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Frank Boudewijn de Groot (, born 20 May 1944) is a Dutch singer-songwriter, known for "''
Welterusten Meneer de President "Welterusten, meneer de president" ( en, Sleep well, Mr. President) is a 1966 Dutch-language Dylanesque protest song, sung by Boudewijn de Groot. Like most of his other songs, it was co-written by songwriter Lennaert Nijgh. The music was compose ...
''" (1966).


Biography


Youth

Boudewijn de Groot was born in wartime occupied
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
in 1944 in a Japanese
concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
close to Batavia (today known as
Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
) where his mother died in June 1945. In 1946, he and his family returned to the Netherlands. De Groot's father, however, was obliged to return to Indonesia, so De Groot went to stay with his aunt in
Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...
. In 1951, his father came back and in 1952, the family moved, with his new stepmother, to
Heemstede Heemstede () is a town and a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the fourth richest municipality of the Netherlands. History Heemstede formed around the Castle ''Heemstede'' that was built overlooking the ...
. De Groot lived in Heemstede in the same street as one of his future lyricists,
Lennaert Nijgh Lennaert Herman Nijgh (January 25, 1945 in Haarlem – November 28, 2002 in Haarlem) was a Dutch lyricist. Nijgh was most commonly known as the lyricist for Boudewijn de Groot. Biography Nijgh was an only child and grew up in Heemstede. He w ...
, who was a friend of De Groot's stepbrother.


Early years in music

In 1960, De Groot met Nijgh at the Coornhert Lyceum in Haarlem. At that time, De Groot was already singing in the style of Jaap Fischer and
Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...
. Lennaert Nijgh wrote his lyrics. After their high school-period they both decided to go to a film academy. In their last year, Nijgh made the short movie "Feestje Bouwen", for which De Groot wrote two songs. During one of the presentations of the movie, television journalist Ed Lautenslager became impressed with De Groot's talent, and subsequently helped him to get a contract with record label
Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...
. De Groot's first single, "''Strand''" (Beach), appeared in 1964 and led to some media attention. He followed it up with "''Elegie prenatale''" and "''De morgen''", and his recurring appearances in the television show "''Kaberet Kroniek''" made De Groot a minor national celebrity. The single "''Noordzee''" in February 1964 was a much bigger hit, but the huge breakthrough came in 1966 with Lennaert Nijgh's adaptation of a song from
Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( , ; born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian, hy, Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրեան, ; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor and diplomat. Aznavour was known for his dist ...
's "''Une enfant de seize ans''", retitled "''Meisje van 16''". This was De Groot's first song to appear in a music chart. He soon quit his job to become a full-time singer. After a while, his first album ''Boudewijn de Groot'', recorded with the Frans de Kok orchestra, was released by record label
Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...
.


Years of fame

Much of Nijgh's lyrics included social criticism, so after the release of his first album in 1966 De Groot was labeled as a
protest singer A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. Among social mov ...
, an image confirmed for the mainstream audience by the success of his song ''Welterusten Meneer de President'' ("Goodnight, Mister President") on the Vietnam War. De Groot's second album ''Voor de overlevenden'' was released later in 1966. The arranger and conductor for this album, Bert Paige, continued to work with De Groot until the 1970s. However, during carnival 1967, "Het Land van Maas en Waal" was released and became De Groot's third hit. Under the name "Baldwin", an English version of these songs appeared in the U.K. ('' The land at rainbow's end''). The next single, "Onder ons", just made it into the charts. By this time, De Groot had already recorded songs like "Verdronken vlinder", "Testament" and "Beneden alle peil", which would later become successful but would never enter hit charts. De Groot and Nijgh became influenced by the
Flower Power Flower power was a slogan used during the late 1960s and early 1970s as a symbol of passive resistance and nonviolence. It is rooted in the opposition movement to the Vietnam War. The expression was coined by the American Beat poet Allen Ginsber ...
movement during that time and created the album ''Picknick''. The songs sounded a lot like a mix of
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
's work on
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
albums and their own work. The album was well received, and the single "Picknick" was a hit. The duet "Meester Prikkebeen" with Elly Nieman entered the charts two months later. Two other songs, "Waterdrager" and "Als de rook om je hoofd is verdwenen" were minor hits in 1968.


