The German singer, actor, and former teen idol known as Peter Kraus was born Peter Siegfried Krausnecker on March 18, 1939, in the city of Munich. The son of Austrian director and comedian Fred Krausnecker, he spent most of his childhood preparing himself to become a performer, taking singing, acting, and dancing lessons. His debut on the big screen arrived in 1954 when he starred in the film The Flying Classroom, followed by his first single, a German version of Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti,” two years later. Marketed as Germany’s response to the Elvis Presley phenomenon, Peter Kraus went on to become one of the most popular singers in his native country, scoring hits like “Susi Rock,” “Wenn Teenager träumen,” and “Hula Baby,” which soared to the top of the charts in 1958. His popularity skyrocketed during the next couple of years as he starred alongside fellow singer Conny Froboess on the teen romance movies Wenn die Conny mit dem Peter (1958) and Conny und Peter machen Musik (1960). During that time, he also collaborated with Jörg Maria Berg under the moniker The James Brothers and duetted with other pop artists such as Connie Francis, Lill Babs, Danny Mann, Alice and Ellen Kessler, Gus Backus, and Gina Dobra. Throughout his decades-spanning career, Peter Kraus has released over 20 titles, including his studio debut Peter Kraus singt Evergreens (1960), Rock‘n’Roll Schmuse Party (1991), I Love Rock‘n’Roll (2006), Nimm dir Zeit (2009), and Zeitensprung (2014).
