Peter Koelewijn is a founding father of Dutch languagerock and roll. Koelewijn is also a successful producer and songwriter for other Dutch artists. His most famous song is "Kom van dat dak af".
Biography
1960s; the early years
Peter Koelewijn was born on 29 December 1940, the son of a fishmonger in the southern Dutch city ofEindhoven. At the age of thirteen, he received his first guitar. In 1957, he started writing his first songs in English. He started his first band at secondary school with guitarists Karel Jansen and Roelof Egmond and singer Anneke Grönloh. Later on, Harry van Hoof, and drummer Peter van der Voort, joined the band. Around the same time, Grönloh left the band.
In 1959 the band, now called 'Peter and his Rockets', were joined by saxophone player Klaus Buchholz and bass guitarist Karel Jansen. In December, the band recorded "Kom Van Dat Dak Af" for record company Bovema. The combination of American rock and roll and Dutch lyrics was quite revolutionary at the time. In May 1960, "Kom Van Dat Dak Af" was a massive success in both the Netherlands and Belgium. Koelewijn, who moved on to grammar school, was told by his parents that he had to finish his schooling. Peter and His Rockets signed to Philips. Follow-up singles "Laat Me Los" and "Marijke" charted lower. By 1967 Koelewijn disbanded the Rockets to focus on writing and producing for other artists; he also hosted radio-shows.
1970s
In 1970, he reformed the Rockets for what would become his glam rock era; this period lasted five years. His 1973 composition, "Klap Maar in Je Handen" was a no. 1 hit for South African singer Maria in South Africa and Rhodesia, where it is still very popular at dances. In 1977, Koelewijn released his debut solo-album Het Beste in Mij Is Niet Goed Genoeg Voor Jou which spawned two singles; the Rockets-like "Je Wordt Ouder Papa" and "KL 204 ", which was originally intended as the lead single and reissued in 1990. Engelbert Humperdinck recorded the English version The Road To Nowhere, although Koelewijn had done likewise at the start. Flight 204 was released in 2019 on the bilingual album-reissue.
1980s–present
In 1981, Koelewijn recruited musicians from the band Bunny for a new Rockets line-up that lasted till 1997; their first release was the live-album Peter Live of which "Kom Van Dat Dak Af" and "Klap Maar in Je Handen" hit the charts. In 1982, the band appeared in an insurance-commercial. Early 1985, Koelewijn had a top 40 hit with "Sprong in Het Duister", the lead single of his otherwise unsuccessful second solo album. In 1987, he released "De Loop Van Een Geweer" which was loosely based on The Commodores' "Nightshift". In 1995, Koelewijn fronted the novelty group Gompie; their version of Smokie's "Living Next Door to Alice" topped the charts. In 2002, Peter and His Rockets reformed for seven shows. In 2007, Koelewijn received a lifetime achievement award. A tribute concert was held where he performed a few songs himself. In 2008, Koelewijn appeared at the 50th anniversary concert for Dutch pop. He opened the show by performing "Kom Van Dat Dak Af" as a duet with singer-songwriter Boudewijn de Groot. In 2009, the year of his own 50th career anniversary, Koelewijn released a solo album titled Een Gelukkig Man. In 2011, he appeared on the Ali B op volle toeren-programme to exchange songs with rapper Typhoon. In 2013 he appeared in the Beste Zangers-contest selecting songs and cover versions from his own repertoire to be performed by the other contesters. Koelewijn operates as a chairman for Buma/Stemra.
Discography
Albums
1977: Het beste in mij is niet goed genoeg voor jou