Other work

In 1968, De Groot decided he didn't want to perform live anymore and stopped his collaboration with Nijgh and his band, The Names and Faces. In 1969, De Groot worked with
Eelco Gelling Eelco Gelling (born 12 June 1946) is a Dutch blues guitarist. Gelling played with Cuby + Blizzards (which he co-founded together with Harry Muskee) until 1976. Cuby + Blizzards (1966–1974) Cuby + Blizzards (C+B) was founded by Eelco Gelling a ...
, the guitarist of ''Cuby and the Blizzards'' and, under the name Tower, they recorded the single "In Your Life", which became a hit. After this, he started working with Lucien Duzee, and they created his fourth album ''Nacht en ontij''. The record didn't sound like De Groot's old work, and the single didn't make it in the charts. The new singles from Tower also failed, and De Groot gave up singing. He moved to a farm in Dwingeloo. After a year, De Groot returned as the producer of
Rob de Nijs Rob de Nijs (born 26 December 1942) is a Dutch singer and actor, active since the 1960s. Biography 1962–1968 De Nijs, backed by The Lords, won a talent-contest in 1962 and released his first single in 1962, " Ritme van de Regen". In 1965 D ...
and
Oscar Benton Oscar Benton (born Ferdinand van Eis; 3 February 1949 – 8 November 2020) was a Dutch vocalist. He was also the founder of the ''Oscar Benton Blues Band'' in 1967. The band rose to fame in 1968 by being a runner up in the Jazz Festival, Loosdrec ...
.


Newfound fame

In 1971, his record label released a compilation album called ''Vijf jaar hits''. It sold over 100,000 copies and, subsequently, De Groot frequently reappeared on the radio. Much of his old work was re-appreciated, and "Als de rook om je hoofd is verdwenen" became a hit again. Another compilation album called ''Dubbel twee'' was also released. De Groot began working with Nijgh again, and they released the album ''Hoe sterk is de eenzame fietser'' in 1973. The song "Jimmy" became his biggest hit in five years, constituting a definite comeback. De Groot received an Edison and a
Gouden Harp The Golden Harp ''(Dutch: Gouden Harp)'' is awarded annually to Dutch musicians for their entire oeuvre. Golden Harps have been awarded 42 times. 149 different persons or (musical) groups have had the honour of receiving the award which is conside ...
(Dutch music awards). Meanwhile, De Groot en Nijgh had orchestrated the comeback of
Rob de Nijs Rob de Nijs (born 26 December 1942) is a Dutch singer and actor, active since the 1960s. Biography 1962–1968 De Nijs, backed by The Lords, won a talent-contest in 1962 and released his first single in 1962, " Ritme van de Regen". In 1965 D ...
, writing a string of hits for him, including "Jan Klaassen de trompetter" and "Malle Babbe". In 1975, De Groot wrote the album ''Waar ik woon en wie ik ben'' with his old classmate René Daalder. The single "Ik ben Ik" became a hit. De Groot moved to
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
a few months later for inspiration, and did not return until 1977. He made no new records in this period, but toured in Belgium and the Netherlands. One of the songs he wrote in California, "Annabel", became a hit for
Hans de Booy Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi a ...
. In April 1980, his new album ''Van een afstand'' was released. It contained (the single of) the title song for the movie ''Tip van de sluier''. Neither the single nor the movie were a success, but the album won an Edison. De Groot quit in 1984 after the release of his eight album, ''Maalstroom''.


Retirement from music

After his retirement from music, De Groot wanted to translate, compose film music and perform when asked. He composed the music for the TV series ''De familie Wijntak'' (1986) and for the movies ''Lost in Amsterdam'' (1989), ''Let the Music Dance'' (1990) and a 1987 Dutch adaptation of the hit musical ''
Nunsense ''Nunsense'' (1985) is a musical comedy with a book, music, and lyrics by Dan Goggin. Originating as a line of greeting cards, Goggin expanded the concept into a cabaret show that ran for 38 weeks, and eventually into a full-length musical. The o ...
''. He acted in the musical ''Tjechov'', where he played the lead role of
Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...
and in '' Het dagboek van Anne Frank'' where he played the role of
Otto Frank Otto Heinrich Frank (12 May 1889 – 19 August 1980) was a German businessman who later became a resident of the Netherlands and Switzerland. He was the father of Anne and Margot Frank and husband of Edith Frank, and was the sole member of ...
. Under the pseudonym "Frank de Groot", he has translated seven
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
novels and in 2011
Scott Turow Scott Frederick Turow (born April 12, 1949) is an American author and lawyer. Turow has written 13 fiction and three nonfiction books, which have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 30 million copies. Turow’s novel ...
's ''Presumed Innocent'' into Dutch.


