Can someone please sell me on Taco?
View attachment 3052899
Taco (musician)
Background information
Birth name Taco Ockerse
Born July 21, 1955 (age 62)
Jakarta,
Indonesia
Origin Invalid Link Removed, Germany
Invalid Link Removed[2][3]
Genres Swing,
soul,
new wave
Occupation(s) Singer, actor, producer, composer, songwriter, scriptwriter
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1979–present
Labels Invalid Link Removed,
Invalid Link Removed
Taco Ockerse (born July 21, 1955), usually known
mononymously as
Taco, is an Indonesian-born Dutch singer
[4][5] and entertainer who started his career in Germany.
Invalid Link Removed[2][3]
Early life[edit]
Taco Ockerse, born in Jakarta, Indonesia on July 21, 1955,
Invalid Link Removed had spent many of his childhood years moving around the world, residing in the
Netherlands, the United States, Singapore, Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany.
[6] He attended the
International School of Brussels, Belgium, and graduated in 1973. Afterward, he studied interior decoration and finished acting school in Hamburg. He held lead roles in numerous school productions, including
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown;
Carousel;
The Fantasticks; and
Invalid Link Removed.
In 1975, he began his first professional theatrical engagements in Hamburg.
[6] This included roles in
Children's Theater, and roles as an ensemble member of the Thalia Theater in a number of plays, including
Sweet Charity,
Chicago, and
Three Musketeers. He also directed and choreographed for the musical
Nightchild. In 1979, he played "Chino" in John Neumeier's
West Side Story at Hamburg Opera House. He founded his first band, Taco's Bizz, in 1979.
Professional career[edit]
In 1981, Taco signed his first record contract with
Polydor (Germany) for two record releases, whereon he released his first single, "
Puttin' On the Ritz",
[6] which in 1982 was picked up by
Invalid Link Removed for US release. His version of the song also had pieces of other
Irving Berlin songs, such as "
White Christmas". The single was widely played throughout the US by late summer of 1983 eventually peaking at No. 4 in September 1983 on the
Hot 100 as well as No. 1 on
Cashbox.
[7][8]Although the single eventually earned him a Gold-certification for selling over one million copies, it was Taco's only Top 40 hit in the US.
[9] In 1983 and 1984, he toured extensively throughout
Europe. While the single "Puttin' on the Ritz" topped the charts in Sweden and New Zealand, it entered the Top 5 in numerous countries including Norway, Austria and Canada.
[10][11] His subsequent album,
After Eight, was released in over 40 countries and managed to reach No. 4 in Norway, No. 5 in Canada, No. 11 in Austria, No. 17 in New Zealand, No. 23 in the United States, and No. 59 in Germany.
[12][13][14][15] The album earned Taco a number of Gold certifications including one in Finland for selling over 25,000 copies.
[16]
Taco's second single "Singing in the Rain" was a moderate success peaking at No. 49 in Germany, No. 46 in Canada and No. 98 in the UK.
[17][18][19]
He appeared as a guest on
The Merv Griffin Show,
Alan Thicke,
Solid Gold,
Good Morning America, a
Bob Hope TV special, and many other TV shows while touring.
[6]
Taco's follow-up album,
Let's Face the Music, was recorded in 1984 for Polydor (Germany) which peaked at No. 58 in his home of Germany and managed to enter the Top 100 in Canada peaking at No. 92.
[15][20] Taco continued to record, focusing mostly on the German market with albums
Swing Classics/In the Mood of Glenn Miller in 1985 and
Tell Me That You Like It in 1986 for
Polydor. In 1987 he recorded the self-titled album
Taco.
In 1989 he briefly flirted with contemporary dance music by releasing a pair of singles, "Love Touch" and "Got to Be Your Lover", that were styled after the high energy disco sound popularized by
Stock Aitken Waterman. Afterwards, he repositioned himself as a swing/soul singer. He has collaborated with
Geff Harrison of
Kin Ping Meh fame.
Between 1989 and 1996, Taco worked as an actor. He had television acting roles in
Friedrichstadt Palast and
Das Erbe der Guldenburgs, and an appearance in the film
Karniggels. He also appeared as "Chico" in the theater production of
Marx Brothers Radio Show, and played lead roles in
Shakespeare Rock n Roll in Berlin and
Shakespeare as We Like It in Austria.
He currently resides in Germany, performing with his band and as a gala artist.
