George de Fretes (1921-1981) was a musician from Indonesia who found fame in the Netherlands. Like his fellow countrymen

Ming Luhulima Ming Luhulima, also known as Lou Lima was a Netherlands-based recording artist originally from the Maluku Islands, which were part of the Dutch East Indies. He was closely associated with Rudi Wairata during his career. Luhulima was a member of ...

and Rudi Wairata, he found sizable popularity in the Netherlands and Europe playing Hawaiian music.

Background

De Fretes came from the Maluku Islands, Indonesia and was born 23 December 1921 in

Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...

. He was married to Joyce Aubrey and together they had a daughter

Wanda Wanda is a female given name of Polish origin. It probably derives from the tribal name of the Wends.Campbell, Mike"Meaning, Origin, and History of the Name Wanda."''Behind the Name.'' Accessed on August 12, 2010. The name has long been popular in ...

, who was born in Bandung, Indonesia in 1946 and became a recording artist, like her musical parents. By 1952, de Fretes and Aubrey had divorced and she had moved to the Netherlands, taking their daughter Wanda with her. Aubrey joined The Mena Moeria Minstrels as their singer. The group was headed by Ming Luhulima. It is believed that de Fretes stowed away on a ship called the Johan van Oldenbarnevelt and arrived in the Netherlands around 1958.

Death

De Fretes died on 19 November 1981. He is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park cemetery,

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...

. He is buried next to his idol

Sol Hoʻopiʻi Solomon Hoʻopiʻi Kaʻaiʻai ( ; 1902 – November 16, 1953) was a Native Hawaiian lap steel guitarist. A virtuoso, he was one of the most famous original Hawaiian steel guitarists, along with Joseph Kekuku, Frank Ferera, Sam Ku West and " ...

Career

De Fretes was a multi instrumentalist. In addition to the steel guitar, he also played guitar, violin, trumpet and saxophone. He became a popular artist in the Netherlands, and like Luhulima, gained his fame there. Along with Luhulima he was responsible for the Portuguese style or genre of music in the Netherlands called Kroncong becoming well known. He is also credited with teaching Rudi Wairata techniques on the steel guitar. In 1960, he released an EP record on the Fontana label that featured the song "Ou' OelateZ". The record also featured Joyce Aubrey and Bill Toma on vocals. In 1966, he joined the

Tielman Brothers The Tielman Brothers was the first Dutch-Indonesian band to successfully venture into the international music scene in the 1950s. They were one of the pioneers of rock and roll in The Netherlands, and are credited with releasing the first Dutch ...

and went on tour with them. He also recorded an album with

Frank Valdor Frank Valdor (27 May 1937 – 5 August 2013) was one of the great German bandleaders having sold over 2.5 million records during the 1960s and 1970s. In particular, Valdor was popular for his instrumental arrangements intended to be played non ...

in 1966. Later he left to settle in the United States permanently. Around 1970 or 1971, ''Hula Girl'' was released on the Eclipse label. This was a re-release of an earlier album, ''Aloha Keakua'' that was released on the Omega label. In September 2010, his daughter Wanda took a trip from California to the third Chanos International Steel Guitar Festival aka CISGF which was held in Chanos-Curson,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, to receive a posthumous European Steel Guitar Hall of Fame award for her father.Pedalpro.co.u
Jan Visser awarded at the CISGF 2010 by Jan Visser and Digby Hardy

LP Discography

References

External links

The Legend George De Fretes Music Record

Indo-Rock-Gallery - George de Fretes

* ttps://driwancybermuseum.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/the-legend-george-de-fretes-music-record/ Driwan Music Record Cybernuseun: The Legend George De Fretes Music Record {{DEFAULTSORT:de Fretes, George Indonesian musicians Indonesian emigrants to the Netherlands 1921 births 1981 deaths