Simon Schott was born in Munich in 1917. After the Second World War he remained in Paris where he made ends meet, as he says himself, by playing the piano at third-class night clubs at Montmartre.

One day, Harry McElhone, the owner of the then famous ’Harry’s New York Bar’ in Paris, heard Simon Schott’s soft piano style and hired him on the spot. From then on, it were the world’s rich and famous who were among his audience. Ali Khan, Rita Hayworth, Humphrey Bogart, Coco Chanel, Ernest Hemingway and many others relaxed while he played his melodies, and talked to him. Before returning to Munich, he lived and worked in London for two years. Now, he has been playing the piano at the Kempinski hotel ’Vier Jahreszeiten’ in Munich every evening from 5 – 8 p.m. for more than twenty years.

He became known to a wide audience by TV and radio appearances, such as in the shows ’NDR Talkshow’ or ’Boulevard Bio’. The Bavarian Television made a documentary film about his life. In addition, he has found the time to write about twenty books – crime and science-fiction novels, books for young people and books on music. His romantic thriller ’Das Bildnis der Alice Farnworth’ was awarded the ZDF prize ’Preis der Leseratten’.

The following books have been published by SCHOTT:

So spielen Sie Bar Piano, frei und ohne Noten (New! Now also available in English)

Pop singen - so machen es die Profis