Pierre Kartner
Pierre Kartner
Background information
Birth name	Petrus Antonius Laurentius Kartner
Also known as	Father Abraham
Born	(1935-11-04) 4 November 1935 (age 76) Elst, Netherlands
Genres	Levenslied
Occupations	Musician, Songwriter, Composer, Record producer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1962–present
Labels	Dureco
Associated acts	Wilma Landkroon, The Smurfs, Corry & de Rekels,
Website	Official site

Petrus Antonius Laurentius "Pierre" Kartner (born April 11, 1935)^[1] is a Dutch musician who sings under the alias Father Abraham, and who has written around 1600 songs.^[1]

  Early life

Kartner started his singing career at the age of eight, by winning a local festival.^[2] He lived with his family in Amsterdam and worked in a chocolate factory.^[1]

  Career

He worked as a promoter and producer at record label Dureco with Annie de Reuver, who he played with in Duo X.^[1] Together with the band Corry & de Rekels he sold over 1 million records in the 1960s.

He created his well-known alter ego, Father Abraham, after writing a Dutch Carnival song, Father Abraham had seven sons. He at first used a fake beard, but a real beard replaced this and would remain as his trademark along with his bowler hat.

With Wilma Landkroon he sang the Dutch 1971 number one hit single Zou het erg zijn, lieve opa. In 1975, he scored his second biggest hit, Het kleine café aan de haven. This song has been covered over 250 times^[2] in various other languages, including The Red Rose Café by The Fureys.

In 1981 he wrote a song about Wuppies, 'Wij zijn de wuppies.^[3]

  Smurfs

  The Smurf Song

In May 1977, Kartner was asked to make a promotional song about The Smurfs. The record company pressed only 1,000 copies of the single, called The Smurf Song, since they were unsure about the success of the single. However, they were all sold within one day at a Schlager festival. After a repress, 400,000 singles were quickly sold. A full Smurfs album was then created, which also climbed the charts, with 500,000 copies sold. The album was released in several dozen countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Japan, and in various different languages, all sung by Kartner. The album scored a number one hit in 16 countries. Subsequently, Kartner released other Smurf-themed albums, again in various countries and languages, such as Ga je mee naar Smurfenland (Dutch) and Vater Abraham im Land der Schlümpfe (German). In all, Kartner's Smurf works have sold around 25 million copies.^[2]

  Later career

Kartner wrote the music for the opening and closing credits on the Japanese cartoon adaption of Moomin (1990 TV series). He sang a song about politician Pim Fortuyn in 2002.^[4] He also wrote "Ik ben verliefd (Shalalie)", the Dutch entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010.^[5]

  Personal life

Kartner lives in Breda with his wife Annie.^[1]

  References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Strop, Jan-Hein (7 July 2003). "Pierre Kartner, de meest succesvolle artiest aller tijden." (in Dutch). MT. http://www.mt.nl/archief/159000/Pierre_Kartner,_de_meest_succesvolle_artiest_aller_tijden.html. Retrieved 15 December 2009. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Vader Abraham stopt over drie jaar". Trouw. 26 May 2007. http://www.trouw.nl/cultuur/article1562842.ece/Vader_Abraham_stopt_over_drie_jaar.html. Retrieved 15 December 2009. 
3. ^ "Vader Abraham wil meedelen in wuppiesucces" (in Dutch). Nieuws.nl. 16 June 2006. http://www.nieuws.nl/242167/Vader_Abraham_wil_meedelen_in_wuppiesucces. Retrieved 15 December 2009. 
4. ^ Bertens, Els (31 January 2002). "Vader Abraham maakt partijlied Leefbaar Nederland". 8 Weekly. http://www.8weekly.nl/artikel/442/. Retrieved 15 December 2009. 
5. ^ Bakker, Sietse (28 November 2009). "Pierre Kartner to write Dutch entry... in Dutch!". Eurovision Song Contest. http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=6993&_t=Pierre+Kartner+to+write+Dutch+entry...+in+Dutch!. Retrieved 15 December 2009. 

  External links

• Official homepage, in Dutch
• Official homepage, in German