Roland W. was born in Bremen on October 14, 1941. His real name is Roland Wächtler. The German singer is one of the best-known performers of German-language pop songs of the 1960s. Roland W. was already interested in music and entertainment as a teenager. At the beginning of the 1960s, he initially worked as a sailor and ship's cook. During his time at sea, he gained musical experience and performed at smaller events. His professional career as a pop singer began in 1962. Roland W. made his breakthrough in 1965 with "Monja". The song is based on a Russian folk song and develops into one of the biggest German-language hits of the decade. The single reached number 1 in the German charts and sold more than a million copies. Monja" also reaches the upper chart regions in Austria and Switzerland. In the same year, other successful titles such as "So wie damals, Baby" and "Es ist nie zu spät" follow. Roland W. thus establishes himself as a permanent fixture in the German pop entertainment scene of the 1960s. Famous releases by Roland W. include Monja und andere Welterfolge (1965), Roland W. (1966) and Seine großen Erfolge (1975). His best-known singles include "Monja" (1965), "So wie damals, Baby" (1965), "Es ist nie zu spät" (1965), "Lass die Sonne wieder scheinen" (1966) and "Ro-Ro-Roland" (1966). After the peak of his career, Roland W. largely retired from the music business at the end of the 1960s. Roland Wächter died on September 11, 2009 in Schürdt in the Westerwald.