Bert Kaempfert, born Berthold Heinrich Kämpfert (Hamburg, October 16, 1923– June 21, 1980) was a German orchestra leader, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, arranger, and composer. He made easy listening and jazz-oriented records and wrote the music for several well-known songs, including “Strangers in the Night” and “Moon Over Naples”.
Kaempfert’s own first hit with his orchestra had been “Wonderland by Night”. Recorded in July 1959, the song couldn’t get a hearing in Germany, so Kaempfert took the track to Decca Records in New York, who released it in America in the fall of 1960. With its haunting solo trumpet (by Charles Tabor), muted brass, and lush strings, the single topped the American pop charts and turned Bert Kaempfert and Orchestra into international stars.
Over the next few years, he revived such pop tunes as “Tenderly”, “Red Roses for a Blue Lady”, “Three O’Clock in the Morning”, and “Bye Bye Blues”, as well as composing pieces of his own, including “Spanish Eyes” (a.k.a. “Moon Over Naples”), “Danke Schoen”, and “Wooden Heart”, which were recorded by, respectively, Al Martino, Wayne Newton, and Elvis Presley. For Kaempfert, little may have brought him more personal satisfaction than Nat King Cole recording his “L-O-V-E”.
Recordings by Bert Kaempfert you can hear at Instrumentals Forever:
| A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square |
| A Song For Satch |
| A Tune For Tony |
| Ack Värmeland du sköna |
| Afrikaan Beat |
| Again |
| Airmail Special |
| All For You |
| All The Things You Are |
| Almost There |
| And There Was Love |
| Andorinha Preta (Brazilian Love Song) |
| Angelica |
| Answer Me My Love |
| April In Portugal |
| Are We Becoming Strangers |
| As I Love You |
| At The End Of Our Love |
| At The Rainbow’s End |
| Auld Lang Syne |
| Beddoes Shadows |
| Beddy-Bye (Strangers In The Night) |
| Bell Bottoms |
| Bert’s Bossa Nova |
| Bert’s Tune |
| Black Beauty |
| Blue Avenue |
| Blue Midnight |
| Blue Moon |
| Blueberry Hill |
| Body And Soul |
| Boo Hoo |
| But Not Today |
| But Not Today (A Theme From The Universal Picture ”A Man Could Get Killed”) |
| Bye Bye Blues |
| Cachaca Mecanica |
| Can’t Give You Anything (But My Love) |
| Caravan |
| Cerveza |
| Chanson d’amour |
| Cheers To The World |
| Cherokee (Indian Love Call) |
| Chicken Talk |
| Children Of Peace |
| Choo Choo Ch’ Boogie |
| Clues Dropper – A Tape Sandwich – Rude Awakening |
| Cotton Candy |
| Cracklin’ Rosie |
| Cry Baby Cry |
| Dance With Me Once More |
| Dancing In The Dark |
| Danke schön |
| Danke schön (Candlelight Cafe) |
| Daybreak Serenade |
| Didn’t We |
| Dino’s Melody |
| Don’t Go |
| Don’t Talk To Me |
| Dream |
| Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) |
| Dreaming The Blues |
| Dreams (Sueños) |
| Drifting And Dreaming (Sweet Paradise) |
| Ducky |
| Dutch Treat |
| Easy Going |
| Echo In The Night |
| Every Sunday Morning |
| Every Time I Dream Of You |
| Explosive Welcome – Bi-Naveled – Key Note |
| Fadistas do Bairro alto |
| Fado de Villa Franca |
| Falling Free |
| Fanfare Olympic Games ’72 |
| Fats In The Fire |
| Finnish Folk Song (Suomen Laulu) |
| Flight To Mecca |
| Fluter’s Holiday |
| Fly Robin Fly |
| Footprints In The Sand (Huellas En La Arena) |
| For Bert |
| Fora de Portas |
