DESCRIPTION:
Performed by: Austin Egen

Full Song Title: Blutrote Rosen

Recorded in: 1929

Ladies and Gentlemen, here is another big hit for you. This time a popular Jazz artist from Austria!

Blutrote Rosen (eng: Blood red roses) was composed by Hermann Hünemeyer & Alfred Krönkemeyer in 1928/1929. Sadly, this song is often mistaken to be Eva Hitler's favorite song which is actually Glutrote Rosen (Fiery red roses) by Rudi Schuricke from 1942. I don't know why anyone would even care about what her favorite music was, but I thought it's about time to clear up the misinformation that has been circulating on social media and internet forums.

Rough German/English translation

Augustus Guido Maria Meyer-self but better known under his stage name Austin Egen was an popular Austrian pianist , singer and composer in the 1920s.

Augustus Meyer-Eigen was born 1897 in Graz, Austria the son of actor August Meyer-Eigen and the Graz opera singer Maria Rocalle. He received his first music lessons from his mother.

In March 1923 he recorded his first record "Shimmy Shanghai Bay" with his Dajos Bela Orchestra in Berlin. In the same year he moved with his Mother from Austria to Berlin. He was struggling as musician for awhile and therefor had to earn his living by playing the piano or performing in cabarets and pubs, one of the most famous at the time was "Mutter Krause" in Halensee, Berlin. 1924 Egen met the music publisher Curt Max Roehr and published through Roehr's record label ACME his "Ragtime Monday Morning Blues" song. 1925 he played the piano in an amateur jazz band, a year later he married Florence Herzog, which is a niece Roehr's and became a partner of the ACME AG record label.

At the same time, he also worked as a pianist and recorded with Eric Borchard's jazz band. He wrote the interlude music for a Berliner version of the musical "No, No, Nanette". In 1926 he wrote the interlude music for the silent film "The Queen of the World" original title: "Die Königin des Weltbades:, directed by Victor Janson.

In 1927 made ​​numerous recordings as a singer at the Gramophone Company and the Electrola record labels, especially with the German versions of American jazz tracks and his own compositions. He worked with the orchestras of Marek Weber, Stefan Weintraub, Arthur Young, Jack Hylton, Emil Roósz und Oskar Joost, composers such as Hermann Leopoldi, Walter Jurmann, Jim Cowler and Franz Grothe and the song writer Fritz Rotter.

During the banking crisis of 1931, the record company of his father-in-law had to declare bankruptcy, Austin Egen lost all of his shares. The copyrights of his music and recordings were acquired by the Bosworth Music Publishers, who still hold them to this day. In October of 1932, Egen and his family moved back to Austria and lived most of the time in Frohnleiten. In Vienna, he appeared on the radio and recorded with the Heinz Sandauer orchestra on Columbia record label. After the annexation of Austria in 1938 by Nazi Germany, Austin Egen was asked to submit proof of his Aryan ancestry/origin. in the very same year, he was allowed to become a member of the Society of Authors and Composers AKM in Vienna.

In his spare time he worked as a draftsman and sculptor. From 1939 Egen also operate a coffee tavern in Graz.

In 1941, Austin Egen died from liver cirrhosis in Frohnleiten. He was only 44 years old.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I have. You can also buy the song on iTunes.

Best wishes,
Stu
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Please Note: I do not claim copyright or ownership of the song played in this video. All copyrighted content remains property of their respective owners.