After more than 35 years, Höhner fans had to say goodbye to frontman Henning Krautmacher last year. But it gets even worse: Even the famous mustache of the 65-year-old is now passé. Simmer there? Is that great?
Henning Krautmacher, longtime frontman of the Cologne-based mood band Höhner, has shaved off his famous twisted mustache. “It’s a whole new quality of life,” says the 65-year-old, commenting on his new look. Instead of a mustache, he now has a five-day beard. He already parted with his trademark on December 31, he says.
“It’s wonderful, I can go through the world unmolested,” explains Krautmacher in an interview with the Cologne “Stadt-Anzeiger” and adds: “I always said: If I stop, then the mustache will come off.”
Krautmacher announced the end of his career last year. The departure from the stage came earlier than planned because his wife Anke became seriously ill. In the meantime, “her health development is on the right track,” says Krautmacher about the current situation.
The singer also announces that he will be a guest at the Höhner shows in Cologne in May. “This is not a comeback, definitely,” he emphasizes at the same time. His guest appearances lasted no longer than a quarter of an hour.
The Höhner celebrated their 50th band anniversary in 2022. Krautmacher has been an integral part of the group since 1986, in which none of the founding members is active today. Because of his departure, the band engaged Patrick Lück as the new singer.
Nationally, the Höhner are known primarily for their carnival songs. Her song “Viva Colonia” with the lyrics “Da simmer it, dat is great!” everyone in this country can probably sing along. However, the band recorded their greatest success with the song “If not now, then when?”, which was the anthem of the 2007 handball world championship in Germany. With him, the Höhner ended up at number one in the charts for the first and only time.
