 In the mid-60s, he moved to Germany and became a member of the Max Greger band, and by the end of the decade, he had joined the Kurt Edelhagen orchestra in Cologne.He spent the first half of the 1970s as a member of the James Last Orchestra, as well as with the Peter Herbolzheimer band, and from the late 70s onwards became a permanent member of the WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk, or West German Radio) big band.Kiefer is notable for being part of a group of Cleveland natives who played trumpet for James Last, the others being Bob Lanese, Chuck Findley and Bob Findley.