The Cats
Encyclopedia
The Cats were a rock band from Volendam
, The Netherlands. Together with BZN
, they were key figures of what came to be called the Palingsound (eel-sound), an umbrella for artists residing in Volendam (the country's top seafood city).
band; and cousins Piet Veerman (born 1 March 1943) and Jaap Schilder (born 9 January 1943) who modelled themselves after the Everly Brothers. The duos merged and became The Mystic Four, with Cees Veerman and Piet Veerman on vocals/guitar, Schilder on guitar (and piano), and Muhren on bass. By 1965 they changed their name to The Blue Cats, a reference to the colour of their suits and Cees' nickname, Pussy. Dropping the 'Blue' from their name in 1966 they recruited drummer Theo Klouwer (30 June 1947 – 8 February 2001).
The Cats borrowed money from Jan Buys, who was later to become their manager, and recorded their first singles that immediately entered the charts. Singing in English thanks to a songwriting duo from England, the group sounded British. Cees initially performed the majority of the lead vocals but that was to change by 1968 when the band recorded "Times Were When"; Piet decided that this song (the original version is by the Scottish band Studio Six), suited his voice better and Cees agreed on giving him a go. Arnold's lyrics and Piet's sad voice appeared to be a match made in heaven, spawning five Top 10 hits in the next two years including "Lea" (dedicated to a faithful fan who lost her life in a car-accident), "Why ?", "Scarlet Ribbons
" and "Marian".
Their international popularity began to grow (and so did the beards). By spring 1970 the Cats toured Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles
and played one show on 4 April 1970 in Guyana
. It was Beatlemania
all over again.
On 17 October 1970 the band travelled to EMI
headquarters in London to collect, as Theo said when the Dutch television show Toppop followed them, "a few goldies". These were presented to the band by Cliff Richard
.
Early in 1971 The Cats were touring Indonesia
where again the Beatlemania-aspect awaited them. "Those horrible looks belie their warm personalities" one lady said in fluent Dutch. However, between performances they were rebuked for meeting with the expatriat Dutch political dissident Poncke Princen
whom some in the Netherlands viewed as a traitor.
"Don't Waste Your Time" broke a string of Top 10 chart dominations but that proved to be the calm before the storm, as "One Way Wind" (inspired by the divi-divi trees
of the Windward Islands) became The Cats' biggest ever hit. In Germany
it reached Number One chart position and in 1972 the band responded by releasing Katzenspiele (Cat's Play), featuring their hits rerecorded in German.
Their Malibu sojourn did not stop The Cats from going back to record Hard To Be Friends of which "Come Sunday" and the title track charted in late 1974 and early 1975. Cees had left by then but he returned a year later. Although the hits continued they failed to reach former glories.
In 1978 The Cats were booked to appear on chart-show to playback "She Was Too Young". It was, however, a thinly-disguised solo-performance by Cees. Late in 1979 members of The Cats decided to disband. A farewell-single (a reissue of the 1972 track "End of the Show") charted as late as April 1980.
In 1995 Piet guested on a bilingual duet version of "One Way Wind" with Flemish
singer Dana Winner
(with the title "Westenwind"). Piet sang in English and Winner sang in Dutch.
. The same year the group made a reunion to record a single for inclusion on a Best Of-album. It went gold.
Cees Veerman performed with the Cats Aglow Band as support act of Willy De Ville's Amsterdam Carré-show on 7 July 2008.
Volendam
Volendam is a town in North Holland in the Netherlands, in the municipality of Edam-Volendam. The town has about 22,000 inhabitants .- History :...
, The Netherlands. Together with BZN
BZN
BZN was a Dutch band.-History:BZN started out as a pop-rock band in their native Volendam in 1966, playing early-Bee Gees-like harmony pop...
, they were key figures of what came to be called the Palingsound (eel-sound), an umbrella for artists residing in Volendam (the country's top seafood city).
Mid-Sixties
The band began life as two separate duos: Cees Veerman (born 6 October 1943) and Arnold Muhren (born 28 January 1944) who started in a skiffleSkiffle
Skiffle is a type of popular music with jazz, blues, folk, roots and country influences, usually using homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a term in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century, it became popular again in the UK in the 1950s, where it was mainly...
band; and cousins Piet Veerman (born 1 March 1943) and Jaap Schilder (born 9 January 1943) who modelled themselves after the Everly Brothers. The duos merged and became The Mystic Four, with Cees Veerman and Piet Veerman on vocals/guitar, Schilder on guitar (and piano), and Muhren on bass. By 1965 they changed their name to The Blue Cats, a reference to the colour of their suits and Cees' nickname, Pussy. Dropping the 'Blue' from their name in 1966 they recruited drummer Theo Klouwer (30 June 1947 – 8 February 2001).
