Evelyn Kuenneke; Berlin Singer Popular in WWII

Evelyn Kuenneke, 79, a Berlin singer and cabaret artist whose tune “Sing Nightingale Sing” was a hit among German soldiers during World War II. Born in Berlin, Kuenneke was the daughter of German operetta composer Eduard Kuenneke and opera singer Katarina Krapotkin. Kuenneke started out as a dancer at Berlin’s State Opera in the late 1930s. When the Nazis banned her from appearing in cabaret shows under her artist name of Evelyn King in 1939, she turned to movies and pop songs, which took her on the wartime military entertainment circuit. Kuenneke scored her biggest success in 1941 with “Sing Nightingale Sing.” She continued her career after the war with pop recordings and films, dropping out of the public eye in the 1960s but staging a comeback in the 1970s. Since then, she regularly appeared on stage in small productions or variety shows until a few months ago. On April 28 of lung cancer at a Berlin clinic.