Boudewijn de Groot | Artist

Frank Boudewijn de Groot is a Dutch singer-songwriter born 1944 in Jakarta, Dutch East Indies. He was popular during the late '60s and '70s as a folk-rock and protest singer, in particular for the success of his song "Welterusten Meneer de President" ("Goodnight, Mister President") on the Vietnam War. De Groot was born in wartime occupied Dutch East Indies in a Japanese concentration camp close to Batavia (today known as Jakarta) where his mother died in June 1945. In 1946, he and his family returned to the Netherlands. De Groot lived in Heemstede in the same street as his future lyricist, Lennaert Nijgh. At that time, De Groot was singing in the style of Jaap Fischer and Jacques Brel, with Lennaert Nijgh writing his lyrics. Nijgh made a short movie "Feestje Bouwen", for which De Groot wrote two songs, leading to De Groot getting a record contract with Philips. 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 him 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'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. Alongside his solo work, de Groot was a member of psychedelic rock bands The Tower, and Session. His debut solo album Boudewijn de Groot, recorded with the Frans de Kok orchestra, was released by Decca. The artist would go on to release 15 studio albums between 1965 and 2022. His earlier works are landmarks of '60s style Dutch baroque pop. Standouts include Boudewijn de Groot (1965), Voor de overlevenden (1966), Picknick (1967) and Hoe sterk is de eenzame fietser (1973). In 2016 De Groot formed the supergroup Vreemde Kostgangers (Strange Boarders) with Henny Vrienten, the bass-player of Dutch new wave band Doe Maar, and George Kooymans, the guitarist of Golden Earring. They successfully released two albums in 2017 and did sold out tours consisting of collective songs and solo-material.

Artist Website: wikipedia/Boudewijn_de_Groot

Featured Albums: Boudewijn de Groot

Related Artists: Vreemde Kostgangers

Video Clips: Waningnood, De eenzame fietser, Testament