The Puhdys are a German rock band founded in 1965. Under the name Udo Wendel Combo, the band made a name for itself in the GDR with dance music from 1965. After the musicians had already performed as the Puhdys in between, the band kept this name from 1969. With the name change, the Puhdys also changed the color of their music at the beginning of the 1970s. The band's music was inspired by hard rock bands such as Deep Purple, Uriah Heep and Led Zeppelin. in 1973, the Puhdys landed their first hit with the song "Geh Zu Ihr". With the songs " Lebenszeit" (1976) and "Erinnerung" (1977), the band reached number 1 in the GDR's annual hit parade. With the song "Alt Wie Ein Baum", the Puhdys scored another hit in 1977. At the same time, Rock 'n' Roll Music, the band's first English-language album, is released. another album in English followed in 1980 with Far From Home. The Puhdys increasingly performed outside the GDR, gave concerts at the Waldbühne in Berlin and even made a few appearances in the USA. The band becomes increasingly political. in 1984, the Puhdys release the song "Ich Will Nicht Vergessen". By order of the GDR government, the song may not be played on radio or TV. The song became a secret anthem for the citizens of the GDR under the title "Denke Ich An Deutschland". After German reunification, the Puhdys remain successful. With the albums Undercover (2003), Es War Schön (2012) and Rock Legenden Live (2015 together with City and Karat), the Puhdys made it into the top 20 of the German album charts. The band announced their break-up in 2014. In early 2016, the Puhdys gave their farewell concert in Berlin. The live album Das letzte Konzert makes it into the top 10 of the German charts at number 2.
