Peter Maffay is the stage name of the German musician Peter Alexander Makkay, a performer of Romanian descent. Born in 1949, Maffay has been active in professional music since 1969. He is known for his rock voice and his ability to perform in a range of rock sub-genres. Maffay first broke into the mainstream of the music scene in his adoptive country when his single, “Du” was released. A number one hit, the song was the highest selling single in Germany in 1970. Maffay has continued to enjoy commercial success since then.

Peter Maffay's biography

Maffay moved from his home country to Germany in 1963, when his father relocated for work. Keen to get involved with his teenage passion for rock music, the singer was soon operating in a band; a group named the Dukes. After he left school, Maffay worked for an artist supply company and would also get work in rock 'n' roll venues, where he would spend as much time as he could distributing and promoting his music.

With a few hits behind him, Maffay eventually released a retrospective album of his songs from his early career. Entitled Steppenwolf, the 1979 release made Maffay’s name, selling over a million and a half copies. The following year, Maffay’s next album, Revanche, came out. It sold over two million copies. At this point in his career, Maffay was the unrivalled singing star of Germany, with few artists of any genre competing with him in terms of popularity.

To date, Maffay has had 16 number one albums released. This is a record for the German charts, and may never be broken. Added together, the rock singer has total sales that surpass the 40 million mark. Since 1980, the performer has gone on tour many times, usually once every two years or so. His 2015 arena tour in Europe sold out well in advance of any of the first leg of appearances taking place, such is the ongoing and enduring popularity of the singer.

Maffay has been loyal to the group of musicians he has used to create his sound since early in his career. His guitarist is Carl Carlton, a man who has played on nearly all of his top-selling recordings. Bertram Engel and Ken Taylor are his choices for the rhythm section on drums and bass respectively. An American keyboard player, Tom Carey, has joined Maffay on stage many times. He has also produced a number of Maffay’s albums. In 2017, Maffay released two new albums; a collection of ballads called Erinnerungen and an acoustic CD named MTV Unplugged.

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