BOUDEWIJN DE GROOT

Boudewijn de Groot

Troubadour with a Dylan-esque impact, who shoots to fame in the '60s and '70s with hits like Welterusten Meneer De President ('Goodnight Mr. President') and Het Land Van Maas En Waal ('The Land Of Meuse And Waal'). In the '80s he starts a new career as a composer of film ...
Full biography

Instruments

gitaar, producer, zang

Members

Åke Danielson   toetsinstrumenten
Jan Hendriks   gitaar
Mark Stoop   drums
Lené te Voortwis   basgitaar
Monique Lansdorp   mandoline, percussie, viool
Jan de Hont   gitaar
Ernst Jansz   piano
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Former members

Jakob Klaasse   accordeon, arrangeur, piano, producer, synthesizer

Mentioned in the biography of

1929   Gerrit den Braber
1948   Jakob Klaasse
1957   Lennaert Nijgh
1961   Joop Visser
1962   Cobi Schreijer
1964   Marcel de Groot
1965   Ronnie Potsdammer
1966   Cuby + Blizzards
1966   Q65
1968   Elly & Rikkert
1968   Wim Sonneveld
1969   Ramses Shaffy
1970   Astrid Nijgh
1970   Don Rosenbaum
1970   Metropole Orkest
1970   Paul Marselje
1970   Q65
1970   Zen
1971   Bintangs
1972   Don Rosenbaum
1972   Jim de Groot
1973   Lennaert Nijgh
1973   Rob de Nijs
1973   ZZ en de Maskers
1974   Nico Haak
1976   Ccc Inc.
1978   Doe Maar
1980   Herman Pieter de Boer
1983   Hans de Booij
1985   Michiel Jansen
1988   Bram Vermeulen
1990   Henny Vrienten
1990   The Shooting Party
1990   Tröckener Kecks
1991   Rowwen Hèze
1992   Stef Bos
1993   Sjako!
1994   Gé Reinders
1994   Richard Janssen
1994   The Prodigal Sons
1996   Hans Hollestelle
1996   Herman Pieter de Boer
1996   Jan De Hont
1996   Jan Hendriks
1996   Peter Vincent
1997   Trio Bier
1998   Elly & Rikkert
1998   Sven Figee
2000   Fred van Straten
2000   Lichter Laaie
2001   Åke Danielson
2001   Joop Stokkermans
2001   Linda Wagenmakers
2001   Nurlaila
2001   Willeke Alberti
2002   Jan Rot
2003   Frank Boeijen
2003   Lennaert Nijgh
2004   Jos Haagmans
2004   Paul Natte
2005   Josee Koning
2006   Henny Vrienten
2010   Freek de Jonge
2010   Lucky Fonz III
2013   Ramses Shaffy
2016   Henny Vrienten
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Biography Boudewijn de Groot

Troubadour with a Dylan-esque impact, who shoots to fame in the '60s and '70s with hits like Welterusten Meneer De President ('Goodnight Mr. President') and Het Land Van Maas En Waal ('The Land Of Meuse And Waal'). In the '80s he starts a new career as a composer of film music and as an actor. In the late '90s he makes a very successful comeback.

Played in

Session   gitaar, zang
Tigers On Vaseline   gitaar, producer
Tower (1)   gitaar, zang

1960

Boudewijn de Groot and songwriter Lennaert Nijgh meet.

Lennaert Nijgh

1964

De Groot sings two songs in a short film by fellow film academy student Lennaert Nijgh. He also wins the preliminary of the Dutch talent show Nieuwe Oogst ('New Harvest'); the finale is won by André van Duin who will later become one of Holland's most popular comedians. He releases his first single Strand ('Beach'). The singles Elegie Prenatale ('Elegy Prenatal') and De Morgen (The Morning') are boycotted by most radio and TV stations because of the socially critical lyrics.

André van Duin

1966

De Groot's debut album and the single Welterusten Meneer De President ('Good Night Mr. President') are released. Voor De Overlevenden ('For The Survivors') comes out.

1967

Het Land Van Maas En Waal uit ('The Land Of Maas and Waal') shoots to number 1. Onder Ons ('Between You And Me') is the new single.

