Gerd Böttcher (* July 18, 1936 in Berlin; † February 26, 1985 in Dortmund) was a pop singer from Germany. A trained gardener, he later took singing lessons. He also performed pop songs in pubs under the pseudonym Tino Merano. At the same time, Gerd Böttcher supports Hans Karbe's dance orchestra as a singer. Through the music producer Werner Müller, he receives a recording contract with Decca in 1960. His debut single, the German version of Hank Williams' classic "Jambalaya", is released under his stage name Tino Merano. The singer made it into the German charts at number 34. His second single, this time under his real name, climbs to number 2 in Germany. It is the song "Ich komme wieder", a cover of the Elvis Presley hit "It's Now or Never ('O sole mio)". Other German versions of Elvis Presley songs follow: "Adieu, Lebewohl, Goodbye" (original: "Tonight's so Right for Love"), "Ich suche dich auf allen Wegen" (original: "Surrender"), "Rock-A-Hula-Baby" (together with Detlef Engel; original: "Rock A Hula Baby") and "Du schaust mich an" (original: "She's Not You"). However, Gerd Böttcher landed his biggest hit with another classic. The single "Geld wie Heu", a cover version of Pat Boone's song "Johnny Will", spent 24 weeks in the German charts and reached number 2. Gerd Böttcher went on to cover other songs by artists such as Burt Bacharach, Chubby Checker, The Everly Brothers, Ricky Nelson, Buck Owens, Cole Porter and Johnny Tillotson. In 1967, Gerd Böttcher scored two more hits with the singles "Sag mir noch nicht gute Nacht" and "Romantische Stunden". Gerd Böttcher's star began to decline in the 1970s. As a result, he struggled with alcohol problems. He ended his musical career and returned to his original profession as a gardener. At the beginning of the 1980s, Gerd Böttcher briefly returned to the show stage as part of a revival of 1950s music. He even released new songs, including a duet with his stepdaughter Silke. A new album was also to be released in 1985. The recordings do not take place. Gerd Böttcher dies of kidney failure on February 26.
