Horst Wende

Born in Zeitz, Saxony, he showed musical proficiency at an early age. He played in his grandfather’s band in a restaurant when he was six, and by his teens he was accomplished at playing piano, accordion, xylophone and marimba. He studied music at the Leipzig Conservatory.

He served in the German Army during World War II, but was captured by the British. During his captivity in a Danish prisoner-of-war camp, he met a guitarist named Ladi Geisler, with whom he soon formed a small combo. After the war, he led various combos (which usually included Geisler) in the Salambo Night Club from René Durand & The Tarantella Night Club near the famous Reeperbahn. Horst also played with British Service musicians and big bands such as Edmundo Ros. Settling in Hamburg, he became part of the burgeoning music scene in the port city. Signed to the Polydor label in the 1950s, as a composer, producer and musician he made accordion and dance band music under his own name. He also started with Middle & South America music recordings under the alias of Roberto Delgado, and with piano albums as Mister Pepper. The Delgado albums became popular in Europe, and then found an audience in the UK, Japan and North America and Australia as Polydor opened up several international subsidiaries. It is interesting to note that Wende recorded his albums using the same group of studio musicians who recorded for Kaempfert and Last; in fact, guitarist Ladi Geisler also provided the distinct knack-bass guitar to the Kaempfert sound.

The Delgado recordings were initially Latin-oriented, but they eventually covered a number of different musical genres including African, Italian, Jewish, Oriental, Russian, Greek and Jamaican music as well as Broadway musicals and current pop hits. It could be argued that Wende/Delgado helped to pioneer world music. He managed to break into the German singles market with his version of "Mexico" in 1962. He also arranged music for other German artists such as German folk/pop singer Knut Kiesewetter. Horst made several albums with great international singers including Conny Froboess, Wencke Myhre, Katja Ebstein, Daliah Lavi and Freddy Quinn.

Like most of his pop orchestral contemporaries, Wende’s popularity had faded by the 1980s, and he gradually retired from playing music professionally. In recent years, his music has become popular again, and some of his recordings have been reissued on CD. His work is still much loved and remembered by the many who heard his work. His song "Skokiaan", from the 1958 album Africana, is used at the end of Richard Linklater's film Slacker (1990).

