Alexandra – “My friend, the tree”

Alexandra’s short but intense career ended in July 1969 at a crossroads in Tellingstedt, Holstein. A truck had rammed the singer-songwriter’s cream-colored Mercedes coupe, resulting in a fatal accident.

Together with her mother (who also died on the spot) and her son sleeping in the back seat (who survived with minor injuries), Alexandra was on her way to Sylt, where she wanted to take a break and fundamentally rethink her artistic path.

It was supposed to be a musical emancipation beyond the male-dominated world of producers and career strategists. For her, it was time to put dominant father figures like Fred Weyrich or Hans R. Beierlein in their place.

Alexandra, who was born Doris Treitz in the former East Prussian Memelland, wanted to get away from the commercially successful Eastern Bloc melodies, which she performed congenially with her deep voice in “Sehnsucht” or “Zigeunerjunge”. “But as long as a person can still dream” is what her 1968 single “Illusions” says. A song that could also describe the extraordinary career of the single mother in show business, which is still traditional.

Read more – “The best German songs of all time”

The language talent with the striking bob hairstyle had worked with stars such as Salvatore Adamo and Gilbert Bécaud on her international stations. Especially the encounter with Carlos Jobim at the chanson festival in Rio de Janeiro left a lasting impression. She strove for artistic independence, which some American and British singer-songwriters had fought for.

So it was tragically fitting for Alexandra’s short career that her self-composed single “Mein Freund, der Baum” was only published posthumously and then became a big chart success.

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