Martin Lauer – born Karl Martin Lauer in Cologne, Germany on January 2, 1937 – was one of the few pop singers to have sold millions of records while also being the recipient of an Olympic gold medal. He was an award-winning sprinter, competing in his first decathlon and the Summer Olympics in 1956. Over the next four years Martin Lauer set two world records and won many more awards including a gold medal at the 1958 European Championships. Martin Lauer competed in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Italy and was awarded a gold medal as a member of Germany’s relay team. Shortly after his Olympics win, he had to retire from sports because of health issues he encountered after a non-sterile injection. While recovering in the hospital, his girlfriend was killed in a car accident which also injured his brother, who would die several years later as a result of his injuries. Because of mounting hospital bills, Martin Lauer began to write songs to earn extra money. He sent demo recordings to music producer and songwriter Kurt Feltz, who negotiated a recording contract with Polydor Records in 1962. Influenced by American country music, he released his debut single, “Sacramento” (1962), which reached the Top 30 in Germany. Over the next four years, Martin Lauer sold over six million copies of several singles including the Top 10 hits “Die letzte Rose der Prärie” (1962), “Wenn ich ein Cowboy wär’” (1963), and “Taxi nach Texas” (1964). His highest charting single was “Sein bestes Pferd” (1964), which reached Number 5 on the German singles chart. The hits dried up by 1966 although he released several more singles before the 1960s came to a close. Martin Lauer died on October 6, 2019, at the age of 82.
