Graßhoff was born and spent his youth in Quedlinburg, Saxony-Anhalt, where his father, a former sailor, worked as a coal merchant and farmer. Traces of the rugged environment later appeared in his ballads and songs. He attended the "Humanistisches Gymnasium", learning Greek and Latin. After his Abitur (college entrance exam) in 1933, he began an apprenticeship as a church painter. Later, he was involved in journalism. In 1938, he was drafted into the military and fought in World War II against Russia, later falling into British captivity. He wrote his first collection of poems in captivity in 1945.
From 1946 to 1967, he lived in Celle, Lower Saxony. He traveled extensively to Greece and, from 1956, regularly to Sweden. In 1947, he published his most famous collection of ballads, songs and poems, the Halunkenpostille, which sold more than 300,000 copies. His paintings were first shown in Celle in 1947, then in 1954 in his first important art exhibit at the kestnergesellschaft in Hannover along with works by Max Beckmann and Paul Klee. His work was purchased by the Kunsthalle Hamburg and the Lehmbruck Museum in Duisburg. However, his income came primarily from his lyrics for pop songs. He wrote several hits for singers, such as Lale Andersen, Freddy Quinn and Hans Albers, for whom he wrote "Nimm mich mit, Kapitän, auf die Reise" ("Take me along, captain, on your trip"). In addition to his often crude songs and ballads, set to music by such composers as Heinz Gietz, James Last, Lotar Olias, Wolfgang Schulz, Norbert Schultze and Siegfried Strohbach, he translated from Greek, from Latin, including texts by the Roman Martial, and from Swedish, with works by the national poet, Carl Michael Bellman.
In 1967, Graßhoff moved to Zwingenberg. He stayed away from the literary world because he felt that his reputation was primarily from his hit lyrics. When his biographical novel, Der blaue Heinrich, was published in 1980, it received little attention.
In 1983, he and his family left Germany for Canada, where he spent the last 13 years of his life at his home on the Ottawa River. He died in Hudson, Quebec. His late poetry brought him a respected place in the literary world, reflected in numerous essays. His paintings are held by museums, such as the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. In Celle, an archive is kept at the Bomann Museum, his atelier in the garden of his home still exists, and the street Fritz-Grasshoff-Gasse is named after him.
Zeltlieder und Barackenverse. J.M. Klopp, Lütjenburg/Holstein 1945
Das Heiligenhafener Sternsingerspiel 1945. J.A. Keune, Hamburg 1946.
Halunkenpostille. J.A. Keune. Hamburg 1947
Das Gemeindebrett. Allgemein-ungültiger Jahresweiser für Landleute. Lange. Duisburg 1954
Im Flug zerfallen die Wege der Vögel. Gedichte. Lange, Duisburg 1956
Die klassische Halunkenpostille. Epigramme und Satiren. Kiepenheuer & Witsch. Köln/Berlin 1964
Graßhoffs unverblümtes Lieder- und Lästerbuch. Kiepenheuer & Witsch. Köln/Berlin 1965
Der neue Salomo. Eine Art Predigt an der Straßenecke. Edition Esplanade. Hamburg 1965
Carl Michael Bellman. Durch alle Himmel alle Gossen. Ein Bündel Fredmanscher Episteln und Songs. Aus dem Schwedischen singbar ins Deutsche gebracht. Kiepenheuer & Witsch. Köln/Berlin 1966
Der singende Knochen. Kurzgelochte Parahistorie zur echten Flötenforschung. Edition Edition Moeck. Celle 1971
Seeräuber-Report. Songs, Lieder & Balladen. Erdmann. Tübingen/Basel 1972. ISBN 3-7711-0142-5
Philodemos und die antike Hintertreppe. 20 griechisch–römische Autoren neu übersetzt und umhost mit Graphiken des Autors. Eremiten-Presse. Düsseldorf 1975 ISBN 3-87365-079-1
Foxy rettet Amerika. Ein Musical für Kinder von 8-80 (a musical for children from 8 to 80). Schott. Mainz 1976
Der blaue Heinrich. novel, Nymphenburger. München 1980. ISBN 3-485-00388-3
Prosit ein Leben lang. Wollust & Müßiggang. Carl Michael Bellman, Episteln & Songs. Fritz Graßhoff, Nachdichtungen. Edition Handpresse Gutsch. Berlin 1985. ISBN 3-924993-09-2
