The Puhdys developed out of the Udo-Wendel-Combo, founded in 1965.
When guitarist and singer Wendel left the band late in the year, it
needed a new name. The four members took the letters from their first
names — keyboardist Peter Meyer, drummer Udo Jacob, bassist (and
sometimes manager) Harry Jeske, and lead guitarist and singer Dieter
Hertrampf (who had replaced Wendel) — to become the Puhdys. [1] The band
went through further personnel changes until 1969, when they were given
a professional performance license, which was all-important in East
Germany. By then, Jacob had been replaced by Gunter Wosylus and
vocalist-guitarist Dieter Birr had joined, cementing the band's lineup
for the next ten years; the band dates this, rather than 1965, as its
foundation. (The two Dieters are differentiated by their nicknames:
"Quaster" Hertrampf, from a corruption of the title of The Shadows'
"Quartermaster's Stores," after his long attempt to learn the Hank
Marvin guitar solo; and "Maschine" Birr, once called an "eating machine"
by his bandmates for his voracious appetite.)[2]
Their first
concert took place in Freiberg, Saxony, on November 21, 1969. Early
performances were heavily influenced by British hard rock bands such as
Deep Purple and Uriah Heep, although the band were fond of earlier
American rockers such as Elvis Presley. At first, they largely performed
cover versions of foreign acts. Although there was a great demand for
covers in East Germany, largely because the audience was unable to buy
western albums, rock music was still viewed with suspicion in the GDR.
The artistic climate changed after Erich Honecker came to power in 1971,
and the Puhdys were offered the chance to record for the state-run
Amiga label, as long as they performed in the German language and
remained apolitical.