HW - released under the name Horst Wende

RD - released under the name Roberto Delgado

MP - released under the name Mister Pepper

LG - released under the name Ladi Geisler with the Horst Wende Orchestra

• The following complete Horst Wende Orchestra / Mister Pepper / Roberto Delgado Orchestra list is from Marty Goorts.
• The released years are always pressed in the original records like the list below.
• 1955International Polka Favourites HW
• 1957Romance Em Veneca RD
• 1957Oriëntal Caravan HW
• 1958Africana HW
• 1959 Love Letters RD
• 1960Dance To Delgado RD
• 1960Blaue Nacht Am Hafen HW
• 1961In Strikt Danstempo HW
• 1962Bei Pfeiffers Ist Ball HW
• 1962Portrait Of Horst Wende
• 1962Portrait Of Roberto Delgado
• 1962Along Mexican Highways Vol. 1 RD
• 1963Delgado Hits Pan Americana
• 1963Latin Americana RD
• 1964Olé Roberto Delgado RD
• 1964Night Club Dancing Vol. 1 RD
• 1964 This Is Roberto Delgado RD
• 1965Letkiss RD
• 1965Sirtaki Letkiss RD
• 1965Blue Hawaii Vol. 1 RD
• 1965Caramba Vol. 1 RD
• 1965Along Mexican Highways Vol. 2 RD
• 1965 Die Original Schwarzwaldfamilie Seitz HW
• 1965South Of The Border RD
• 1965Camino De Mexico RD
• 1965Night Club Dancing Vol. 2 RD
• 1966Tanz Durch's Musical Wunderland RD
• 1966Show Dancing RD
• 1966Italian Romance RD
• 1966Delgado Dancing RD
• 1966Accordion A La Carte Vol. 1 HW
• 1966Tanz In Der Taverne RD
• 1967Holiday In Israël RD (This album - Polydor 184 094 - is incorrectly billed as a Roberto Delgado album)
• 1967Drops MP
• 1967Caramba Vol. 2 RD
• 1967Happy Harmonica HW
• 1968Holiday In Scandinavia RD
• 1968Acapulco Holiday RD
• 1968Guitar A La Carte Vol. 1 LG
• 1968Wenn Das Schifferklavier An Bord Ertönt HW
• 1968Tanz Im Weissen Rössl RD
• 1968Marimba A La Carte RD
• 1968Dancing Rebecca RD
• 1968Latino Dancing RD
• 1968Blue Hawaii Vol. 2 RD
• 1968Spanish Eyes RD
• 1968Hifi Stereo RD
• 1969Accordion In Gold HW
• 1969Latin Rendez-Vous With RD
• 1969Guitar A La Carte Vol. 2 LG
• 1969Accordion A La Carte Vol. 2 HW
• 1969Hits A La Carte RD
• 1969Latin A La Carte RD
• 1969This Is Roberto Delgado
• 1970Hawaiian Nights RD
• 1970Calypso A La Carte RD
• 1970This Is Reggae RD
• 1970Caramba Vol. 3 RD
• 1970The Very Best Of Roberto Delgado
• 1970Vibraphone A La Carte RD
• 1970African Dancing RD
• 1970Samba Caramba South America Olé RD
• 1970Latin Flutes RD
• 1970Accordéon HW
• 1971South America Let's Dance RD
• 1972Happy Accordion HW
• 1972Latin Special '72 RD
• 1972Wir Stehen Auf Akkordeon Vol. 1 HW
• 1973Fiësta For Dancing Vol. 1 RD
• 1973Happy South America Stargala RD
• 1974Die Bouzouki Klingt Vol. 1 RD
• 1974Wir Stehen Auf Akkordeon Vol. 2 HW
• 1974Dance Time With Roberto Delgado
• 1974Roberto Delgado
• 1975Fiësta For Dancing Vol. 2 RD
• 197520 South America Dancing Hits RD
• 1975South America My Love RD
• 1976Akkordeon Schlager-Parade HW
• 1976Akkordeon Schlager-Parade Zug Um Zug HW
• 1976Die Bouzouki Klingt Vol. 2 RD
• 1976Latin Rhythms RD
• 1977Die Grossen Orchester Der Welt RD
• 1977Die Grosse Aktuelle Hammond Schlager-Parade HW
• 1977Fiësta For Dancing Vol. 3 RD
• 1977Die Grosse Aktuelle Akkordeon Hitparade HW
• 1977Fiësta Caramba 2000 RD
• 1977The Best Of The Best Of Roberto Delgado
• 1977Fiësta For Dancing Vol. 4 RD
• 1977Roberto Delgado In Gold
• 1977Buenos Dias Olé RD
• 1977Concerto D' Aranjuez RD
• 1978Die Balalaika klingt RD
• 1978Music Box Dancer RD
• 1979Jamaica Disco RD
• 1979Roberto Delgado Meets Kalinka
• 1980Vacation In The Sun RD
• 1980Fiësta Colombiana & Los Paraguayos RD
• 1980Da Capo Roberto
• 1980Tropical Sun Dance RD
• 1981Blue Tropical RD
• 1996El Humahuaqueno RD CD
• 1998Happy South America RD 2CD
• 1999Happy Holiday Collection RD 2CD
• 2000Lounge Legends RD CD
• 200020 South America Dancing Hits RD CD
• 2000Camino De Mexico RD CD
• 2009 Autour Du Monde RD CD
• 2011 Fiesta & Fiesta For Dancing RD 2CD
• 2013 Blue Hawaii RD 2CD
• 2014 Bouzouki Magic & Bouzouki King RD 2CD
• 2014 Jamaica Disco & Tropical Sun Dance & Dancing Queen RD 2CD