Uwe Reuß, known as Johnny Tame, is a German singer-songwriter and guitarist. He started his musical career in the early 1960s and gained remarkable national and international success as soloist as well as member of different bands. His longtime cooperation and partnership with famous German Rock singer Peter Maffaykept raising his popularity which he would campaign for social and humanitarian activities. He retired from music business in 1989. Tame is married and living in Hamburg, Germany.
Musical career
Tame started his musical career in the early 1960s yet under his common name, Uwe Reuß. He performed as bassist, guitarist and singer in different German bands such as The Rascals, The Gigolos and The Delegates. In 1964 he decided to make a living as a professional and gained attention in numerous Galas und TV-Shows, also in foreign German-speaking countries. Since 1967 he carried on using a pseudonym, Johnny Tame, and reached his biggest international success with his song "Sand in my Shoes". Tame played numerous festivals and was German representative at the Maltese Song-Festival "OSCAR" in 1968 where he finished third. The same year he contributed as singer on two songs of a Perry Rhodan movie using the pseudonym Sherman Space. By entering the 1970s international Concert-, TV- and Radio-Shows in United States, Portugal, Belgium und Scandinavia increased. Tame formed the Johnny Tame's Time Machine in 1972 and was bassist and singer of the bandBourbon Family. Moreover he played with the Orpheus Band of SchlagersingerCosta Cordalis until 1976. Though media- and stage-appearance got more and more, the crucial breakthrough wouldn't succeed.
Tame and Maffay
Tame had a very successful collaboration starting in 1976 with famous German Rock Singer Peter Maffay. As duo Tame & Maffay they produced two Country Rock albums. Moreover Tame more or less went to be a constant guest at Maffay's studio- and live-productions until 1985 what finally earned Tame the long awaited economic success. His overall album-sales gained multipleGold-, Platinum- and Diamond-Certifications. After all his deep disinterest in financial matters led to a subsequent monetary disaster. Lasting problems during live- and studio-work due to Alcohol and Hashish consume have been spread as the main reasons for breaking up the cooperation in 1984. Only years later the public – and even Tame himself – came to know, that he was suffering from Chronic fatigue syndrome. His last production took place in 1986. He quit playing music and sealed himself off from any kind of public appearance. In 1989 he left his residence on East Frisian IslandBorkum only for receiving the award "Artist of the year in Niedersachsen", a small city event in Northeim and a five-day-open-air festival in Bremen – The Breminale.
Social commitment
Tame already used his popularity in an early stage of his career in order to support social and humanitarian projects as well as ecology groups. He broached the issues of air pollution, forest dieback or the use of nuclear energy – sometimes radically – long before those problems where picked out as a central theme in Germany and elsewhere. He played concerts with Joan Baez for Amnesty International and Humanitas in the early 1980s, also at the Concert for Afghanistan in Hamburg. He constantly supported Greenpeace and the German groups and initiatives Künstler für den Frieden, AGA Aktionsgemeinschaft Artenschutz and Nicaragua-Foundation of Dietmar Schönherr.
Discography
Between 1965 und 1986 there has been a couple of musical publications with and by Johnny Tame, both in German and English language. Musical support usually was contributed by members of "Peter Maffay Band". The so far last release was a "Best of...." album produced by his long time friend and bandmate Frank Diez. Singles
