De Spelbrekers
Encyclopedia
De Spelbrekers were a Dutch
singing duo, known for their participation in the 1962 Eurovision Song Contest
.
at a munitions factory in Bremen
, Germany
, where they were working as forced labour. They formed De Spelbrekers in 1945, as the war ended. Their recording career began in 1950, and they released numerous singles during the decade, the most successful being "Oh wat ben je mooi" which reached #5 on the Dutch chart in 1956.
, held in Luxembourg City on 18 March. In a field of 16, "Katinka"was one of four songs (the others being the entries from Belgium
, Spain
and Austria
) which failed to score. This was the first year in which any songs had failed to register at all on the Eurovision scoreboard. Nevertheless, "Katinka" proved a success within the Netherlands, and has gone on to become one of the country's better-remembered and recognised Eurovision entries.
, Ben Cramer and Saskia & Serge
.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
singing duo, known for their participation in the 1962 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
.
1940s and 1950s
Rekkers and Kok met during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
at a munitions factory in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where they were working as forced labour. They formed De Spelbrekers in 1945, as the war ended. Their recording career began in 1950, and they released numerous singles during the decade, the most successful being "Oh wat ben je mooi" which reached #5 on the Dutch chart in 1956.
Eurovision Song Contest
In 1962, De Spelbrekers took part in the Dutch Eurovision selection, and won with the song "Katinka", which went forward to the seventh Eurovision Song ContestEurovision Song Contest 1962
The Eurovision Song Contest 1962 was the seventh in the series. France's win was their third and marked the first time a country had won three contests. Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, and Spain all scored "null points" for the first time....
, held in Luxembourg City on 18 March. In a field of 16, "Katinka"was one of four songs (the others being the entries from Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
) which failed to score. This was the first year in which any songs had failed to register at all on the Eurovision scoreboard. Nevertheless, "Katinka" proved a success within the Netherlands, and has gone on to become one of the country's better-remembered and recognised Eurovision entries.
Later career
The duo never managed to recapture the success of "Oh wat ben je mooi" and "Katinka", and after years of releasing further singles to ever-declining interest, they decided in the mid 1970s to move into music management, their clients including André van DuinAndré van Duin
André van Duin is a Dutch actor , singer, writer and program creator.-Television, radio and theatre:...
, Ben Cramer and Saskia & Serge
Saskia & Serge
Saskia & Serge are a Dutch vocal duo consisting of singer Trudy van den Berg and singer-guitarist Ruud Schaap...
.