by Steve LeggettOne of Germany's most successful pop singers in the 1970s and '80s, Howard Carpendale was born Howard Victor Carpendale on January 14, 1946 in Durban, South Africa. Howie, as he is affectionately known, was working as an Elvis imitator when he relocated to Europe in 1966, settling first in the U.K. He moved to Germany in 1969 when he was offered a recording contract with Electrola Records, having success right out of the gate that year on the German pop charts with a cover of the Beatles' "Obladi Oblada." Carpendale was unable to follow up on that success, however, and his stay with Electrola was done by the early '70s. The singer turned to writing his own material, often with the help of guitarist Joachim Horn, and turned his fortunes around, hitting the German pop charts numerous times in the '70s and '80s while building a large audience for his live shows. He retired from the music business in 2003, turning his attention to acting, but the retirement was short lived, and by 2007 a comeback album and live show was in the works.