Les animaux en pantalons. Tiere in Hosen. Eine Auswahl aus Menschenfabeln. (animals in trousers, fables) Éditions du Silenoe. Montréal 1991
Bellman auf Deutsch. Fredmans Episteln. Aus dem Schwedischen des 18. Jahrhunderts singbar ins Deutsche gerückt. (Bellman in German) Verlag für Berlin-Brandenburg. Potsdam 1995. ISBN 3-930850-10-9
Martial für Zeitgenossen. Epigramme von Marcus Valerius Martialis. Eremiten Presse. Düsseldorf 1998. ISBN 3-87365-315-X
Von der Wichtigkeit der Dinge. Heritage Fritz Graßhoff / Stiftung. Deutsches Kabarettarchiv. Mainz 2003
Satire. Preface by Roswitha Grasshoff, postscript by Pierre Filion. German and French. Éditions du Silence. Montreal 2007. ISBN 978-2-920180-71-0
Bilder und Zeichnungen von Fritz Graßhoff. Städtisches Kulturamt. Celle 1947
Gerhard Händler: Fritz Grasshoff. Städt. Kunstmuseum Duisburg. Museumsverein. Duisburg 1956
Paintings, Peintures, Gemälde 1984–1986. Montreal (Kanada)
Graphik − Graphic − Graphique. 1943–1993. Éditions Vaudreuil [Canada] 1993
Recordings and music books
Halunkensongs for baritone, trompet, violin, akkordeon, double bass and percussion. music: Siegfried Strohbach, sheet music: Breitkopf & Härtel 1956
Großer Kalender (after texts from "Das Gemeindebrett") for male choir, piano and large orchestra. music: Siegfried Strohbach, sheet music: Breitkopf & Härtel 1961
Songs für Mündige. arranged by Hans Last (James Last). with Lotar Olias, Lale Andersen and others. Polydor. Hamburg 1965
Halunkenpostille. Schräge Songs, halbseidene Lieder und wunderschöne Gedichte. music by Hans-Martin Majewski and Norbert Schultze. spoken and sung by Hanne Wieder, Hannelore Schroth, Gustav Knuth, Gisela aus Schwabing, Kirsten Heiberg, Ralf Bendix, Jens Brenke, Inge Brandenburg, Werner Schmalenbach and Fritz Graßhoff. Electrola. Köln 1967
Unerhörte Chansons. voice: Illo Schieder, orchestra: Bert Grund. MPS 15108. Villingen 1968
Warehouse-Life. Chor-Revue. music by Peter Seeger. Schott. Mainz 1972
Seeräuber-Report. Heinz Reincke, Ingrid van Bergen, Günter Pfitzmann, Hannes Messemer and others. Electrola. Köln 1973; CD: Conträr Musik 2004
Fritz Grasshoff's Unartige Lieder. Songs und maulfaule Balladen + Badewannenlieder für Mündige und Dickfellige unter Musik gesetzt von Lotar Olias. spoken and sung by Helmut Brasch, Inge Meysel, Ernst Stankovski, Gustav Knuth, Lothar Olias, Mal Sondock, Edith Hancke, Eckart Dux, Lale Andersen, Günter Jerschke, Erich Uhland, und Hanne Wieder. Intercord 720-08
Foxy rettet Amerika. musical by Heinz Geese. EMI-Electrola. Köln 1977
Süverkrüp singt Graßhoffs Bellman (Süverkrüp sings Graßhoff's Bellman), Conträr Musik 1996
Hört mal her, ihr Zeitgenossen. Black und Pit. for Graßhoff's zum 90th birthday. Conträr Musik 2003
1954 kestnergesellschaft, Hannover
1956 Städtisches Kunstmuseum, Duisburg
1961 Studio für neue Kunst, Wuppertal-Elberfeld
1970 Kunstverein, Celle
1991 Stewart Hall, Montréal (Kanada)
1991 Goethe-Institut, Montréal (Kanada)
2003 Schlossmuseum, Quedlinburg
Oskar Ansull: Und fliege in die Fremde. In: Von Dichterfürsten und anderen Poeten. Kleine niedersächsische Literaturgeschichte. Band III. Hannover 1996, ISBN 3-927715-30-1.
Friedrich Zehm: Ein Bündel Chanson. In: The Musical Times Nr. 1519. Berkhamsted 1969, ISSN 0027-4666.
Eva Demski: Vagabund, Bänkelsänger, Malerpoet, Klabautermann. In: FAZ 22 December 1989.
Ralf Busch: Fritz Graßhoff – Maler und Poet. Bomann-Museum, Celle 1993, ISBN 3-925902-18-X.
Maria Katharina Grote: Fritz Graßhoff – eine Bildmonographie. Diplomarbeit, Universität Hildesheim 1997.
Jacques Outin: Graßhoff, Bellman und Schweden. In: Muschelhaufen. Nr. 44. Viersen 2004, ISSN 0085-3593.
Wolfgang Ries: Gebrauchsware und Unnützes. Einige subjektive Anmerkungen zu Person und Werk von Fritz Graßhoff. In: Muschelhaufen. Nr. 44. Viersen 2004, ISSN 0085-3593.
Eva Demski: Fritz Grasshoff – Der letzte Klabautermann. In: Land und Leute. Schöffling, Frankfurt/M. 1994, ISBN 3-89561-000-3.
