Karl Heinz Schwab (16 August 1924 – 1 September 2014),[1][2] known professionally as Ralf Bendix, was a German Schlager singer, music producer, composer and songwriter.
The engagement of the record company quickly paid off, when in June 1956, Ralf Bendix, now confirmed as his stage name, was noticed for the first time when the title "She was called Mary-Ann" - a cover version of "Sixteen Tons" with German text by Peter Moesser [de] - was recorded and rose to the second place of the German hit singles chart.
In 1958, he played a part along Fred Bertelmann in the music film Der lachende Vagabund [de] in which he performed the hit song "Die Sonne von Andalucia".
The original, "Baby Sittin' Boogie", had been issued in the US in January 1961 by Buzz Clifford and received a German text by Joachim Relin [de].
After he retired from show business, Ralf Bendix lived in Monaco and Florida and then in Switzerland, where he died on 1 September 2014 aged 90.