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Charlie and his Orchestra

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25: 282:" Schwedler croons about the confusion of new love; in the third stanza, he continues: "Here is Winston Churchill's latest tear-jerker: Yes, the Germans are driving me crazy / I thought I had brains / But they shot down my planes...". Later, the entire lyric would be modified (clearly based on the original). The band also recorded (unaltered) 165:
British listeners heard the band every Wednesday and Saturday at about 9 pm. The importance of the band in the propaganda war was underscored by a BBC survey released after World War II, which indicated that 26.5 percent of all British listeners had at some point heard programmes from Germany. The
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Goebbels recognized that both art and propaganda were meant to bring about a spiritual mobilization in its audience, and was well aware of the popularity of swing and big band music in Allied countries. He gave permission to bring Berlin's best jazz musicians into the music-propaganda program, and
226:. Schwedler was permitted to travel to neutral and occupied countries to collect jazz and dance music, which helped the band and propaganda ministry to produce more recordings. Outside their "official" duties, many members of the band supplemented their income by playing in underground venues. 182:
sound). However, such American influences which consisted of African American and some Jewish elements were viewed as counter to goals of German racial purity; by 1935 they were outlawed, and the Nazis informally labeled it as
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American swing and popular British songs were initially performed true to the originals until the second or third stanza, when pro-German lyrics and monologues would be introduced. For example, in the Walter Donaldson hit
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radio station. Even when the city finally came under attack the band played jazz hits live on international shortwave radio, as German domestic stations played the "cuckoo" air-raid warning.
274:'s messages in an entertaining form. The songs stressed how badly the war was going for the target audience, and how it would be only a matter of time until they would be defeated. 242:, but were still recognized as "Goebbels' band". They played at US Armed Forces clubs in Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg. Conductor Lutz Templin became one of the founders of the 159: 229:
By 1943, bombardment by Allied planes took a toll on German broadcast operations; the studio, employees and musicians were moved to southern Germany to perform on the
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broadcast network. Schwedler (in varying accounts) either emigrated to the US in 1960, or became a businessman who retired at
497: 270:, convince listeners those leaders are pawns of Jewish interests, demean Black and Jewish people, and convey German dictator 46: 75: 57: 279: 201:. They escaped notice by pasting pro-German lyrics over sheet music and using instruments like harpsichords for 522: 166:
German Propaganda Ministry also distributed their music on 78 rpm records to POW camps and occupied countries.
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band, the group made over 90 recordings between March 1941 and February 1943. Arrangements were by Templin,
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Many of the members of Charlie and his Orchestra went on to successful careers in music after the war.
82: 189:. An underground jazz scene, however, persisted in Berlin. Here bandleader Lutz Templin and drummer 238: 330: 263: 243: 190: 142:
music styles were seen by Nazi authorities as rebellious but, ironically, propaganda minister
443: 360: 365: 303: 143: 355: 327: 324: 289: 194: 151: 457: 404: 466: 283: 217: 202: 198: 155: 135: 124:(also referred to as the "Templin band" and "Bruno and His Swinging Tigers") were a 345: 271: 259: 368: – Jewish swing band playing in the German Theresienstadt concentration camp. 258:
The purposes of the band were to encourage German sympathies, draw attention to
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During the 1930s there was a great demand in Germany for jazz music, especially
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After the war the musicians reorganized under Fritz Brocksieper with the name
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brought together key swing figures of the late 1930s, including singer
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Allied losses, weaken British and American resolve, belittle
197:("Charlie"), clarinetist Kurt Abraham and trombone player 316:
