Manderley -

Manderley was a German folk-rock band behind the 1976 album Fliegt Gedanken, Fliegt on Pläne.

Members: Rudi Mika (violin, bass, guitar, vocals), Helga Schmölter [Helga Rüzgar] (vocals), Pit Budde (guitar, dulcimer, bass, sitar, percussion, vocals), Horst Stölzig [Horst W. Stölzig] (banjo, bass, percussion, vocals), Lothar Kraft (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Lutz Heffner (guitar, vocals), Klara Brandi (flute)

Background

Manderley formed in Dortmund during the mid-1970s around guitarist Pit Budde. The group included singer Helga Schmölter, violinist Rudi Mika, banjo player Horst W. Stölzig, and guitarists Lothar Kraft and Lutz Heffner.

Budde was born on March 14, 1952, in Lünen and grew up in the Ruhrgebiet. He played drums in teenage rock bands and taught himself guitar during the folk revival. In 1968, he traveled through London, Amsterdam, and Paris, where he supported himself through street performances. By 1972, Budde returned to Dortmund and worked as a guitar tutor. He joined the folk group Barleycorn and the acoustic duo Ragged Strings, which won first prize at the 1973 Harlekinade in Ludwigshafen. Mika grew up in Dortmund and studied musicology, philosophy, and German at Ruhr University Bochum.

Meanwhile, Budde frequented the Dortmund folk club Studio D and joined the movement for independent youth centers, which organized building occupations and solidarity concerts. Manderley developed a repertoire of original songs and adapted folk material with German-language texts concerning social and political issues.

In January–February 1976, Manderley entered Ton am Dom in Cologne with producer Christel König and engineer Martin Hömberg for their album on Pläne, joined by flutist Klara Brandi on one track.

Discography:

Fliegt Gedanken, Fliegt (1976)

References and notes

Manderley — Sireena Records. Dortmund formation, repertoire, concert activity, and 1976 debut. (Reissue history)
Pit Budde — Graswurzelrevolution, 2003. Firsthand account of street music, Dortmund youth centers, political texts, and Manderley. (Interview)
Pit Budde — Kultur und Schule; taz, 2005. Early bands, guitar teaching, Ragged Strings prize, Musikhaus Schlüter, and Studio D. (Biography; Profile)
Rudi Mika — Biographical record. Dortmund upbringing, university studies, and early musical associations. (Biography)
Manderley — …fliegt Gedanken, fliegt… (1976). Original Pläne personnel, guest credits, producer, and Cologne sessions. (Original LP credits)