German pop and schlager Rolf Peter Knigge, known professionally as Tony Holiday, was born on 24 February 1951 in Hamburg, Germany. He turned to schlager music in the mid-1970s and, in 1974, signed a record contract with Hans Bertram, who gave him his stage name. His initial singles did not achieve significant success, but his breakthrough came in 1977 with "Tanze Samba mit Mir" ("Dance the Samba With Me"), a German cover of Raffaella Carrà's "A far l'amore comincia tu." The song peaked at number four on the German music charts and reached the top 20 in Austria. He released several albums, including Tanze Samba Mit Mir (1977), Samba Olé, Rumba O.k. (1979), and Nie Mehr Allein Sein (1980). He participated in the German finals for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1979 with "Zuviel Tequila, zuviel schöne Mädchen" ("Too Much Tequila, Too Many Beautiful Girls"), finishing in ninth place. He also hosted several music programmes on television and released numerous singles throughout the 1980s. In 1980, he scored another European hit with "Nie mehr allein sein," which reached number 15 on the German charts. Tony Holiday died on 14 February 1990 in Lausanne, Switzerland, due to AIDS-related complications at the age of 38. His single "Tanze Samba mit Mir" was featured in the 2000 film Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes (Water Drops on Burning Rocks).
