Hannes Schöner

Johannes Schulte-Ontrop, known professionally as Hannes Schöner, was born on June 24, 1953, in Köln-Bickendorf, Germany. He is a German musician and singer who began his career in the late 1970s. In 1980, he gained initial recognition as part of the Christopher John Band, who released "I’m a First Class Fool Again", written by Dieter Bohlen. Concurrently, he released "Sommernacht in unsrer Stadt" under his own name, which charted in the German Airplay Charts that August. His breakthrough came with his single "Nun sag schon adieu" in 1982, which placed third in the pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. The song also reached second place on the ZDF-Hitparade in June and July of the same year. That year, he released his debut album Willst du träumen. In 1984, he formed the group Fair Control with Bernd Göke, releasing five English-language tracks. He continued to release singles throughout the 1980s, including "Vielleicht wirst du nie geboren" in 1988. He also composed songs for other artists, such as Saragossa Band and Rex Gildo. In the early 1990s, he worked as a producer for smaller labels, focusing on schlager newcomers. He joined the Kölner Stimmungsband Höhner in 1990, serving as a bassist and singer until the end of 2020. With Höhner, he released several notable tracks, including "Hey Kölle" and "Alles verlore". In October 2023, he released his album Nah bei mir.