14 July 1939: Karel Gott born


Karel Gott represented Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 with the song 'Tausend Fenster', finishing in 13th place. This doesn't make him one of the most famous names in the history of the Contest, but he still had a long and fascinating career.

He decided to become a professional singer in 1960. After studying opera at the Prague Conservatory he also became involved in popular music, releasing his debut single in 1962. It was a duet with Czech jazz singer Vlasta Pruchová. In the same year as his Eurovision performance, he spent six months performing nightly in Las Vegas. More international success followed in the 1970's and 1980's, followed by a farewell tour in 1990. The success of this tour made him reconsider, eventually causing him to keep performing to this day.

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