1968

The LP Picknick is well received. The song Prikkebeen, a duet with Elly Nieman, enters the Top 10. Another single taken from the album is Waterdrager/Als De Rook Om Je Hoofd Is Verdwenen ('Water-carrier'/When The Smoke Around Your Head's Disappeared'). Boudewijn and Lennaert write the song Pastorale as a duet for Boudewijn and Elly Nieman, but when Nieman declines, the song ends up shelved. A year later Liesbeth List and Ramses Shaffy score a huge hit with the track. In the meantime Boudewijn is fed up with performing live and he also breaks with Lennaert Nijgh and his backing group Names And Faces. He goes into the studio with various session musicians and Cuby & The Blizzards guitarist Eelco Gelling and records the Top 20 hit In Your Life under the name Tower.

Cuby + Blizzards Eelco Gelling Elly Nieman Names And Faces Ramses Shaffy & Liesbeth List Tower (1)

1969

The album Nacht En Ontij ('At Any Time') comes out.

1970

De Groot produces material for Dutch singers Oscar Benton and Rob de Nijs. De Nachtwacht ('The Night Watch') is De Groot's next single. His debut album, Apocalyps, is released by Philips.

Oscar Benton Rob de Nijs

1971

Under the name Session De Groot and Rick van der Linden record the single Moonstruck. The double album Vijf Jaar Hits ('Five Years of Hits') comes out and sells over 100.000 copies in one year.

Kraayeveld Rick van der Linden Session

1972

Als De Rook Om Je Hoofd Is Verdwenen (When The Smoke Around Your Head Has Gone') is released.

1973

Dubbel Twee ('Double Two') is released. The comeback album Hoe Sterk Is De Eenzame Fietser ('How Strong Is The Lonely Cyclist') with lyrics by Nijgh, and the single Jimmy top the charts.

Tigers On Vaseline

1974

The single Ik Ben Ik ('I Am Me') is a modest hit.

1975 - 1976

Dutch singer Rob de Nijs scores a hit with the track Malle Babbe ('Crazy Babbe'), a De Groot/Nijgh composition. The song is taken from the album Kijken Hoe Het Morgen Wordt ('Watching How Morning Arrives'), which is also written by De Groot/Nijgh. Again, De Groot and Nijgh split up. De Groot starts working with René Daalder who is also responsible for the lyrics on the album Waar Ik Woon En Wie Ik Ben ('Where I Live And Who I Am'). The musicians De Groot works with on this album, and the upcoming tour, are musicians from the Slumberland Band (Ernst Jansz and Piet Dekker) and Henny Vrienten. These musicians will later form Dutch band Doe Maar.

Doe Maar

1977

The compilation album Het Beste Van Boudewijn ('The Best Of Boudewijn') and the single Kinderballade (Children's Ballad') are released.

1978 - 1979

Carefully the relationship with lyricist Lennaert Nijgh is renewed.

1980

De Groot and Nijgh reunite.

1982

The live album In Concert comes out.

1983

Singer Hans de Booy tops the charts with Annabel, which was written by Boudewijn and Herman Pieter de Boer.

Hans de Booij Herman Pieter de Boer

1984

New album Maalstroom comes out.

1986

Boudewijn writes the music for a television series.

1989

De Groot writes the soundtrack for the film Lost In Amsterdam.

1990

Boudewijn acts in the film Let The Music Dance.

1991

De Groot plays a role in the musical Tsjechov.

1992

Boudewijn translates Stephen King's novels into Dutch.

1994

The single Een Wonderkind Van 50 (A Child Prodigy At 50') is released.

Bettie Serveert Daryll-Ann De Dijk Nits Rowwen Hèze The Scene

1995

Boudewijn acts in Het Dagboek Van Anne Frank ('The Diary Of Anne Frank').

1996

Een Nieuwe Herfst ('A New Autumn') and the CD box Een Wonderkind Aan Het Strand ('A Child Prodigy On The Beach') are released.

1997

Due to the TV series Classic Albums (Voor De Overlevenden ('For The Survivors')) De Groot popularity is again on the increase. The album Een Nieuwe Herfst ('A New Autumn') re-enters the album charts. The album Een Wonderkind Aan Het Strand ('A Child Prodigy On The Beach') becomes a commercial success. The live CD Een Hele Tour: Amsterdam ('Quite A Tour: Amsterdam') comes out. The duet (with Jan Rot) Naast Jou ('Beside You') is released as a single. In May De Groot and his band (Ernst Jansz, Jan de Hont, Jan Hendriks and Jakob Klaasse) perform in Gent, Belgium. Recordings of this show end up on the CD Een Hele Tour: Gent ('Quite A Tour: Ghent').

