Biographie
He initially learned to play the piano and made his first appearance in a school band. Later, Petry also took up guitar and keyboard. After finishing school, he completed an apprenticeship as a precision mechanic and played in the dance band "The Top Singers." In 1972, he married Rose Marie, and their son Achim was born in 1976. That same year, Petry performed solo for the first time and recorded his initial solo tracks. In 1977, his debut single "Every Friend Is Also a Man" was released, followed shortly by the hit "Sommer in der Stadt," which debuted on the ZDF hit parade hosted by Dieter Thomas Heck. Petry quickly rose to stardom. In 1980, he achieved further success with the album "Ganz oder nicht." For several years afterward, his songs remained mid-chart hits without matching his earlier commercial success.
In 1992, Petry made a remarkable comeback with the surprise hit "Verlieben, Verloren." His albums "Sehnsucht nach Dir," "Frei für Dich," and "Egal" all reached high chart positions, establishing him as one of the most successful artists of the 1990s. The 1996 release of his best-of album "Alles" cemented his superstar status, remaining at number one on the album charts for weeks. This was followed by another platinum album, "Nie Enough," and sold-out tours drawing over 500,000 fans annually. His success earned him numerous awards: he won the "Deutsche Schlagerparade" in 1996 and 1998, the "ZDF Hitparade" three consecutive times from 1997 to 1999, and was honored with the German record prize "Echo" in the "Artist / Schlager" category five times between 1997 and 2001.
In 2003, he released the albums "No Reason to Panic" and "Joyful Christmas." That September, Petry received the "Golden Tuning Fork" music award. Subsequent releases included "Ich Bin Ene Kölsche Jung," "My Favorite Songs," and the farewell album "30." In September 2006, marking his 30th stage anniversary, he was presented with the "Platinum Tuning Fork" by Dieter Thomas Heck at the "Golden Tuning Fork" ceremony, where he also announced his retirement. He returned in February 2014 with the album "One More Time!" and followed up with the comeback album "Brandneu" in 2015. His 23rd studio album, "Here's to Life," was released in 2021.
