Gilla (singer)
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Gilla (; born Gisela Wuchinger , 27 February 1950) is an Austrian singer from the late 1970s
disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
era.


History

Gilla was discovered by German producer
Frank Farian Frank Farian (born Franz Reuther; 18 July 1941) is a German record producer, musician, singer and songwriter, who founded the 1970s disco-pop group Boney M., the Latin pop band No Mercy and the pop band Milli Vanilli. He frequently created vo ...
who got her signed to
Hansa Records Hansa Records (also known as Hansa, Hansa Musik Produktion or Hansa International) was a record label founded in the 1960s based in Berlin, Germany. Profile The label's most successful act commercially was the German-based band Boney M. with mil ...
in 1974. After an unsuccessful German cover version "Mir ist kein Weg zu weit" of
Marcella Bella Giuseppa Marcella Bella (born 18 June 1952 in Catania) is an Italian pop singer. Her brothers Antonio and Salvatore Bella are famous musicians, and her brother Gianni Bella is another popular singer who has composed several songs for her. In 1 ...
's Italian hit single "Nessuno mai", Farian had her record a German disco version of Labelle's "
Lady Marmalade "Lady Marmalade" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, originally for Nolan's disco group. The song is famous for the repeated refrain of " ''Voulez-vous coucher avec moi''?" in French as part of the chorus, a sexually suggestive line t ...
". Despite being a modest hit (#24), it drew some media attention in Germany from being the first cover with the same explicit lyrics "Willst du mit mir schlafen gehn?" (Do You Want To Sleep With Me) (1975). It was followed later in the year with "Tu es" (recorded in English as "Why Don't You Do It") which became Gilla's biggest hit, peaking at No.10 in the German charts and giving Farian a commercial breakthrough as a producer. Gilla's debut LP, featuring a mix of disco, pop and schlager tracks, was released shortly after. In the summer of 1976, Gilla followed with the single, "Ich brenne" (I'm Burning), and re-recorded in English as "Help Help". It was a hit in Holland but fared less well in Germany. Farian remixed the track with his own vocals for
Boney M. Boney M. was a German-Caribbean vocal group that specialized in disco and funk created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's o ...
's ''
Take the Heat Off Me ''Take the Heat off Me'' is the debut album by Euro-Caribbean group Boney M. The album became a major seller in Europe, specifically in the Nordic countries (number 1 in Sweden and Finland, number 2 in Norway), but in the US the album just misse ...
'' which replaced "
Baby Do You Wanna Bump "Baby Do You Wanna Bump" is a song recorded by German record producer Frank Farian under the name Boney M., and included on the group's 1976 debut album ''Take the Heat off Me''. Released as the first Boney M. single, it became a minor hit in th ...
" in some territories. In early 1977, Gilla's second album ''Zieh mich aus'' (Undress Me) was released. Despite featuring German versions of Boney M.'s hit single " Sunny" and Bob Marley's "
No Woman No Cry "No Woman, No Cry" is a reggae song by Bob Marley and the Wailers. The song was recorded in 1974 and released on the studio album ''Natty Dread''. The live recording of this song from the 1975 album '' Live!'' was released as a single and i ...
", it fared poorly. The album also included the German version of a future hit for Boney M., "Belfast" which was originally written years earlier for Boney M. member
Marcia Barrett Marcia Barrett (born 14 October 1948) is a Jamaican-British singer and one of the original singers with the vocal group Boney M. Early years Barrett was born in Saint Catherine Parish, British Jamaica; her parents brought her to Croydon, Eng ...
.
Gilla's first international album was released in the summer of 1977. Entitled ''Help Help'', it featured her previous English recordings like "Why Don't You Do It" and "Help Help" + their B-sides, as well as English versions of songs from ''Zieh mich aus''. "Gentlemen Callers not Allowed" ("Herrn-Besuche nicht erlaubt") was released as a single and promoted with Boney M.'s charismatic male dancer
Bobby Farrell Roberto Alfonso Farrell (6 October 1949 – 30 December 2010) was an Aruban dancer and singer. He was the male member of the 1970s pop and disco group Boney M. Biography Birth and early life Farrell was born and raised on the island of Ar ...
on a few TV shows but it was still only a minor success. In January 1978, Gilla released a disco-rock cover of
The American Breed The American Breed was an American rock band from Chicago in the 1960s. The band was originally called Gary & The Knight Lites before adopting the name The American Breed in 1967. The band had a number of charting songs in 1967–68, the be ...
's "Bend Me, Shape Me". The single was a No. 11 hit in Switzerland and 73 in Australia. It was decided to repackage the ''Help Help'' album with the inclusion of the new track and its B-side "The River Sings" ("Der Strom der Zeit") in May, entitled ''Bend Me, Shape Me''. Once again, it was only a minor seller. Singer Bruce Low released a big-selling German cover of Boney M.'s mega-hit "
Rivers of Babylon "Rivers of Babylon" is a Rastafari song written and recorded by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians in 1970. The lyrics are adapted from the texts of Psalms 19, and 137 in the Hebrew Bible. The Melodian ...
" so Farian decided to have Gilla record a German cover of the follow-up single "
Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (; rus, links=no, Григорий Ефимович Распутин ; – ) was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, thus ga ...
". Released in November 1978, it was a flop and not even included on the following compilation ''Star Discothek'' a few months later. Trying to repeat the success of "Bend Me, Shape Me", Gilla and her fiancé and co-producer Helmut Rulofs (who was also a recording artist under the name Chris Denning) released another disco-rock cover of
The Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...
's "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" in March 1979. In 1980, her second English language album ''Cool Rock'n Roll'' was released including the title track single and "Go Down Mainstreet". Gilla and Rulofs, however, found bigger success when Farian recorded one of their songs with Boney M. "I See a Boat on the River" being a German Top 10 hit and a European hit single from the million-selling '' The Magic of Boney M. - 20 Golden Hits'', Gilla credited as G. Winger (Winger being an abbreviation of her surname Wuchinger). In October 1981, Gilla's final single "Cigarillo" backed with a cover of "
Friday on My Mind "Friday on My Mind" is a 1966 song by Australian rock group the Easybeats. Written by band members George Young and Harry Vanda, the track became a worldwide hit, reaching no. 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in May 1967 in the US, no. ...
" was released before she retired from the music business. She made a brief return with Rulofs as the duo Sweet Mix in 1982 but their single "Susan Don't Cry for Me" came and went without notice. They also contributed the track "Video" for
Precious Wilson Precious Wilson (born in Spanish Town, Jamaica) is a Jamaican soul singer. Background Precious Wilson started out as a backing singer for the all-male group Eruption. The group enjoyed their first minor success when they won a talent competit ...
's album ''All Coloured in Love'' that year. Being largely forgotten in Europe today, Gilla has in recent years performed regularly in Russia where her records are enjoying considerable popularity.


