Michael Barakowski

Michael Barakowski, born December 23, 1954, in East Berlin, Germany, was a German musician and composer. He learned guitar autodidactically while working as a cook and began composing songs during his military service. In 1981, he joined the band Perl, which achieved major success in the GDR with the hit single "Zeit, die nie vergeht" ("Time That Never Passes") in 1985, selling around 700,000 copies. Barakowski later worked as a professional musician in projects such as Smokings Rockshow and Barakowski und Freunde (Barakowski and Friends). In 1990, he participated in the German Eurovision preselection with "Wieder zusammen" (Together Again) as part of Kennzeichen D, placing eighth. After reunification, he worked as a producer and collaborated with the Klaus Lage Band. Perl reunited in 2004 as PERL feat. Michael Barakowski. He passed away on January 18, 2018.