BZN (''Band Zonder Naam'';
Dutch for "Band Without Name") was a Dutch pop group that had a string of hits from 1966 to 2007 on. BZN recorded mostly in English and French, but also had success with material in Dutch and German.
History
BZN started out as a pop-rock band in their native
Volendam in 1966, playing early-
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees
were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...
-like harmony pop. The initial line-up consisted of
Jan Veerman
Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to:
Acronyms
* Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN
* Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code
* Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group
* Japanese Article Numbe ...
(
vocals),
Cees Tol (
guitar),
Evert Woestenburg
Evert is a Dutch and Swedish short form of the Germanic masculine name "Everhard" (alternative Eberhard).Evert
at the (guitar) Jan Tuijp
Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to:
Acronyms
* Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN
* Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code
* Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group
* Japanese Article Numb ...
( bass guitar) and Gerrit Woestenburg
Gerrit is a Dutch male name meaning "''brave with the spear''", the Dutch and Frisian form of Gerard. People with this name include:
* Gerrit Achterberg (1905–1962), Dutch poet
* Gerrit van Arkel (1858–1918), Dutch architect
* Gerrit Badenho ...
(drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
).
In the early 1970s, the band switched to hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
and had its first successes, including a brace of Top 40 hits. After original lead singer Veerman left the band, and drummer Jan Keizer took his place, the band made a musical U-turn and opted for commercial middle-of-the-road pop, adding female co-vocalist Anny Schilder
Anny Schilder (14.02.1959) is a Dutch pop music, pop singer, and was the lead singer of BZN from 1976 to 1984.Louis Peter Grijp, Ignace Bossuyt Een muziekgeschiedenis der Nederlanden - 2001 - Page 742
Biography BZN-Singer
Jack Veerman, the dru ...
and laying the foundation for their status as the most popular Dutch band ever (in terms of hit singles and albums). BZN has had over 50 hits in the Dutch hit charts to date, and are the only music act to have had top 40 hit singles for 26 consecutive years (1973-1998). Album chart presence was even stronger, without interruption from 1977 to 2008.
BZN's big breakthrough started with the song "Mon Amour" (1976), which held the #1 hit parade ranking for over 5 weeks. Outside of the Netherlands the band has had some success as well, amongst which several hits in South Africa (such as "Yeppa" in 1990) and minor successes with their French-language
French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...
songs in Canada.
The most important line-up change was the departure of Schilder in 1984; she was replaced by Carola Smit. Then, in 1988, the brothers Cees (guitar) and Thomas Tol (keyboards) left; they had been responsible for most of the music and lyrics. The band still remained successful, making their last major change in strategy when they decided to write Dutch lyrics, in 2003.
BZN are also responsible for the initial success of singer Jan Smit, who was discovered by BZN at the age of 10 and went on to have pop and schlager successes in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium.
On October 14, 2005, four members of BZN were recognized with a Dutch order of chivalry for their contributions to Dutch music history. They went on a farewell tour in 2006 and 2007.
Amassing gold and platinum records
In spite of having enjoyed limited international success, BZN acquired remarkable, and possibly record breaking numbers of gold and platinum certifications for their albums. Estimated worldwide sales of 15 million records resulted in a grand total of 88 gold and (double) platinum records. Thirty different albums (including greatest hits compilations) went platinum in the Netherlands, and the band released platinum achieving albums in 22 consecutive years (1977 through 1998).
Final lineup until 16 June 2007
* Carola Smit – vocals (joined on 25 March 1984)
* Jan Keizer – vocals (joined on 17 October 1969)
* John Meijer – guitar (joined on 23 January 2003)
* Dick Plat – keyboards
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
(joined on 27 March 1988)
* Jan Tuijp
Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to:
Acronyms
* Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN
* Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code
* Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group
* Japanese Article Numb ...
– bass guitar (joined on 1 July 1966)
* Jack Veerman – drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
(joined on 1 May 1974)
Discography
Studio albums
* ''The Bastard'' (1971)
* ''