| Forgive Me |
| Forgotten Melody |
| Free As A Bird |
| Friends |
| Frisco Disco |
| Fröhlicher Landmann (Jolly Peasant) |
| Funny Talk |
| Games People Play |
| Gemma |
| Gentleman Jim |
| Give And Take |
| Go My Way |
| Golden Memories |
| Goodnight Sweet Dreams |
| Grey Eyes Make Me Blue |
| Handy Brandy – Hail The Azalea |
| Hänschen klein |
| Happy Safari |
| Happyness Never Comes Too Late (Das Glück kommt nie zu spät) |
| Headin’ Home |
| Highland Dreams |
| Hit The Open Road |
| Ho Ho Ha Ha |
| Holiday For Bells |
| Honeymoon |
| Honeysuckle Rose |
| How Deep Is The Ocean (How High Is The Sky) |
| I Can’t Give You Anything But Love |
| I Can’t Help Remembering You |
| I Close My Eyes (and dream of you) |
| I Cover The Waterfront |
| I Found My Love |
| I Love You So |
| I May Be Wrong |
| I Remember Loving You |
| I Should Care |
| I Will Never Stop Loving You |
| If I Had You |
| If There’s A Way |
| I’ll Get By (As Long As I Have You) |
| I’ll See You In My Dreams |
| I’m In Love |
| Imbote |
| In Our Time (A Musical Prayer For Peace) |
| In The Everglades |
| In The Mood |
| Island In The Sun |
| It Makes No Difference |
| It’s Only A Paper Moon |
| I’ve Gotta Be Me |
| Java |
| Jumpin’ Blue |
| Just A Dream |
| Just As Much As Ever |
| Just You Just Me |
| Keep On Dancing |
| Kiss Her Once With Feeling |
| La Cumparsita |
| La vie en rose |
| Lady |
| Laura |
| Let A Smile Be Your Umbrella |
| Let´s Go Home |
| Let’s Go Bowling |
| Limbo Lady |
| Little Brown Jug |
| Little Doll |
| Living Easy |
| Living It Up |
| Lonely Is The Name |
| Lonely Nightingale |
| Look Me Up In New York Town |
| Louisa |
| LOVE |
| L-O-V-E |
| Love After Midnight |
| Love Comes But Once |
| Love Letters |
| Love Me Tender |
| Love Theme From ”You Can’t Win ‘Em All” |
| Love Walked In |
| Lover |
| Lover’s Wonderland |
| Lullaby For Lovers |
| Lullaby Of Birdland |
| Magnolia Blossoms |
| Main Title (From The Motion Picture ”A Man Could Get Killed”) |
| Mambo Mania |
| Mambossa |
| Manhattan After Dark |
| Manhattan Merengue |
| Maria Elena |
| Market Day |
| Me And My Shadow |
| Me and You and a dog named Boo |
| Melancholy Serenade |
| Melina |
| Memories Of Mexico |
| Mexican Market Day – Gentleman Jim – Mexican Road – The Happy Trumpeter |
| Midnight In Moscow |
| Midsummer Night In Gotland |
| Milica (Sweet María) |
| Mister Sandman |
| Mitternachtsblues |
| Monte Carlo |
| Moon Over Miami |
| Moon Over Naples |
| Moonglow |
| Moonlight Serenade |
| My Blue Heaven |
| My Eyes Adored You |
| My Guy’s Come Back |
| My Love |
| My Melancholy Baby |
| My Prayer |
| My Way |
| My Way Of Life |
| Nem ás Paredes Confesso |
| Never My Love |
| Newspaper |
| Night Dreams |
| No A Go-Go (End Title) |
| Noted Arrival |
| Now And Forever |
| Nur du du du allein (To Know Him Is To Love Him) |
| Oh Woman Oh Why |
| Old Noah (Gubben Noach) |
| On A Little Street In Singapore |
| On The Alamo |
| On The Sunny Side Of The Street |
| Once In A While |
| One Lonely Night |
| One Morning In May |
| One O’Clock Jump |
| One Smile Away |
| Only Fool (Would Lose You) |
| Only Those In Love |
| Opus One |
| Orange Colored Sky |
| Our Street Of Love |
| Out Of Nowhere |
| Over The Rainbow |
| Petula |
| Petula’s Song |
| Plaisir d’amour |
| Poinciana (Song Of The Tree) |
| Pony Violins |
