Taco Ockerse (born 21 July 1955), known mononymously as Taco, is an Indonesian-Dutch American singer[5][6] and entertainer who started his career in Germany.[1][2][3]

Taco
Taco at Oldie 95 Studio in 2012
Taco at Oldie 95 Studio in 2012
Background information
Birth nameTaco Ockerse
Born (1955-07-21) 21 July 1955 (age 68)
Jakarta, Indonesia
OriginHamburg, Germany[1][2][3]
GenresNew wave,[4] synth-pop
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • producer
  • entertainer
Years active1979–present
Labels

Early life edit

Taco Ockerse was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 21 July 1955.[7] He spent many of his childhood years moving around the world, residing in the Netherlands, the United States, Singapore, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Germany.[8]

He attended the International School of Brussels, Belgium, and graduated in 1973. Afterwards, he studied interior decoration and finished acting school in Hamburg. He held lead roles in numerous school productions, including You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown; Carousel; The Fantasticks; and Fiddler on the Roof.

Career edit

In 1975, he began his first professional theatrical engagements in Hamburg.[8] This included roles in Children's Theatre, and roles as an ensemble member of the Thalia Theatre in a number of plays, including Sweet Charity, Chicago, and Three Musketeers. He also directed and choreographed for the musical Nightchild. In 1979, he played "Chino" in John Neumeier's West Side Story at Hamburg Opera House. He founded his first band, Taco's Bizz, in 1979.

In 1981, Taco signed his first record contract with Polydor in West Germany for two record releases, whereon he released his first single, "Puttin' On the Ritz",[8] which in 1982 was issued by RCA Records for US release. The single was widely played throughout the US by late summer of 1983, eventually peaking at No. 4 in September 1983 on the Hot 100 as well as No. 1 on Cashbox.[9][10] Although the single eventually earned him a Gold-certification for selling over one million copies, it was Taco's only Top 40 hit in the US.[11] In 1983 and 1984, he toured extensively throughout Europe. While the single "Puttin' on the Ritz" topped the charts in Sweden and New Zealand, it entered the Top 5 in numerous countries including Norway, Austria, and Canada.[12][13] His subsequent album, After Eight, was released in over 40 countries and managed to reach No. 4 in Norway, No. 5 in Canada, No. 11 in Austria, No. 17 in New Zealand, No. 23 in the United States, and No. 59 in Germany.[14][15][16][17] The album earned Taco a number of Gold certifications including one in Finland for selling over 25,000 copies.[18]

Taco's second single "Singing in the Rain" was a moderate success peaking at No. 49 in Germany, No. 46 in Canada, and No. 98 in the UK.[19][20][21]

He appeared as a guest on The Merv Griffin Show, Alan Thicke, Solid Gold, Good Morning America, a Bob Hope TV special, and many other TV shows while touring.[8]

Taco's follow-up album, Let's Face the Music, was recorded in 1984 for Polydor, which peaked at No. 58 in his home of West Germany and managed to enter the Top 100 in Canada peaking at No. 92.[17][22] Taco continued to record, focusing mostly on the German market with albums Swing Classics/In the Mood of Glenn Miller in 1985 and Tell Me That You Like It in 1986 for Polydor. In 1987 he recorded the self-titled album Taco.

In 1989, he briefly flirted with contemporary dance music by releasing a pair of singles, "Love Touch" and "Got to Be Your Lover", that were styled after the high energy disco sound popularised by Stock Aitken Waterman. Afterwards, he repositioned himself as a swing/soul singer. He has collaborated with Geff Harrison of Kin Ping Meh fame.

Between 1989 and 1996, Taco worked as an actor. He had television acting roles in Friedrichstadt Palast and Das Erbe der Guldenburgs, and an appearance in the film Karniggels [de]. He also appeared as "Chico" in the theatre production of Marx Brothers Radio Show, and played lead roles in Shakespeare Rock n Roll in Berlin and Shakespeare as We Like It in Austria.

