Rob de Nijs
Encyclopedia
Rob de Nijs is a Dutch
singer and actor, active since the 1960s.
. In 1966 he embarked on a joint circus-tour with Johnny Lion. Meanwhile, The Lords signed their own record-deal at another label forcing them to split from De Nijs.
failed; he only made the headlines by marrying his girlfriend Elly in 1968 and landing into hospital through a carcrash of his own fault.
In 1969 De Nijs took part in the Dutch heat of the Eurovision Song Contest
and through the Sajensfiksjen
-musical he landed himself a role in children's TV-series Oebele. This was followed in 1972 by Hamelen in which he played Bertram Bierenbroodspot.
and songwriter Lennaert Nijgh helped De Nijs relaunching his singing-career; in 1973 he was back in the charts with Jan Klaassen de Trompetter.
The hits continued through 1975-76, notably Malle Babbe and Zet Een Kaars Voor Je Raam
. In 1977 De Nijs released Tussen Zomer en Winter, a concept-album chronicling the change from a hot summer's day to a cold winter's night and featuring a translation of Lou Reed
's Perfect Day.
who gave up her own singing-career (after releasing a one-off single the previous year) to become his chief-songwriter and his second wife (they married in 1984). The first efforts of their collaboration were collected on the albums Met Je Ogen Dicht (Eyes Wide Shut; including the top 10-hit Zondag, which is still a crowd-pleaser) and De Regen Voorbij (Past The Rain; a reference to his artistic growth) from respectively 1980 and 1981.
De Nijs had entered a decade in which he recorded English-language versions of his songs; Zonder Jou became On My Own (released in 1990 as a B-side to the English original Girls For Sale) and the 1985 Christmas #2-hit Alles Wat Ademt became Let Love Be The Answer (also recorded by US-exile singer Joe Bourne for his Bourne in Holland-album of translated covers). In 1986 De Nijs saw a dream-wish come true by releasing an album of covers from the 50s/60s-era; it included his version of Living Doll shortly after the Comic Relief-remake topped the charts.
In 1987 he celebrated his silver jubilee; he re-recorded Ritme van de Regen for a Best Of-album and made a guest-appearance in television-series De Band as himself, suggesting an onstage-jam with his chosen support-act.
In 1989 De Nijs released De Reiziger (Travelling Man) which included the bilingual single Ik Hou Alleen Van Jou; follow-up single Toerist in het Paradijs was also recorded in English. At the end of the year he resurrected his Bertram Bierenbroodspot-outfit for a reunion with the leading-actors of Hamelen.
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...
singer and actor, active since the 1960s.
1962-68
De Nijs, backed by The Lords, released his first single in 1962, Ritme van de RegenRhythm of the Rain
"Rhythm of the Rain" is a song performed by The Cascades, released in November 1962. It was written by Cascades band member John Claude Gummoe. It rose to number three on the US pop chart on March 9, 1963, and spent two weeks at number one on the US Easy Listening chart. The song was also a top 5...
. In 1966 he embarked on a joint circus-tour with Johnny Lion. Meanwhile, The Lords signed their own record-deal at another label forcing them to split from De Nijs.
1969-72
Now a free agent, De Nijs performed at small venues and worked as a bartender for a living. His attempts to keep up with the zeitgeistZeitgeist
Zeitgeist is "the spirit of the times" or "the spirit of the age."Zeitgeist is the general cultural, intellectual, ethical, spiritual or political climate within a nation or even specific groups, along with the general ambiance, morals, sociocultural direction, and mood associated with an era.The...
failed; he only made the headlines by marrying his girlfriend Elly in 1968 and landing into hospital through a carcrash of his own fault.
In 1969 De Nijs took part in the Dutch heat of the 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...
and through the Sajensfiksjen
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
-musical he landed himself a role in children's TV-series Oebele. This was followed in 1972 by Hamelen in which he played Bertram Bierenbroodspot.
1973-79
Singer Boudewijn de GrootBoudewijn de Groot
Boudewijn de Groot is a famous Dutch singer/songwriter. He is known for the songs "Welterusten Meneer de President" , "Land van Maas en Waal" , "Jimmy" and "Avond" among others...
and songwriter Lennaert Nijgh helped De Nijs relaunching his singing-career; in 1973 he was back in the charts with Jan Klaassen de Trompetter.
The hits continued through 1975-76, notably Malle Babbe and Zet Een Kaars Voor Je Raam
Candlelight
Candlelight or Candlelighting may refer to:*Light created by a candle*Candlelighting, the lighting of Shabbat candles*Candlelight Records*Candlelight , a song by Csézy*Candlelight , a song by the band six.byseven...
. In 1977 De Nijs released Tussen Zomer en Winter, a concept-album chronicling the change from a hot summer's day to a cold winter's night and featuring a translation of Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
's Perfect Day.
1980s
In 1980 De Nijs met Belinda MeuldijkBelinda Meuldijk
Belinda Meuldijk is a Dutch actress, writer, and activist. She has performed in Dutch television shows and movies, and is also a song writer...
who gave up her own singing-career (after releasing a one-off single the previous year) to become his chief-songwriter and his second wife (they married in 1984). The first efforts of their collaboration were collected on the albums Met Je Ogen Dicht (Eyes Wide Shut; including the top 10-hit Zondag, which is still a crowd-pleaser) and De Regen Voorbij (Past The Rain; a reference to his artistic growth) from respectively 1980 and 1981.
De Nijs had entered a decade in which he recorded English-language versions of his songs; Zonder Jou became On My Own (released in 1990 as a B-side to the English original Girls For Sale) and the 1985 Christmas #2-hit Alles Wat Ademt became Let Love Be The Answer (also recorded by US-exile singer Joe Bourne for his Bourne in Holland-album of translated covers). In 1986 De Nijs saw a dream-wish come true by releasing an album of covers from the 50s/60s-era; it included his version of Living Doll shortly after the Comic Relief-remake topped the charts.
In 1987 he celebrated his silver jubilee; he re-recorded Ritme van de Regen for a Best Of-album and made a guest-appearance in television-series De Band as himself, suggesting an onstage-jam with his chosen support-act.
In 1989 De Nijs released De Reiziger (Travelling Man) which included the bilingual single Ik Hou Alleen Van Jou; follow-up single Toerist in het Paradijs was also recorded in English. At the end of the year he resurrected his Bertram Bierenbroodspot-outfit for a reunion with the leading-actors of Hamelen.