Biography
The Wildecker Herzbuben is a German music duo from Wildeck in northern Hesse associated with a style of popular music that blends traditional folk music elements with mainstream schlager. They gained widespread recognition in 1990 with the song "Herzilein".
Wolfgang Schwalm (born 16 August 1954 in Görzhain), originally trained as an electrician and later employed as a department manager in a wholesale company, and Wilfried Gliem (born 10 September 1946 in Obersuhl), a trained insurance clerk who later worked as manager for the schlager singer G. G. Anderson, both performed in the group Die Curocas, which served as Anderson's backing band. Anderson later became a producer for the duo and was involved in their early development.
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Anderson was seeking vocalists for the composition "Herzilein", written by Carola and Burkhard Lüdtke, and selected Schwalm and Gliem. The duo released their debut single under the name Die Wildecker Herzbuben in 1989. The song became a major success in the German-language popular music genre combining folk influences and schlager, and led to numerous awards, as well as radio and television appearances and concert tours in Germany and abroad. An early version of the song had previously been declined by Peter Alexander, who reportedly considered the lyrics controversial.
In the following years, the duo became one of the most successful acts in German-language popular folk-influenced schlager music. Their 1995 album "Kuschelzeit" was composed and produced by Dieter Bohlen.
The duo also became known for their stage performances and frequent media appearances, as well as for their use of humour and self-parody. They appeared in "Otto – Der Liebesfilm" (1992) in a self-referential cameo, and participated in television comedy formats including collaborations with Hape Kerkeling in a travesty role. In "Der Wixxer" (2004), they appeared in a guest role as a fictional criminal group. In 2005, they published the book "Kochen mit Schwung" together with Heinz Günther Heygen and Rainer Schlag. In 2012, they took part in the stage production "Cat Ballou – Hängen wirst du in Kötzschenbroda" at the Comödie Dresden in various roles. In 2015, Wilfried Gliem participated in the television programme "Promi Big Brother", leaving the show voluntarily after eleven days. He lives in Wildeck-Hönebach.
In addition to their core genre, the duo also performed songs from other styles during live appearances, including "Unchain My Heart", "Hound Dog" and "I Want to Break Free". One of their final performances took place in 2024 at the electronic music festival Parookaville.
Following a health condition affecting Gliem, after which he required walking aids, the duo's live appearances became less frequent. Their collaboration officially ended in March 2025, and they made their final joint television appearance in September 2025 on a ProSieben show hosted by Heidi Klum. Schwalm announced plans to continue performing solo under the name Herzbube Wolfgang, while Gliem left his future musical activities open.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildecker_Herzbuben
Studio albums
Herzilein (1990, Little Heartlet)
Zwei Kerle wie wir (1991, Two Guys Like Us)
Das tut gut (1992, That Feels Good)
Weihnachten zu Hause (1992, Christmas at Home)
Von ganzem Herzen (1993, With All My Heart)
Ist das nicht himmlisch (1993, Isn't It Heavenly)
Am schönsten ist es daheim (1994, Home Is Most Beautiful)
Kuschelzeit (1995, Cuddle Time)
Weil wir Freunde sind (1997, Because We Are Friends)
Bubenstreiche (2000, Boys' Pranks)
Die Sonne scheint auf alle gleich (2002, The Sun Shines on Everyone Equally)
So schön ist der Norden (2005, The North Is So Beautiful)
Rutsch an meine Seite (2006, Slide Next to Me)
Wahre Liebe (2007, True Love)
20 Jahre Herzilein (2009, 20 Years Herzilein)
Sommer, Sonne, Herzilein (2014, Summer, Sun, Herzilein)
Kerle wie wir (2022, Guys Like Us)
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.