Ernst Jansz Jan De Hont Jan Hendriks Jan Rot Metropole Orkest

1999

Boudewijn and Lennaert Nijgh receive a royal honour.

2000

De Groot plays the leading role in the play Tsjechov.

2001

Boudewijn plays the role of narrator in the musical Rocky Over The Rainbow.

Jim de Groot

2002

Andere Tijden ('Different Times') is the name of the tour that takes off in January. De Groot is accompanied on this tour by Mark Stoop (drums), Lené te Voorwis (bass), Jan Hendriks (guitar) Jan de Hont (guitar), Åke Danielson (keyboards), Monique Lansdorp (violin) and Ernst Jansz (piano). The setlist not only includes the old chart successes, but also new material written by people like Freek de Jonge and Jan Rot. In November lyricist Lennaert Nigh dies at the age of 57. His lyrics form a great deal of the collective memory of the country.

Freek de Jonge Jan Rot

2003

De Groot joins fellow Dutch singer Frank Boeijen on stage during his October 10 and 11 shows at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp.

Frank Boeijen

2004

Between March 30 and May 14 De Groot tours the country with his Eeuwige Jeugd ('Everlasting Youth') show to commemorate 40 years in show business. Ernst Jansz (ex-Doe maar) produces the new album Eiland In De Verte ('Island In The Distance'), which features the very last lyrics by the late Lennaert Nijgh along with some lyrical contributions by the likes of Freek de Jonge and Jan Rot.

Jan Rot Lennaert Nijgh Ramses Shaffy

2005

Eeuwige Jeugd (Eternal Youth) is a huge success. More dates (February - June) are added to his jubilee tour. In April a live registration of the show in Gouda in 2004 is released on DVD. The song Avond ('Evening') - originally written for his contemporary Rob de Nijs in 1973 and recorded by De Groot for his mid '90s album Een Nieuwe Herfst ('A New Fall') and a crowd pleaser at his live shows - unexpectedly ends up as number 1 in the annual All Time Top 2000 on MOR/AC-formatted Radio 2. Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody is runner-up. On November 27 Boudewijn de Groot performs 'The Marathon,' all 76 songs he has ever co-written with Lennaert Nijgh. The show at sold-out Haarlem's Philharmonie takes from 2-11PM.

2006

Two De Groot songs get a special treatment as drawings: Strips In Stereo is a book and a CD, containing cartoon versions of 14 Dutch-language songs. The project is launched during the annual National Book Week in Paradiso Amsterdam. In May, June and September the singer tours his new theatre show Trefpunt (Meeting Point) with the Limburg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jan Stulen. Boudewijn de Groot contributes to Nacht ('Night') , the soundtrack album by Henny Vrienten. He readies his new album De Lage Landen ('The Lowlands) for a 2007 release (and tour).

Henny Vrienten

2007

De Lage Landen is mixed in the US. On the album he is accompanied by Ernst Jansz, Jan Hendriks and Åke Danielson. There are lyrical contributions by Freek de Jonge, Willem Wilmink, Jack Poels (Rowwen Hèze) and (unfinished material by) Lennaert Nijgh. De Groot also writes his own lyrics. The album lands on the top slot of the album charts and becomes gold. Hoogtevrees ('Vertigo') In Babylon is a book containing De Groot's very own lyrics. The DVD Lage Landen ('Low Countries'): Tour 2007, contains a concert registration recorded on 30 and 31 May in Apeldoorn.

Rowwen Hèze

2008

After twelve years of touring in the Netherlands and Belgium, Boudewijn de Groot decides to take a sabbatical. He starts writing new material and performs at 50 Years Nederpop (October) and Top 2000 In Concert (December) and in Belgium he plays folk festival Dranouter and pOPWIJK festival in Opwijk (August).

2009

In February a portrait of Boudewijn de Groot at the Municipal Theatre Haarlem is unveild on the occassion of his 60th birthday. During 2009/2010 De Groot tours with his theatre show Wilde Jaren ('Wild Years').

Photos Boudewijn de Groot

Audio/Video Boudewijn de Groot

Video Boudewijn de Groot