Falco (musician)

. Also in 2003, Gates came sixth in the Channel 4 poll of the 100 Worst Britons. The spoken intro jokingly refers to Falco as "a gang bangin' thug" and "money makin' playa". While the tribute may have been less than 100% sincere, there is no denying that Falco's combination of pop melody with rap-styled vocal delivery has proven highly influential in recent years. This was also a new entry at number one, and stayed there for two weeks. In 2002, the American comic rock group, The Bloodhound Gang dedicated their song, "Mope" to him. With the The Kumars, Gates sang the 2003 Comic Relief charity single, "Spirit in the Sky", another cover of an old song. In 2000, the musical Falco Meets Amadeus was produced and staged in Germany. The single was voted 2002's Record of the Year by ITV viewers.

. (Cowell had been one of the Pop Idol judges, and had been notorious for his harsh criticisms of many of the contestants.) His first single, a cover of "Unchained Melody", entered the UK Top 40 at number one, knocking Will Young's first single - the double A-sided "Evergreen"/"Anything is Possible" - off the top of the chart (as Young's single was intended for the winner of Pop Idol Gates also recorded versions of both songs, which were used as B-sides for "Unchained Melody"). He died of severe head injuries received following his SUV's collision with a bus near the resort of Puerto Plata, in the Dominican Republic at age 40. Despite not winning the competition, he was soon signed up with Simon Cowell's record label BMG, alongside the Pop Idol winner, Will Young. Because it was told from the point of view of a rapist, several DJs and radio stations refused to play it. Gareth Paul Gates (born July 12, 1984, Bradford) is a British pop singer who shot to fame in 2002 when he came second in the television talent show Pop Idol. The song Jeanny became somewhat of a controversy when it was released in Germany and the Netherlands.

An English cover version of Der Kommissar by After the Fire became a Top 5 hit in the United States. Other well-known international hits include Der Kommissar (a partial rap song about drug consumption) from the 1982 album Einzelhaft and Vienna Calling from Falco 3. ("Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice from 1991 is usually cited as the first true rap record to top the Billboard Hot 100.). He was best known internationally for the rap-styled Rock Me Amadeus (inspired in part by the Oscar-winning film Amadeus) from his album Falco 3, which became a worldwide hit in 1986 and reached Number 1 on the US charts, arguably the first rap song to achieve this feat.

As a solo artist, Falco had taken an interest in the sounds and rhythms of rap music, and was one of the first Europeans to incorporate rap stylings into pop and rock music. Before becoming an international popstar, he was bass-player in the Austrian hard-rock band Drahdiwaberl. He was born in Vienna and studied at the Vienna Music Conservatory. Falco (February 19, 1957 - February 6, 1998) was the stage name of the classical music prodigy turned Austrian rock star, Johann Hölzel (also Hans Hölzel).

Verdammt wir leben noch (2000). Out Of The Dark (1998). Nachtflug (1992). The Remix Hit Collection (1991).

Data de Groove (1990). Wiener Blut (1988). Emotional(1986). Falco 3 (1985).

Junge Römer (1984). Einzelhaft (1982).