The Cats borrowed money from Jan Buys, who was later to become their manager, and recorded their first singles that immediately entered the charts. Singing in English thanks to a songwriting duo from England, the group sounded British. Cees initially performed the majority of the lead vocals but that was to change by 1968 when the band recorded "Times Were When"; Piet decided that this song (the original version is by the Scottish band Studio Six), suited his voice better and Cees agreed on giving him a go. Arnold's lyrics and Piet's sad voice appeared to be a match made in heaven, spawning five Top 10 hits in the next two years including "Lea" (dedicated to a faithful fan who lost her life in a car-accident), "Why ?", "Scarlet Ribbons
Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair)
"Scarlet Ribbons " is a popular song. The music was written by Evelyn Danzig and the lyrics by Jack Segal."Scarlet Ribbons" was written in only 15 minutes in 1949 at Danzig's home in Port Washington New York after she invited lyricist Segal to hear her music...
" and "Marian".
Their international popularity began to grow (and so did the beards). By spring 1970 the Cats toured Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
and played one show on 4 April 1970 in Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
. It was Beatlemania
Beatlemania
Beatlemania is a term that originated during the 1960s to describe the intense fan frenzy directed toward The Beatles during the early years of their success...
all over again.
On 17 October 1970 the band travelled to EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
headquarters in London to collect, as Theo said when the Dutch television show Toppop followed them, "a few goldies". These were presented to the band by Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
.
Early in 1971 The Cats were touring Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
where again the Beatlemania-aspect awaited them. "Those horrible looks belie their warm personalities" one lady said in fluent Dutch. However, between performances they were rebuked for meeting with the expatriat Dutch political dissident Poncke Princen
Poncke Princen
Johan Cornelis Princen , better known as Poncke Princen, was a Dutch anti-Nazi fighter and colonial soldier...
whom some in the Netherlands viewed as a traitor.
"Don't Waste Your Time" broke a string of Top 10 chart dominations but that proved to be the calm before the storm, as "One Way Wind" (inspired by the divi-divi trees
Divi-divi
Caesalpinia coriaria is a leguminous tree or large shrub native to the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. Common names include Divi-divi, Cascalote, Guaracabuya, Guatapana, Nacascol, and Watapana .- Description :C...
of the Windward Islands) became The Cats' biggest ever hit. In 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...
it reached Number One chart position and in 1972 the band responded by releasing Katzenspiele (Cat's Play), featuring their hits rerecorded in German.
Mid-seventies
By now, the band were so popular they had become part of the popular consciousness. For example, during the 1974 World Cup in West Germany, the Dutch national football team listened to a tape of The Cats on the team bus while travelling to their matches. But the busy schedule had begun to take its toll as Cees contracted voice problems. Roadcrew member Piet Keizer replaced him temporarily. Not having played on their own albums in six years, The Cats entered 1974 by flying to Los Angeles's Larrabee Studios to record Love in Our Eyes; or rather to add their voices to somebody else's songs. Not everyone enjoyed it. Cees was quoted of saying about the session: "'Be My Day' topped the charts, which was a great thing, but the rest of that pre-baked stuff should've been chucked into the ocean near Malibu".Their Malibu sojourn did not stop The Cats from going back to record Hard To Be Friends of which "Come Sunday" and the title track charted in late 1974 and early 1975. Cees had left by then but he returned a year later. Although the hits continued they failed to reach former glories.
In 1978 The Cats were booked to appear on chart-show to playback "She Was Too Young". It was, however, a thinly-disguised solo-performance by Cees. Late in 1979 members of The Cats decided to disband. A farewell-single (a reissue of the 1972 track "End of the Show") charted as late as April 1980.
Solo efforts
In 1987 Piet Veerman had a solo-hit with "Sailing Home". Subsequent singles did reasonably well and he kept touring with a set of solo material and Cats classics (often using backing tapes).In 1995 Piet guested on a bilingual duet version of "One Way Wind" with Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
singer Dana Winner
Dana Winner
Dana Winner is the stage name of Chantal Vanlee . She is a Belgian singer who is famous especially in Flanders and the Netherlands.-Biography:...
(with the title "Westenwind"). Piet sang in English and Winner sang in Dutch.
Reunion
On 23 March 2006 The Cats were made Members of the Order of Orange-NassauOrder of Orange-Nassau
The Order of Orange-Nassau is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for...
. The same year the group made a reunion to record a single for inclusion on a Best Of-album. It went gold.
Cees Veerman performed with the Cats Aglow Band as support act of Willy De Ville's Amsterdam Carré-show on 7 July 2008.
Albums
- Cats As Cats Can 1968
- Colour Us Gold 1969
- Portrait 1970
- Take Me with You 1970
- Cats Aglow 1971
- One Way Wind 1972
- Lo Mejor 1972
- Times Were When 1972
- Signed by The Cats 1972
- At Home 1973
- One Way Wind 1974
- Love in Your Eyes 1974
- 10 Jaar 1974
- Hard To Be Friends 1975
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas 1975
- Homerun 1976
- Let's Go Together 1977
- Times Were When 1979
- The End of the Show 1980
- Third Life 1983
- Live in Concert 1984
- Flying High 1985
- Live 1991
- Shine On 1994