On 11 October 2009, the first channel of Russian TV, 1TV, filmed the program Songs of the 20th Century. Taco appears with "Puttin' On the Ritz" in the sequence about the 1930s. The show was broadcast in January 2010.[23] On 27 November 2009 he performed "Puttin' On the Ritz" and "Singin' in the Rain" at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia. Furthermore, he was the star guest in the "New Year's Eve Show 2009" of Russian TV, which had about 84 million viewers in more than 20 countries.

In July 2010, Cleopatra Records Los Angeles released an entirely new re-recording of "Puttin' On the Ritz". Taco's vocals were recorded in Germany and the backing tracks with top studio musicians in their studio in L.A. On 1 March 2011, DingDing Music released the original song "Timeless Love" that was written and produced by Edgar Rothermich and Matthias Muentefering in the late 1980s. The studio recording that Taco performed as a duet with the singer Rozaa Wortham in Berlin was remixed in late 2010 in the U.S. and is now available for download.[24]

On 11 March 2011, RTL Germany broadcast The Ultimate Chartshow - the most successful Evergreens of all time, where he appeared with "Puttin' On The Ritz".[25]

Discography edit

Albums edit

Studio albums edit

Title Album details Peak chart positions
AUS
[26]
AUT
[27]
CAN
[28]
FIN
[29]
GER
[30]
NOR
[31]
NZ
[32]
SWE
[33]
US
[34]
After Eight
  • Released: November 1982
  • Label: RCA
  • Formats: LP, MC
  • Also released as Puttin' On the Ritz
35 11 4 1 59 4 17 6 23
Let's Face the Music
  • Released: March 1984
  • Label: RCA
  • Formats: CD, LP, MC
58
Swing Classics: In the Mood of Glenn Miller
  • Released: 1985
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: CD, LP, MC
Tell Me That You Like It
  • Released: 1986
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: CD, LP, MC
Taco
  • Released: 1987
  • Label: Perle
  • Formats: CD, LP
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Compilation albums edit

Title Album details
Puttin' On the Ritz
  • Released: 1991
  • Label: RCA
  • Formats: LP, MC
The Very Best Of
  • Released: 1996
  • Label: CMC Value
  • Formats: CD
Best of Taco
  • Released: March 2000
  • Label: BMG Ariola
  • Formats: CD, MC
Puttin' On the Ritz
  • Released: August 2001
  • Label: LaserLight Digital
  • Formats: CD
Singin' in the Rain
  • Released: September 2002
  • Label: Edel
  • Formats: CD
Putting on the Ritz – Original Greatest Hits
  • Released: 2008
  • Label: Daydream
  • Formats: CD
Gold – The Maxi Versions
Gold – The Ultimate Best Of
  • Released: 10 December 2021
  • Label: Aviator Entertainment
  • Formats: digital download
Gold Rarities, Vol. 1
  • Released: 1 July 2022
  • Label: Aviator Entertainment
  • Formats: digital download

EPs edit

Title Album details
4 Tracks
  • Released: 25 January 1990
  • Label: Teldec
  • Formats: CD
  • Japan-only release

