Member of a copyright collecting society (ASCAP, BMI, GEMA, VG, etc.)
At the age of three, Kiesewetter moved to Garding on the North Frisian peninsula of Eiderstedt. At the age of 14, inspired by Jack Teagarden, he began playing the trombone and singing jazz.[2] While studying music, he recorded his first singles at the age of 19. Of these, two singles with the group Die Tramps, Am Missouri (October 1961, D #24) and Nur eine kleine Träne von dir (July 1962, D #38), managed to place in the German charts. Kiesewetter first had various stage names until he was successful enough to perform under his own name.[2] In the 1960s and 1970s, he was the winner of the German Jazz Poll eleven times in the category of singer. Likewise, he won the European-wide Jazz Poll of the French jazz magazine Blue Note three times during this period.[2] In his music he mixed styles such as blues, jazz, rock, soul, gospel, chanson and folk. He also sang the aria Willst du dein Herz mir schenken from the little sheet music for Anna Magdalena Bach on record.[2] His spectrum in jazz ranged from old-time jazz to bebop. He also played with Chet Baker, Dizzy Gillespie and Joe Zawinul.[2] He frequently performed with his siblings Sigrun and Hartmut Kiesewetter.
