PETER RÜCHEL - Founder Of Germany's Rockpalast Passes Away At 81
February 20, 2019, 5 years ago
Peter Rüchel, co-inventor of the music show Rockpalast, died on Wednesday at the age of 81 years in Leverkusen, according to the WDR (television station).
Rüchel came to WDR in 1974 and became head of the youth program. In early 1976, WDR launched a weekly, half-hour youth program in which once a month there was live music under the name Rockpalast. The roster is a veritable who's who of rock giants and their website frequently features live shows by up and comers, as well as countless German festival appearances.
For metal fans, many of those 70s and 80s performances have since been officially released, worldwide, on DVD, including landmark gigs by Thin Lizzy, UFO, Michael Schenker and Trust, to name but a few. Rüchel retired in 2003, but remained associated with the Rockpalast, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in July 2017.
Watch some recent uploads from WDR Rockpalast below:
