New ‘Milli Vanilli’ Music Scandal: German Folk Group Accused Of Faking Songs

A German folk group has been accused of faking 40 albums worth of songs over the course of their career, according to The Telegraph. The situation echoes the Milli Vanilli scandal that rocked the music world in the early 90s.

Kastelruther Spatzen, the German folk group known for their oompah music, stands accused of not playing their own instruments on their records. Instead, the band relied heavily on session musicians to record the tunes.

“The success of this band is based on a giant fraud,” said ex-producer Walter Widemair, who added that the group should return all of the awards they’ve won over the years.

Helmut Brossmann, the band’s manager, issued a statement on the group’s official website. He was quick to criticize the allegations made by Widemair, explaining that the names of session musicians are clearly listed on the album covers.

“And you know that Kastelruther Spatzen have toured for 30 years and when on tour everything was played live,” Brossmann wrote. “They are not one of these groups who appear on stage but you hear unseen instruments being played in the background.”

According to the Daily Mail, German newspapers have mentioned Kastelruther Spatzen in the same breath as pop duo Milli Vanilli. The group was formed by producer Frank Farian in the late 80s. While Milli Vanilli was fronted by two Munich models, they never actually recorded any of their own songs.

Since Milli Vanilli and Kastelruther Spatzen are from Germany, it hasn’t taken people too long to draw comparisons between the two.

Brossmann stated that the former producer’s accusations are nothing more than a publicity stunt for the guy’s upcoming book.

“I only hope he sells a lot of books so he can pay the damages,” Brossman said. “We’ve passed the case onto our lawyers.”

Do you remember the Milli Vanilli music scandal? Do you think this German folk group is legit?