Johnny Tame

Due to health problems he retired from the music business in 1989. Tame was married and lived in Hamburg, Germany, until his passing March 2022.

• Name — Johnny Tame • Birth Name — Uwe Reuß • Born — 3 March 1947 • Birthplace — Friedberg/Hessen, Germany • Died — March 2022 • Place of death — Hamburg, Germany • Instrument — Guitar, bass guitar, vocals • Genre — Rock, country music, folk music • Occupation — Songwriter, musician, music producer • Years Active — 1963–1989 • Label — BMG Ariola, Teldec, Fontana Records • Website — johnnytame.de Uwe Reuß (born 3 March 1947, Friedberg/Hessen, died March 2022 Hamburg), known as Johnny Tame, was 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 Maffay kept raising his popularity which he would campaign for social and humanitarian activities. Due to health problems he retired from the music business in 1989. Tame was married and lived in Hamburg, Germany, until his passing March 2022.

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 (not to be mixed up with US-American Pop-Band 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 and Scandinavia increased. Tame formed the Johnny Tame's Time Machine in 1972 and was bassist and singer of the band Bourbon Family. Moreover, he played with the Orpheus Band of Schlagersinger Costa Cordalis until 1976. Though media- and stage-appearance got more and more, the crucial breakthrough would not succeed.

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 multiple gold, 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 Island Borkum 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.

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.