And if your loud propaganda means half of what it says,
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Listen online or download mp3s of ten complete songs:
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 302:, includes a snippet from Schwedler's cover of 8: 209:in 1940 Charlie and his Orchestra was born. 220:and Franz Mück, with lyrics written by the 400: 398: 396: 394: 392: 109:Learn how and when to remove this message 406:Wir haben damals die beste Musik gemacht 150:radio broadcasts aimed initially at the 388: 508:Musical groups disestablished in 1945 444:WFMU Radio: Charlie and his Orchestra 7: 319:I double dare you to come over here. 313:I double dare you to try and invade. 310:I double dare you to venture a raid. 47:adding citations to reliable sources 513:Musical groups established in 1940 483:Anti-American sentiment in Germany 306:'s 1930s hit "I Double Dare You": 14: 478:1945 disestablishments in Germany 323:Anecdotal accounts indicate that 503:Germany–United Kingdom relations 178:(which included elements of the 146:conceived of using the style in 23: 458:Tennessee Bill's Old Time Radio 34:needs additional citations for 473:1940 establishments in Germany 1: 518:Nazi propaganda organizations 488:Anti-black racism in Germany 16:German propaganda swing band 419:Gross, Terry (2023-09-20). 58:"Charlie and his Orchestra" 539: 451:Charlie and his Orchestra 292:'s nonfiction book about 160:German declaration of war 122:Charlie and his Orchestra 333:enjoyed the broadcasts. 280:You're Driving Me Crazy 493:Anti-British sentiment 231:Reichssender Stuttgart 498:German musical groups 377:Thanks for the Memory 268:Franklin D. Roosevelt 223:Propagandaministerium 162:on 11 December 1941. 43:improve this article 239:Freddie Brocksieper 446:- includes samples 286:of popular songs. 331:Winston Churchill 264:Winston Churchill 214:Reichsministerium 191:Fritz Brocksieper 119: 118: 111: 93: 530: 431: 430: 416: 410: 402: 361:Degenerate music 154:, and later the 114: 107: 103: 100: 94: 92: 51: 27: 19: 538: 537: 533: 532: 531: 529: 528: 527: 523:Swing ensembles 463: 462: 449:Listen online: 440: 435: 434: 418: 417: 413: 403: 390: 385: 366:Ghetto Swingers 342: 304:Louis Armstrong 299:The Longest Day 256: 212:As an official 172: 144:Joseph Goebbels 115: 104: 98: 95: 52: 50: 40: 28: 17: 12: 11: 5: 536: 534: 526: 525: 520: 515: 510: 505: 500: 495: 490: 485: 480: 475: 465: 464: 461: 460: 454: 447: 439: 438:External links 436: 433: 432: 411: 387: 386: 384: 381: 380: 379: 374: 369: 363: 358: 356:Degenerate art 353: 348: 341: 338: 328:Prime Minister 321: 320: 317: 314: 311: 290:Cornelius Ryan 284:cover versions 255: 252: 195:Karl Schwedler 171: 168: 152:United Kingdom 117: 116: 31: 29: 22: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 535: 524: 521: 519: 516: 514: 511: 509: 506: 504: 501: 499: 496: 494: 491: 489: 486: 484: 481: 479: 476: 474: 471: 470: 468: 459: 455: 453:at boomp3.com 452: 448: 445: 442: 441: 437: 428: 427: 422: 415: 412: 408: 407: 401: 399: 397: 395: 393: 389: 382: 378: 375: 373: 370: 367: 364: 362: 359: 357: 354: 352: 349: 347: 344: 343: 339: 337: 334: 332: 329: 326: 318: 315: 312: 309: 308: 307: 305: 301: 300: 295: 291: 287: 285: 281: 275: 273: 269: 265: 261: 253: 251: 249: 245: 241: 240: 234: 232: 227: 225: 224: 219: 218:Willy Berking 215: 210: 206: 204: 203:boogie-woogie 200: 199:Willy Berking 196: 192: 188: 187: 181: 177: 169: 167: 163: 161: 157: 156:United States 153: 149: 145: 141: 137: 134: 131: 127: 123: 113: 110: 102: 91: 88: 84: 81: 77: 74: 70: 67: 63: 60: –  59: 55: 54:Find sources: 48: 44: 38: 37: 32:This article 30: 26: 21: 20: 424: 414: 405: 346:Lord Haw Haw 335: 322: 297: 288: 276: 272:Adolf Hitler 260:World War II 257: 237: 235: 230: 228: 221: 213: 211: 207: 184: 173: 164: 158:, after the 121: 120: 105: 96: 86: 79: 72: 65: 53: 41:Please help 36:verification 33: 128:-sponsored 467:Categories 383:References 372:Swing Kids 351:Tokyo Rose 186:Negermusik 133:propaganda 69:newspapers 248:Tegernsee 205:rhythms. 148:shortwave 340:See also 180:big band 99:May 2012 325:British 170:History 83:scholar 138:band. 130:German 85:  78:  71:  64:  56:  294:D-Day 254:Style 176:swing 136:swing 90:JSTOR 76:books 266:and 140:Jazz 126:Nazi 62:news 426:NPR 244:ARD 45:by 469:: 423:. 391:^ 296:, 250:. 429:. 278:" 112:) 106:( 101:) 97:( 87:· 80:· 73:· 66:· 39:.

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"Charlie and his Orchestra"
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JSTOR
Learn how and when to remove this message
Nazi
German
propaganda
swing
Jazz
Joseph Goebbels
shortwave
United Kingdom
United States
German declaration of war
swing
big band
Negermusik
Fritz Brocksieper
Karl Schwedler
Willy Berking
boogie-woogie
Willy Berking
Propagandaministerium

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