Horst Chmela, born on October 29, 1939, in Vienna's Ottakring district, was an Austrian songwriter and musician. He grew up in a small household with five people in a 24-square-meter apartment and trained as a shoemaker, earning his master's certificate in 1962. Alongside his trade, he performed as the leader of the rock and roll group The Sunset-Four, whose 1966 single “Symphony d'amore” reached number 3 on the Austrian charts before the group disbanded in 1969. Chmela launched his solo career with the major 1971 hit “Ana hot imma des Bummerl”, which went on to sell over 2 million copies and was covered by over 200 artists. His notable album releases included Stolpern darfst (1987), Her mit meine Henna (1991) — which achieved a platinum certification in Austria — and A bissl a Herz (2006). His honors included the Golden Service Badge of the State of Vienna in 1983 and the Golden Crown of Folk Music from the ARD on January 22, 2002. He died on November 22, 2021.
