Music

As a juvenile of 13 years his interest was drawn to British pop music. Those were the days, when the Beatles had their first chart success with “Love Me Do”. The Liverpool-Bands emerged from their Cavern and the British Invasion started to overrun the international charts.

It was then that Schotte started his first Band, „The Spotdevils“. They rehearsed in a cellar, and remained in the cellar. They produced tape recordings. However, nothing is delivered yet. There were no stage acts, since they had no money to buy the equipment for a live performance. Nevertheless, it was a beginning, and two of the band’s members, namely Schotte and Udo Berendt, were about to start their career.

Inspired by Bob Dylan’s „Don’t Think Twice“ Schotte and Udo Berendt founded „Die Keinen“. So “The Spotdevils” became just history. With songs of Bob Dylan, Donovan, Peter, Paul & Mary, traditional folk and blues, Jimi Hendrix and soul music “Die Keinen” hit the soul of the youth of that time. Their concerts were often sold out just before the start, and the Band’s members became local heroes.

In the years of 1969 and 1970 Schotte continued to develop his music. Once “Die Keinen” had split up Schotte and Udo Berendt were on their way in Scandinavia, where they lived on the road and played their music in the streets and different pubs. They slept in derelict buildings, sometimes were invited by those fabulous Scandinavian girls or just laid their head on a beach or a park.

Back in their hometown of Essen, Schotte und Berendt started with the band “Danach” in 1973. Their songs consisted of highly sophisticated musical arrangements and partly of complicated intellectual lyrics, influenced by the poems of William Wordsworth or William Blake.

In 1979 Schotte founded the Band „Albrecht von der Rüttenscheide“, which was renamed „Budenzauber“ nearly four years later. They were engaged with the political disputes of that time and composed a  Ruhr Area’s hymn (“Weil Du mein zu Hause bist/ Cause you are my Home”). 

The year of 1985 brought the brilliant comeback of „Die Keinen“. After the group was reunited, they gave legendary concerts in Berlin and Essen up to 2008, which attracted public from faraway places. The old fans came in flocks, new fans were recruited. One of the highlight from those days was Schotte’s interpretation of “It’s all over now, Baby Blue”.

While touring thru Germany with „Die Keinen“ Schotte made the dancing floors rave with his additional Band “Combo”, playing songs by Ray Charles, Chuck Berry and of course Van Morrison.

Aproximately 20 years later, in 2014, Schotte faced another task, while translating Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” into the German language. Schotte became so affected by Cohen that he translated four further songs into German as the foundation of his first album “Der Liebe Freud Der Liebe Leid / The Joy of Love The Grief of Love”.

With „Schotte & Freunde“ Schotte achieved the next level of his musical career. The cooperation between his former companions and new talents enabled him use a broader musical spectrum. Soft and rough sounds take turns. There is no fixing for a special genre. Every song is determined by what the musicians make of it. After the success of his first album, soon followed the second album called “Wohin der Wind uns weht / Where the wind will blow us to”. Currently Schotte is working on his third album.

To be in keeping with the times Schotte has been producing some music videos, you can of course watch on youtube.

Meanwhile Schotte has translated his own songs into the English language and before long will publish part of these translated songs on a separate Album