A Balladeer (styled as a balladeer) is a Dutch band, originating from

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, founded by singer-songwriter Marinus de Goederen. In 2002, the band won the

3FM NPO 3FM is a Dutch rhythmic CHR radio station controlled by public broadcaster NPO. The vast majority of the songs played on-air are rock, alternative, indie and pop, though dance and Mega Top 30 tracks may also air at times. History As R ...

BuZz Award and another award the following year at the final of the annual Dutch musical contest ''De Grote Prijs van Nederland'' (The Big Prize of the Netherlands). In 2004, A Balladeer opened up for international acts Saybia and Keane and released their first EP: '' Rumor Had It''. The EP featured 4 songs, including the critically acclaimed "They've Shut Down

Marks & Spencer Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...

", which resulted in considerable airplay in the Netherlands. On 5 May 2006, A Balladeer's debut album titled ''

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

'' was released by

EMI Music EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 2012 ...

. The single "Swim with Sam" was the first single. It became a hit in the Netherlands. The album was recorded in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

in 2005 with Bløf producer Ronald Vanhuffel.

Robert Kirby Robert Kirby (16 April 1948 – 3 October 2009) was a British-born arranger of string sections for rock and folk music. He was best known for his work on the Nick Drake albums, ''Five Leaves Left'' and '' Bryter Layter'', but also worked ...

(known for his work with

Nick Drake Nicholas Rodney Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) was an English singer-songwriter known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. He did not find a wide audience during his lifetime, but his work gradually achieved wider notice and recognit ...

) arranged the strings for three songs. In early 2007, the band won a

Zilveren Harp The Zilveren Harp (Silver Harp) is a Dutch award given annually to promising musical talent. The award is very prestigious and winners are chosen by a different jury each year. The Zilveren Harp is given by the foundation "Buma Cultuur", which aims ...

(Silver Harp), a supporting prize for promising musical artists. In February 2007, their third single was released, a ballad called "Robin II". The second album, ''Where Are You, Bambi Woods?'', was released on 29 August 2008. The album is partly about the year the lead singer lived near

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, Texas. Its title track is about the disappearance of porn star

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''). 'Poster Child' is an ode to the murdered student

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. In 2009 the album got nominated for an Edison, a Dutch Grammy. The third album, ''I Can't Keep Track Of Each Fallen Robin'', was released on 19 October 2012. The single 'Mob Wife' (2017) features

Sam Bettens Sam Bettens (born in 1972) is a Belgian musician and the lead singer of the Belgian band K's Choice. In May 2019, he came out as a transgender man. Career K's Choice In the mid-1990s, Bettens formed the band K's Choice with his brother Ger ...

K's Choice K's Choice is a Belgian rock band from Antwerp, formed in the mid-1990s. The band's core members are brothers Sam Bettens (lead vocals, guitar) and Gert Bettens (guitar, keyboard, vocals). They are joined by Bart Van Lierde (bass), Tom Lodewyckx ...

. The original version of the song is taken from ''A Wolf at the Door'', which was released on 11 March 2016.

Band line up

Current members

* Marinus de Goederen – vocals, piano, guitar

Past members

* Walter Wilhelm – bass guitar (2003–2004) * Erik Meereboer – guitar, backing vocals (2003–2010) * Tijs Stehmann – drums (2003–2013)

Session members

* Peter Slager ( Bløf) – bass guitar (studio) * Bas Kennis ( Bløf) – Hammond, accordion (studio) *

Charlie Dée Renée van Dongen, professionally known as Charlie Dée (born 1977), is a Dutch singer-songwriter from Rotterdam. She won De Grote Prijs van Nederland in 2004 and released her debut album ''Where Do Girls Come From'' in 2006 and a year later ''Lo ...

– backing vocals * Arn Kortooms – bass guitar, vocals (live)

Discography

Albums

* ''

'' (2006) * ''Where Are You, Bambi Woods?'' (2008) * ''I Can't Keep Track of Each Fallen Robin'' (2012) * ''A Wolf at the Door'' (2016) * ''December'' (2017) * ''Clutter, Volume 1'' (2020)

EPs

* '' Rumor Had It'' (2004)

Singles

* "Swim with Sam" (2006) * "Fortune Teller" (2006) * "Robin II" (2007) * "Mary Had A Secret" (2008) * "Superman Can't Move His Legs" (2008) * "Oh, California" (2010) * "Karaoke Night" (2012) * "A Wolf At The Door" (2016) * "Incompatible" (2016) * "Mob Wife (Ft.

)" (2017) * "Not Only During Christmas" (2017)

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:A Balladeer Musical groups from Amsterdam