and produced by Ralph Siegel with lyrics by Bernd Meinunger.
Appearing at the height of the disco boom and following on the heels of other German-produced bands such as Boney M., Arabesque, and Silver Convention, the band achieved wide popularity throughout the world, especially in Europe, Russia, and Japan, though they went wholly unnoticed in the United States. Their songs invariably were themed on historical figures and exotic cultures and locales.
Though the group broke up in the mid-1980s, it has enjoyed a recent resurgence in popularity on the internet due to a video of them performing their hit song Moskau being discovered. The video and the song associated with it have become a popular topic on blogs and websites.
The original members of the group were:
* Steve Bender (1942-2006)
* Wolfgang Heichel
* Henriette Heichel
* Leslie Mándoki
* Edina Pop
* Louis Hendrik Potgieter (1951-1993)
The band re-formed in late 2005, with Stefan Track replacing Potgieter as the "Khan" character. They performed at the Olympiyski Arena in Moscow on October 17, 2005. On May 7th, 2006, Steve Bender (the member famous for his bald appearance) died of cancer.
The band, now under the name "The Legacy of Dschinghis Khan", has a tour scheduled for Winter 2006 - Fall 2007. In the tour, their show will consist of "Cirque du Dschinghis Khan", featuring other performers, including Mongolian circus acts. Their announced dates are listed on the official website of the group and are subject to change. Their planned German national tour dates in January 2007 will coincide with the release of their latest as-of-yet untitled LP and DVD. It will be their first release since 1999's "Die Großen Erfolge".
Their songs appear in the video games Taiko No Tatsujin, Pop'n Music, and Stepping Selection.
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