Draft:Birger Corleis

Birger Corleis (20 October 1955 in Harsefeld-30 October 2012 at the same place) was a musician and a musical educator. He was most known for being one of the vocalists of Modern Talking forming the falsetto parts and singing the chorus of the song "There's too much blue in missing you". He has worked for artists like Rolf Köhler, Mary Roos and Taco. He has played in bands like Springflut, Straightflush, Junkband, Me & The Duckdivers and Kentucky.

Early Life

Birger Corleis was born and grew up in Harsefeld in Lower Saxony. In his youth he played in diffrent school bands. After his youth he studied to become a typesetter.

Career

After his studies he devoted entirely to his music career. From the mid 1970s till the early 1990s he played in diffrent bands as a singer, bassist or guitarist. He played in bands such as Straight Flush, Springflut and Junkband. He also played in the band Kentucky. Kentucky was a popular live cover band in Germany. Together with Walter Vagts he wrote "Back in the highlands" for Rolf Köhler under his pseudonym "Marc De Ville" in 1978. In 1984 together with Rolf and Michael Scholz he created the band Straight Flush and released the single "Dancing In The Sunlight". Later he would create the band Junkband with Michael Scholz. He was also in the band Springflut together with Rolf, Michael and Detlef Wiedeke.

From 1984 till 1987 Corleis sang the and falsetto vocals for Modern Talking together with Köhler Scholz and Wiedeke. The falsettos became a iconic part of the sound of Modern Talking. Dieter Bohlen pretended to sing them in videos and concerts. Corleis also sang the chorus of "There's Too Much Blue In Missing You" in which Bohlen sang the verses. This only got revealed in 2001, due to some legal disputes with Dieter Bohlen. Modern Talking would sell 65 million records their first era and top the charts in many countries.Notably, Modern Talking were one of the first Western bloc bands sale of whose records was allowed in the Soviet Union. After four decades of Cold War censorship and import restrictions, Chairman Mikhail Gorbachev's glasnost reforms in the USSR in 1986 opened up the Soviet sphere to western bands, including Modern Talking at the height of their popularity. As a result, they have gotten a large, enduring fanbase in Eastern Europe. Other Euro Disco acts that entered the Soviet sphere are Joy, C.C.Catch and Silent Circle. The Euro Disco acts Bad Boys Blue and Patty Ryan also entered the Soviet sphere and were inspired by Modern Talking. Popular tracks from Modern Talking which Corleis sang on were You're My Heart, You're My Soul, Cheri Cheri Lady, You Can Win If You Want, Brother Louie and Atlantis Is Calling (S.O.S. for Love).

He sang backing vocals for Mary Roos's album Leben Spür'n in 1987. He also sang backing vocals for Taco's album Swing Classics: In The Mood Of Glen Miller.

From the mid-1990s onwards, Corleis worked primarily as a musical educator, instructing at various music schools for almost two decades.He formed the band Me & The Duckdivers in 2007 with other members.

Lawsuit against Bohlen

In 2001 Corleis sued Bohlen claiming he deserved more money for his contibutions to Modern Talking and for using recordings from the old Modern Talking albums for the 1998 album Back For Good Bohlen called it "typical parasitic behaviour" and told him that he would not get a cent. Corleis lost the lawsuit and had to pay the costs of the trial himself.

Death and Legacy

In 2012 he died 10 days after his 57th birthday. He left behind one daughter. People on the internet started spreading tribute videos about his work.