Manfred Oberdörffer, known professionally as Tony, was born on May 9, 1944, in Hamburg, Germany. He began his music career as a singer and initially gained recognition in the 1960s as part of The Tonics, a beat and rock band. During this period, Oberdörffer also recorded with The Automatic Blues Inc., using the pseudonym Jerry Blow. In the early 1970s, Tony transitioned to schlager music, collaborating with producer Hans-Georg Moslener. His breakthrough came with the release of "Mädchen mit roten Haaren" in 1971, which he performed on the ZDF-Hitparade. Between 1969 and 1977, Tony made a total of 13 appearances on this show, showcasing hits like "Der nächste Sommer kommt bestimmt". Throughout his career, Tony released several records, including the single “Mädchen mit roten Haaren” in 1971, followed by the single “Komm’ mal raus, Renate” in 1975. The song “Mädchen mit roten Haaren” later reappeared on a 1991 compilation of the same name. He also contributed compositions to albums by other schlager artists such as the Flippers and Nicole. In 1978, Tony participated in the German pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest with "Mädchen wie Helena", placing ninth out of fifteen entries. Later, he formed the group "Tony und die Strandpiraten" with Karsten Runge and Ronald David, releasing the song "Lüd vunne Woderkant" in 1991.
