Singer, Dancing Star and "Winnetou" Waterloo is 80

"I came into the world and was already singing," says the celebrant in an APA interview. With the duo Waterloo & Robinson, he celebrated international success, and as a solo artist, he made it far into the Austrian charts. He still performs on stage: "I need it, it's nourishment for my body."

"Hansi" Kreuzmayr was born in 1945 in Altheim, Upper Austria (he shares his birthday with, among others, Jimi Hendrix and Parov Stelar). "My dad, one of my best friends, worked at Voest and passed away at 53. My mom lived to be 95," Waterloo recounts. "We lived in a barrack with two rooms and were poor." From his parents, the future artist took a piece of life advice: "Don't do anything stupid, and you'll get ahead. I've stuck to that to this day." He admits he made a mistake once, but Waterloo doesn't want to talk about it.

Waterloo: Avoided a Failing Grade with a Serenade

Early on, Kreuzmayr began to take an interest in music. In the fourth grade of elementary school, he managed to avoid a failing grade in math with a serenade for his teacher, Waterloo chuckles. During his vocational training, he sang in the cover band Melodias. After working as a carpenter and waiter, he ran a boutique in Linz for a while. However, he initially lacked the necessary business licenses. "So I went to the Chamber of Commerce. There was a wonderful person, Christoph Leitl, who helped me."

While looking for someone to help him with window dressing, Waterloo met Sepp Krassnitzer, who would take on the stage name Robinson. "He saw my instruments and said he was also a musician. But he only played guitar, which suited me just fine," Waterloo recalls. The duo, initially announced as the Edward Brothers, decided to team up. After national recognition, Waterloo & Robinson achieved their first European success in 1975 with "Baby Blue."

World Hit with "Hollywood"

At the Song Contest 1975, the duo landed in fifth place with "Meine kleine Welt" ("My Little World"). With "Hollywood," written by Christian Kolonovits, they achieved a worldwide hit. Tours took them as far as Japan. After the separation from Robinson - reunions were to follow - Waterloo reached up to rank 6 in the domestic charts solo with "Im Land das Ewigkeit heißt." Whether it's Schlager or Pop, he knows no fear of contact: "I do what my heart tells me. I learned a lot from Udo Jürgens." In 2019, his latest album "Alles Leben dieser Erde" was released.

Waterloo is also known for his affinity with the indigenous people of America. This roots back to his childhood: "There was a hillside with a cave at the bottom," Waterloo recounts. Children played cowboys there, "but they told me I was more the Indian type." Many years later, in the late 90s, Waterloo took on the role of Winnetou at the Karl May Games in Winzendorf. "That's where I met my current wife Andrea." Before that, during a work stay in America, he spent some time in a reservation, which influenced several of his albums with titles like "Apaches' Land" (1994) or "Indio" (1999).

"We Need the Animals"

As a "Dancing Star," Waterloo delighted his audience in 2008. He laid out the path to happiness as a co-author with the book "The Secret Knowledge of the Lakota" (2009). "If you are positive, it takes you further. They had to work together with spirit and soul," Waterloo emphasizes in the interview. "Then you can do whatever you want. You can forget any study if you don't do that." He also learned to listen to his body. For 30 years, he has been a vegetarian: "We need the animals! Whether in Africa or at Lake Neusiedl, no matter where I was, when I encountered an animal, I talked to it, held out my hand - and none has bitten me to this day."

In Mörbisch in Burgenland, Waterloo and his wife have found their chosen home. "We are very, very happy here," the jack-of-all-trades enthuses. "The people are so friendly and I appreciate the foresight." The good wine should also be mentioned: "A medicine for the soul, for the heart." Waterloo, now a grandfather and great-grandfather, wants to celebrate his birthday privately with his family. He has five children and also a close relationship with his wife's son, says Kreuzmayr, who manages without management: "That's why anyone can call or write to me: Are you okay? Are you still alive? Do you have time for a performance?" For the latter, it applies: "It must be in front of people, not just an audience."

(APA/Red)

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