Another comeback

In 1996, De Groot released ''Een Nieuwe Herfst''. His new record label
Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...
also released an album with old work and newly released work. De Groot started going on tour again and he reappeared in some TV-shows. He started writing non-commercial albums with Nijgh and released ''Een eiland in de verte'' in 2003. Nijgh died in 2002. On 19 January 2007 De Groot issued ''Lage Landen''; he wrote most of the lyrics, but also used texts of
Lennaert Nijgh Lennaert Herman Nijgh (January 25, 1945 in Haarlem – November 28, 2002 in Haarlem) was a Dutch lyricist. Nijgh was most commonly known as the lyricist for Boudewijn de Groot. Biography Nijgh was an only child and grew up in Heemstede. He w ...
and
Freek de Jonge Frederik "Freek" Jan Georg de Jonge (born 30 August 1944) is a Dutch cabaret performer and writer. Biography Early life and career De Jonge was born in Westernieland as son of a pastor. His family moved to Workum, and later to Zaandam and G ...
. The album was recorded in
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
. On 3 February 2007 ''Lage Landen'' reached the top rankings on hit lists in the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. On 20 April 2015 De Groot issued ' (''Behind glass''). During the tour he played songs from his post-comeback-era as well as rare older tracks.


Supergroup

In 2016 De Groot formed the supergroup Vreemde Kostgangers (Strange Boarders) with
Henny Vrienten Henny Vrienten (27 July 1948 – 25 April 2022) was a Dutch musician best known as the singer and bassist of the popular 1980s ska pop band Doe Maar. He also composed television and film scores. Biography Early days Vrienten began his caree ...
(bass-player of
Doe Maar Doe Maar was a Dutch ska band with punk and reggae influences whose career peaked from 1978 to 1984. They are one of the most successful pop bands in Dutch history. 'Doe maar' translates as ''go ahead'' or ''just do it''. History Early years a ...
) and
George Kooymans George Jan Kooymans (born 11 March 1948, The Hague, Netherlands) is a Dutch guitarist and vocalist. He is best known for his work with the Dutch group Golden Earring. Kooymans wrote "Twilight Zone (Golden Earring song), Twilight Zone", the group's ...
(guitarist of
Golden Earring Golden Earring (originally known as The Tornados) was a Dutch rock band, founded in 1961 in The Hague as The Golden Earrings. They achieved worldwide fame with their international hit songs "Radar Love" in 1973, which went to number one on th ...
); they successfully released two albums in 2017 and did sold out tours consisting of collective songs and solo-material. In 2018, De Groot released ''Even weg''; he recorded this album with tribute-band The Dutch Eagles.


Retirement from performing

On February 6, 2020, De Groot appeared on talkshow ''
De Wereld Draait Door ''De Wereld Draait Door'' (; English: "The world keeps on turning") also known by the acronym DWDD was an early-evening talk show on Dutch television, broadcast every weekday at 7:00 p.m. on NPO 1. It is the Netherlands' longest-running, reg ...
'' to announce that he'll retire from performing after one last tour with Vreemde Kostgangers. The singer made this news official on April 23, 2021 through his website. Consequently, the rescheduled dates of the tour with Vreemde Kostgangers were cancelled. De Groot continued to record and in November 2022 he released the album ''Windveren'', with contributions by The Kik and George Kooymans (himself retired from performing after being diagnosed
ALS Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most com ...
) as well as a long-lost piece by Lennaert Nijgh. The album was preceded by the single ''Aarde'' in which De Groot chronicled the distorted relationship between Mother Earth and mankind.


Personal life

Boudewijn de Groot is married to Anja Bak. With his first wife he had three children; Marcel, Caya and
Jim Jim or JIM may refer to: * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy * OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism * ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring * ''Jim ...
, all of whom have music- and acting careers.


Discography


Studio albums

*''Boudewijn de Groot'' (1966) *''Voor de overlevenden'' (1966) *''Picknick'' (1968) *''Nacht en ontij'' (1969) *''Apocalyps'' (1970) *''Hoe sterk is de eenzame fietser'' (1973) *''Waar ik woon en wie ik ben'' (1975) *''Van een afstand'' (1980) *''Maalstroom'' (1984) *''Een nieuwe herfst'' (1996) *''Een eiland in de verte'' (2003) *''Lage Landen'' (2007) *''Achter glas'' (2015) *''Even weg'' (2018) *''Windveren'' (2022)


Live albums

*''Concert'' (1980) *''Een hele tour'' (1997) *''Andere tour'' (2002) *''Een avond in Brussel'' (2005) *''Lage Landen tour 2007'' (2007)


DVDs

*''Tour'' (2001) *''Eeuwige jeugd'' (2005) *''Een avond in Brussel'' (2005) *''Lage Landen tour 2007'' (2007)


References


External links

*
Boudewijn de Groot on Europopmusic.eu

Boudewijn de Groot in Muziekencyclopedie.nl
{{DEFAULTSORT:Groot, Boudewijn de 1944 births Living people Dutch pacifists 21st-century Dutch male singers 21st-century Dutch singers Dutch male guitarists Dutch folk singers Dutch rock singers Dutch male stage actors Dutch male television actors Dutch film score composers Dutch male singer-songwriters People from Haarlem People from Batavia, Dutch East Indies Male film score composers