Billy Mo | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Peter Mico Joachim |
| Born | February 22, 1923 Trinidad, then United Kingdom |
| Died | July 16, 2004 (aged 81) Hanover, Germany |
| Genres | Schlager |
| Instrument(s) | trumpet |
Billy Mo (22 February 1923 - 16 July 2004, real name Peter Mico Joachim) was a Trinidad-born pop singer, actor, and trumpet player.
Life edit
Early life edit
In an interview with German news magazine Der Spiegel Mo claimed that his father was the illegitimate child of a German protection force officer with the first name "Peter Joachim" who was garrisoned in Cameroon, and a local woman.[1] Both grandparents later migrated to the Carribean, according to Mo. At another occasion he claimed that his German grandfather married his African girlfriend and migrated to Trinidad together with his non-befitting wife after he finished his military service.[2] There is no record of a protection force member with the name of "Peter Joachim" though.
According to an explanation Mo gave in 1967 his parents died when he was about five years old, leading to him and his two sisters being institutionalized in an orphanage. According to a differing portrayal his mother died while giving birth, and his father died three years later in a car accident.[3] According to music journalist Jan Feddersen both parents died in an accident one year after Mo's birth.[4]
In the orphanage Mo received music lessens and learned how to play the harp. According to some sources he learned to play the trumpet at age 6, according to others he learned to play the bugle. According to Feddersen he became member of an orchestra with seven years, and according to the Ebony magazine he joined a local police marching band at the age of 14.
United Kingdom edit
According to the Ebony article (which was based on an interview with Mo) he was hired for a black dance band in 1945 by an officer of the British merchant navy.[2] In an interview Mo gave to Der Spiegel in 1966 he declared he lived in London from 1945 to 1956.[1] The magazine also reports of a scholarship of the Royal Academy of Music in London that Mo was granted in 1945. According to the operators of London record store "Eldica" Mo migrated from Trinidad to London together with his wife at the time, Eldica.[5] In November 1945 Mo played for BBC Radio as part of the "Trinidad All Stars" band.[6] The band played for American and British soldiers and in night clubs. During a tour through France the band disbanded in November or December 1945 due to internal differences, and Mo returned to England jobless.[7] He played in several bands after that but could not support himself that way so that he started taking jobs in restaurants.[4] Two sources also mention a three-year job in a mental institution in Scotland, based on interviews with Mo.[1][2]
WEITERMACHEN: "Ab etwa 1950"
Germany edit
In April 1956 the penniless Joachim moved to Hamburg, Germany. WEITERMACHEN
Discography edit
- Buona Sera, Billy Mo! (EP, 1958, Decca Records)
- Macht Jeden Froh (1962, Decca Records)
- Die großen Erfolge (1966, Decca Records)
- Ich kauf' mir lieber einen Tirolerhut (1969, Decca Records)
- Stimmung Sooo - Mit Billy Mo (1969, CBS)
- Die Große Stimmungspolonaise (1971, Juventus Music)
- Jazzt Kommt Der Weihnachtsmann (1995, with Happy Jazz & Co, Sound Solutions)
- Mr. Rhythm King (1996, Bear Family Records)
Filmography edit
| Year | Title | Original title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Triplets on Board | Drillinge an Bord | Bobo | |
| 1960 | Das Rätsel der grünen Spinne | Singer | ||
| 1961 | Schlagerparade 1961 | Billy Mo | ||
| 1963 | Übermut im Salzkammergut | Billy Mo | ||
References edit
- ^ a b c Morlock, Martin (1966-06-13). "Weg zum Sarg". Der Spiegel (in German). p. 133.
- ^ a b c Massaquoi, Hans (July 1967). "Billy Mo. The Satchmo of Germany". Ebony. p. 68.
- ^ Friedel Keim (2005). Das große Buch der Trompete. Instrument, Geschichte, Trompeterlexikon. Mainz: Schott Music. p. 736. ISBN 978-3795705305.
- ^ a b Jan Feddersen (1996). Billy Mo: „Mr. Rhythm King“ (CD booklet). Holste: Bear Family Records.
- ^ "Eldica remains: How this London record shop held its own against gentrification". TheVinylFactory.com. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
- ^ "Nurse, Rupert. Oral history of Jazz in Britain". Sounds.BL.uk. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
- ^ "Nurse, Rupert. (1 of 3). Oral history of Jazz in Britain". Sounds.BL.uk. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
External links edit
- Grueslayer/tmp3 discography at Discogs
Category:1923 births Category:2004 deaths Category:20th-century German male singers Category:Jazz trumpeters Category:Schlager musicians