Childhood
Bernhard Reinke was born on October 20, 1952 in the heart of Utrecht, his "stadsie".
In the family music was made by grandfather who sang bass in the men's choir, a jazz-playing uncle and mother who liked to play Chopin. According to her, Bernhard was an unborn child when she played the piano.

Singing lessons at Choir School
Because Bernhard often sang and drummed as a young child (..!), Musicality was assumed and he went from the 3rd grade primary school to the Kathedrale Koorschool in Utrecht. The boys' choir formed by the students sang in the Archbishop's Church and was considered the Dutch Wiener Sänger Knaben. The boys received daily singing lessons from the students of the adjacent School for Organ Music.
On "the choir", the wooden space under the organ at the back of the church, Bernhard sang as a low alto and stood for the low bass voices of the men's choir.

First recording
This boys' and men's choir sang the high mass every week, at Christmas the beautiful Mass of Mozart and also sang the Matthew Passion in the theater. Bernhard made his first recording in 1962 as a 12 year old singer in the choir. He preserves fond memories of the melancholic 'blues' of the a cappella Gregorian music sung by the male choir mixed with the scent of candles and incense.

First guitar solo
At the age of 12, Bernhard played his first solo on a nylon string acoustic guitar, the intro of "This Strange Effect" by Dave Berry. Completely selected by myself on a cramped portable pickup with plastic arm: E F # G G F # E F # G. Because yes, there was no internet or textbooks and nobody played "pop guitar". You just had to figure it out yourself.

Herman Brood and Harry Muskee
After an initial period in Utrecht in which Bernhard Reinke a.a. was in a group with Henk Temming, he went to Groningen in 1976. Via bass player Lou Leeuw, he comes in contact with Herman Brood, who is taking his first steps as a solo artist. They start playing together in the flourishing stage circuit in the city and surrounding area of ​​Groningen. After a performance at the Sterrebosfestival in August 1976, the band received great reviews and received momentum.
When Eelco Gelling left Cuby & The Blizzards in June 1976 to strengthen the Golden Earring on their tour through the US, Herman Brood took the opportunity to start his first formation under his own name. He left the band and asked Bernhard Reinke to join his new band, which would be called The Wild Romance.
On the same day, Bernhard was asked by the management of Harry Muskee to succeed Eelco and to play with Harry. Bernhard chose the latter and made the LP "Love Vendetta" with the Harry Muskee Band. It contains three pieces by Bernhard's hand. In addition to two vocal pieces, it is the instrumental "Piece Of Mind", a taste of the adventures in fusion land that would follow later.

Phoney And The Hardcore
In 1978 Erik Strack van Schijndel and Bernhard started working together and their group Phoney And The Hardcore became one of the groups of the Groningen Springtij. The CD 'Phoney Hits' was made and the group played on stages and festivals throughout the country. After the band members were informed by a letter from singer Erik and record label Ariola that the new record was being recorded in LA with studio musicians and without his own band Bernhard left the group in the early 1980s.
After this experience, Bernhard wondered if he wanted to continue with the football team-like game that rock bands are. That he did not longer wanted to depend on a front man to find or found a new club after his "transfer" was the deciding factor.

Instrumental music
Bernhard gradually dived deeper into the possibilities for improvising. Until then he was self-taught, he knew nothing about theory and he played all guitar parts, rhythm and solos exclusively "by ear". He visited jazz guitarist Wim Overgaauw who invited him to come and take lessons at the newly founded Hilversum Light Music Conservatory.

Jazz rock bands
After graduating in 1986, Bernhard made a total of six CDs with instrumental music as a band leader and composer with various groups, the last of which was "Waiting For The Bora" in 2009.
With that Bernhards felt that a logical end had come to the 25-year search for "that one exciting note in that intense harmony". In other words: it was time to put an end to playing what he now calls with a big wink "incomprehensibly clever music".

Third musical youth
This started what he sees as his "third musical youth". A home studio was set up, he immersed himself in recording techniques, learned to use professional recording programs and became proficient in the art of producing, editing and mixing multi-track parts.

In addition to the vocals - except for the drum part in one piece (thanks to Onno Witte) - all instruments were recorded and / or programmed by himself. In a process lasting many years, the music of “Paradise” emerged so layer by layer and Bernhard gradually learned to shape his musical ideas.
A lot has happened, a lot of work has been done, but "the way to go there is already a great adventure to experience", Bernhard said, when you asked him how long he had been busy.

Lead singer Erik Hagelstein
In a later phase, Bernhard found in Erik Hagelstein the ideal singer who, with his dark brown, solid rock voice, is the right addition to Bernhard's voice that can still be heard in additional lead parts. Bernhard also sings all choirs, except for the two pieces in which Amanda Kapsch beautifully fills in the special touch of the female voice with her warm and clear voice.

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"Paradise"
And so all influences from Bernhard's rich and varied musical life come together on the new CD "Paradise". In the harmonies and melodies, the blues and rock influences are combined with refined influences from classical and jazz music.

It took a while before it was finished, but then you have something!