Discography


Albums

*''Willst du mit mir schlafen gehn?'' (1975) *''Zieh mich aus'' (1976) *''Help Help'' (1977) – re-released as ''Bend Me, Shape Me'' (1978) *''I Like Some Cool Rock'n Roll'' (1980)


Singles

*"Mir ist kein Weg zu weit" / "Wilde Rosen" (1974) *"Willst du mit mir schlafen gehn?" / "Atlantika" (1975) *"Do You Want to Sleep With Me" / "My Decision" (1975) *"Tu es" / "Worte" (1975) *"Why Don't You Do It" / "A Baby of Love" (1975) *"Ich brenne" / "Du bist nicht die erste Liebe" (1976) *"Help Help" / "First Love" (1976) *"Johnny" / "Der Strom der Zeit" (1976) *"Zieh mich aus" / "Lieben und frei sein" (1977) *"Gentlemen Callers not Allowed" / "Say Yes" (1977) *"Bend Me, Shape Me" / "The River Sings" (1978) - AUS #73 *"Rasputin" (German Version) / "Laß mich gehen" (1978) *"We Gotta Get Out of This Place" / "Take The Best of Me" (1979) *"I Like Some Cool Rock'n Roll" / "Take Your Time" (1980) *"Go Down Mainstreet" / "Discothek" (1980) *"Tom Cat" / "The Summerwind" (1980) *"Cigarillo" / "Friday on My Mind" (1981)


References


External links


Rate Your Music entryGilla Fan site
{{Authority control 1950 births Living people 20th-century Austrian women singers English-language singers from Austria French-language singers Hansa Records artists