Henning Krautmacher
Höhner soon without their front man
Henning Krautmacher was a member of the Höhner music group for more than 35 years.
© imago images/Political Moments
The Höhners will soon have to do without their longtime frontman: Henning Krautmacher will leave the band at the end of the year.
The Höhner will soon have to do without their frontman: Henning Krautmacher (64) is retiring. “The course has now been set so that I can retire from the business at the end of the year,” says the musician in an interview with “RP Online”. The date is “not set in stone, but makes sense”. It was “not easy” to find a successor for him. “Ultimately, it worked thanks to the Cologne clique,” says Krautmacher. He has been on stage with Patrick Lück (45) since November 2021. “People will get to know Patrick and see for themselves that he’s a great thoroughbred musician, singer and entertainer who can steer the ship by himself at the end of the year,” Krautmacher is certain.
Despite his departure, Henning Krautmacher is looking to the future of the band: “Basically, we would be well advised if the Höhner continued to exist for a few more decades. So we’re not resting on our laurels.” On the contrary: for the 50th anniversary this year, the Cologne music group is planning “twelve new songs for the anniversary CD, which show that the Höhnern are making progress,” reveals the frontman. “But the old titles have not been forgotten either,” he emphasizes.
Henning Krautmacher already has plans for the time after Höhner
After his time at Höhner, he never gets bored. Krautmacher will “be more active in the kitchen again”. The 64-year-old also intends to write a novel: “I need time and leisure for that. It’s a kind of Cologne thriller about the cathedral city. A musician plays the leading role.” He’s not giving up the music either: Krautmacher will continue to write songs as soon as he has “new ideas”. “I don’t have to sing anymore,” he says.
Krautmacher celebrates his farewell on the Germany tour “Höhner Christmas”. His last concert in Düsseldorf is scheduled for December 22nd. Krautmacher had been a member of Höhner since 1986 – ie for 36 years. Her best-known hits include the carnival song “Viva Colonia” and the song for the 2007 Handball World Cup “If not now, then when?”.