Singles edit

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
AUS
[26]
BE (FL)
[35]
CAN
[36][37]
FIN
[29]
GER
[30]
NL
[38]
NZ
[39]
SWE
[40]
UK
[41]
US
[42]
"Träume brauchen Zeit" 1981 Non-album singles
"Keiner Gewinnt"
"Puttin' On the Ritz" 1982 5 13 2 1 20 18 1 1 4 After Eight
"Singin' in the Rain" 1983 28 46 28 49 98
"You Are My Lucky Star" (Sweden-only release) Let's Face the Music
"Cheek to Cheek (Heaven)" 45 After Eight
"Superphysical Resurrection" 25 Non-album single
"Let's Face the Music (And Dance)" 1984 Let's Face the Music
"Under My Tight Skin" Non-album single
"Winchester Cathedral" (New Zealand-only release) 1985 Let's Face the Music
"Heartbreak City" Tell Me That You Like It
"You're My Answer to It All" 1986
"Got to Be Your Lover" 1988 Non-album singles
"Love Touch" 1989
"Lady of My Heart" 1990 Go Trabi Go soundtrack
"Tico Tico" 1991 Non-album singles
"Timeless Love" (featuring Rozaa Wortham) 2011
"Puttin On the Ritz 2017" 2017
"Heavy Metal" 2021 Gold - The Ultimate Best Of
"Far from My Homeland"
"Hot Summer Jams" 2022 Non-album single
"I Wanna Dance" Gold Rarities, Vol. 1
"Loonar Beat" Non-album single
"Sing, Baby, Sing" After Eight (Deluxe Edition)
"It's Snowing In My Heart (Bad Santa)" Non-album single
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Billboard: Industry in Focus". Billboard Magazine. 29 June 1985. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Auf einen Schlag berühmt (Famous on the Instant)" (in German). han-online.de. 28 June 2010. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ a b "IRVING BERLIN IS BACK ON THE POP CHARTS". The New York Times. 19 September 1983. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Dutch new wave singer Taco is still puttin' on the Ritz". AXS.
  5. ^ "Taco puts pizazz into the oldies". The Pittsburgh Press. 3 June 1984. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
  6. ^ "Taco's fans span many generations". Edmonton Journal. 8 September 1983. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
  7. ^ "Allmusic:Tack (Biography)". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d "Taco's Biography". taco.tc. Taco Ockerse. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  9. ^ "Hot 100: Week of September 10, 1983". Billboard. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  10. ^ "Top 100 Singles". Cashbox. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  11. ^ "Search results: Taco". RIAA.com. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  12. ^ "Taco: Puttin' on the Ritz (song)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  13. ^ "50 Singles (Volume 38, No. 16, June 18, 1983)". RPM. Retrieved 29 March 2011 – via collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  14. ^ "Taco: After Eight (album)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  15. ^ "100 Albums (Volume 38, No. 17, June 25, 1983)". RPM. Retrieved 29 March 2011 – via collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  16. ^ "Billboard: Taco (Albums)". Allmusic. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  17. ^ a b "Taco (Albums)". charts.de. Retrieved 29 March 2011.[dead link]
  18. ^ "Tilastot: Taco". IFPI.fi. Finland. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  19. ^ "Taco (Singles)". charts.de. Retrieved 29 March 2011.[dead link]
  20. ^ "50 Singles (Volume 39, No. 1, September 03, 1983)". RPM. Retrieved 29 March 2011 – via collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  21. ^ "Singing in the Rain". OfficialCharts.com. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  22. ^ "100 Albums (Volume 40, No. 12, May 26, 1984)". RPM. Retrieved 29 March 2011 – via collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  23. ^ Roland Colerus. "TACO - 'Puttin' On The Ritz' (New Year's Eve Show - Moscow/Russia 2009/10)". Archived from the original on 12 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  24. ^ "Taco Feat. Rozza Wortham". dingdingmusic.com. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  25. ^ "The Ultimate Chartshow". rtl.de. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  26. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 304. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  27. ^ "Das österreichische Hitparaden- und Musik-Portal". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  28. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  29. ^ a b "Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1960: Artistit T - TAR". Sisältää hitin. 13 August 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  30. ^ a b "Suche - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  31. ^ "norwegiancharts.com - Norwegian charts portal". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  32. ^ "charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  33. ^ "swedishcharts.com - Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  34. ^ "Taco". Billboard. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  35. ^ "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  36. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  37. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  38. ^ "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  39. ^ "charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  40. ^ "swedishcharts.com - Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  41. ^ "TACO | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  42. ^ "Taco". Billboard. Retrieved 31 March 2022.

External links edit