| Por Deus te Peco |
| Prisoner Of Love |
| Proud Mary |
| Pussy Footin’ |
| Put Your Hand In The Hand |
| Rain |
| Rainbow Melody |
| Raining In My Heart |
| Rainy Sunday |
| Rebel Rouser |
| Red Roses For A Blue Lady |
| Red Sky At Morning |
| Reggae Romp |
| Remember When |
| Reminiscing |
| Ridin’ Rainbows |
| Rosalie |
| Samo Jednom Se Ljubi |
| San Francisco |
| Savoy Blues |
| Say Si Si (Para Vigo Me Voy) |
| Saying Goodbye Again |
| Saying Goodbye Again |
| Sempre Que Lisboa Canta |
| Sentimental Journey |
| September Night |
| Seven Up |
| She Lets Her Hair Down |
| Show Me The Way To Go Home |
| Si j’étais roi |
| Similau |
| Skokiaan |
| Sleepy Lagoon |
| Snowbird |
| So Young-So Alive |
| Sobre Las Olas (Über den Wellen – Over The Waves) |
| Soft Shoe Safari |
| Soft Shoulders |
| Solitude |
| Some Of These Days |
| Somebody Loves Me |
| Someday We’ll Be Together |
| Someone |
| Something |
| Somewhere In The Sky |
| Spanish Eyes |
| Stardust |
| Stay With Me |
| Stay With The Happy People |
| Steady Does It |
| Steppin’ Pretty |
| Stompin’ At The Savoy |
| Strangers In The Night |
| Strangers In The Night (A Theme From The Universal Picture ”A Man Could Get Killed”) |
| Sugar Bush |
| Sunday In Madrid |
| Sunset Melody |
| Susan |
| Sweet And Gentle (Me Lo Dijo Adela) |
| Sweet Caroline |
| Sweet Dreams |
| Sweet Maria |
| Swing And Sway |
| Swissy Missy |
| Symphony |
| Tahitian Sunset |
| Take Me |
| Take My Heart Away |
| Take The ”A” Train |
| Take Your Time |
| Tammy |
| Tea And Trumpets |
| Tell Me Why |
| Tell Me Why |
| Tenderly |
| That Happy Feeling |
| The Aim Of My Desires (Das Ziel meiner Wünsche) |
| The Bandit (O’ Cangaceiro) |
| The Entertainer |
| The Good Life |
| The Intercontinental |
| The Japanese Farewell Song |
| The Mexican Shuffle |
| The Moon Is Making Eyes |
| The More I See You |
| The Most Beautiful Girl |
| The Nightingale (Solovej – Die Nachtigall) |
| The Sunny Side Of Life |
| The Way I Love You |
| The Way It Used To Be |
| The Way We Were |
| The White Cliffs Of Dover |
| The World We Knew |
| Theme From ”The Godfather Part II” |
| There I’ve Said It Again |
| This Song Is Yours Alone (Dieses Lied gehört nur dir) |
| Three O’Clock In The Morning |
| Tijuana Taxi |
| Time |
| Time On My Hands (You In My Arms) |
| Time To Dream |
| Time To Leave |
| Time To Love |
| Tipsy Gypsy |
| Today’s My Day |
| Tom Hark |
| Tom’s Tune |
| Touch The Wind (Eres tu) |
| Traces |
| Treat For Trumpet |
| Tricky Trombone |
| Tropical Sunrise |
| Trumpet In The Night |
| Tudo isto é Fado |
| Twilight Time |
| Two Can Live On Love Alone |
| Two O’Clock Jump |
| Two On A Tune |
| Unchained Melody |
| Wake Up And Live |
| Walking With Fips |
| We Can Make It Girl |
| Welcome To My Heart |
| What A Difference A Day Makes |
| What Is This Thing Called Love |
| What Kind Of Fool Am I |
| What’s Up With You |
| When I Fall In Love |
| When You’re Smiling |
| Where And When |
| Where Flamingos Fly |
| Where Or When |
| While The Children Sleep |
| Who’s Sorry Now |
| Why Can’t You And I Add Up To Love |
| Without Your Love |
| Wonderland By Night (Wunderland bei Nacht) |
| Yellow Bird |
| You Are My Sunshine |
| You Are There |
| Your Move (Tu Movimiento) |
| You’re Mine |
| You’re Worth It All |
| Zambesi |
| Zoom Gali Gali |