Trivia

Until 1948 he played drums with Walter Dobschinski's orchestra, then he concentrated on his singing career.

From 1946 he was drumming for the RBT (Radio Berlin Tanz-Orchester) orchestra.

By 1950 he had recorded two dozen sides for the state-owned communist East-German Amiga label, but also for West-German labels Columbia, Electrola, HMV, Metrophon, Odeon, Parlophone and Regina.

Already with 9 years he got piano and violin lessons at a conservatory.

Until 1950 he sang for the East Berlin company Amiga, then for various West German companies. During this time he reached the zenith of his popularity, which also led to his being used in several feature films.

Handsome Ilja quickly became one of the first stars of the post-WWII-era and appeared in eleven movies.

Orchestra leader Michael Jary discovered Ilja's singing talent when he saw him performing in an English soldier club.

Ilja Glusgal died on 17 April 1983 in his adopted home of San Francisco.

He travelled at the end of the thirties the world as a steward on a ship and gets to know North Africa, Canada, the Balkans and many other countries during his two years at sea.

Ilja Glusgal was the most American of German post-war swing vocalists, if not all Schlager vocalists ever. From Louis Prima's Bananas and "Angelina, to Jeepers Creepers , to Sensation am Broadway, a German Version of Lullay of Broadway, he always tried to keep it swinging'.

Ilja Glusgal was considered after 1945 as one of the best drummers in Germany. His success as a singer only came at the end of the 1940s. He arranged his song titles himself and had his first big success with the hit Angelina.

Glusgal even recorded a promotional shellack record for the German beer company Bitburger:"Bitte ein Bit".

Ilja Glusgal was born to Jewish and non-Jewish parents.

At the end of the 50's Ilja Glusgal emigrated to the U.S.A..

From 1952 to 1956 he played in music movies like "Tanzende Sterne", "Wie werde ich Filmstar?", "Hotel Allotria" and "Blume von Hawaii".

In 1947 first titles with Ilja Glausgal as singer appeared.

He recorded two western-swing songs in 1949: Roy Rogers' I'm An Old Cow-Hand and Peter de Vries' Cowboy Jimmy.

Around 1955 he settled in the United States and seems to have stopped working in the music business for good. Apart from an appearance in a German TV-show in 1964, his later life is a mystery.

He has moved to the USA and took care of his relatives' music publishing company.

From 1942 he played drums with Bully Buhlan and the orchestra Lubo d'Orio.