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Boudewijn de Groot
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Frank Boudewijn de Groot (b. 20 May 1944) is a Dutch singer/songwriter who has enjoyed popularity throughout the last five decades. Famous songs include 'Avond', 'Welterusten Meneer de President', 'Land van Maas en Waal', 'Testament' and 'Jimmy'.
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Boudewijn de Groot was born in the Dutch East Indies (1944) in a Japanese concentration camp close to Batavia (today known as Jakarta) where his mother died in 1945. In 1946, he and his family returned to the Netherlands. Boudewijn's father, however, was obliged to return to Indonesia, so Boudewijn went to stay with his aunt in Haarlem. In 1951, his father came back and in 1952, the family moved, with his new stepmother, to Heemstede. Boudewijn lived in Heemstede in the same street as his future lyricist, Lennaert Nijgh, who was a friend of Boudewijn's stepbrother.
Boudewijn de Groot first entered the music charts in 1965 with his song Meisje van 16 (an adaptation of Charles Aznavour's chanson Une Enfant De Seize Ans). He then quickly became a star whose socially engaging songs appeal to a large audience.
From 1991 to 1993, he plays a title role in the musical Tsjechov. It was received enthusiastically and went into reprise in 2000. De Groot signed once again for the eponymous role.
Many of the texts of Boudewijn's successful tracks were written by Lennaert Nijgh, who also was a close friend. Nijgh passed away on the 28 November 2002, which meant a great loss to him. Nijgh and de Groot also wrote many hits for other (mostly Dutch) musicians, such as Rob de Nijs, Liesbeth List and Adèle Bloemendaal. In Great-Britain, various attempts to break through under the name 'Baldwin' were unsuccessful.
In 2004, he played a minor role in the Flemish television series Flikken as Robert W. Nieuwman, a Dutch profiler, who assists the team in her search for a serial killer. Imitating the voice of the green robot-monkey, Boudewijn de Groot also participates in the Jetix-series Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!. That same year, he reaches the eighty-second place in the election for De grootste Nederlander (The greatest Dutchman).
A year later, in 2005, the Dutch chose his song Avond as the best song ever in the Radio 2 Top 2000 music chart. In all the preceding editions of the list, Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody occupied that rank. In 2006 Queen takes the number 1 position back again. As a result of the sudden popularity of De Groot, the last albums Eiland In De Verte and the single Avond were republished under the naam De Avonden. Just like in 1997, at its first publication, the single got stuck in the tipparade. In 2006, Avond reached the second place on the oudejaarslijst (the New Year's Eve list) of Radio 2.
Boudewijn de Groot is married to Anja Bak. He has three children; Marcel and Caya from his marriage to Anneke Versteeg, and Jim from his marriage to Alma Netten.
On January 19th 2007, he issues his new album Lage Landen. In its entirety, the album is nearly written by himself. Texts of Lennaert Nijgh and Freek de Jonge have also been used. The album was recorded in Nashville. On the February 3rd, his album reaches the top rankings on hitlists in the Netherlands. It is for the first time since 1974 that he attains such an achievement. The first album at which he managed this was Hoe sterk is de eenzame fietser from 1973. On January 19th, the homonymic single released.
| Title | Date of release | Date of entrance | Highest position | Number of weeks | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vijf jaar hits | September 11th 1971 | 13 | 18 | ||
| Dubbel twee | June 23rd 1973 | 7 | 18 | ||
| Hoe sterk is de eenzame fietser | September 29th 1973 | 1 | 19 | ||
| Waar ik woon en wie ik ben | September 13th 1975 | 16 | 8 | ||
| Het beste van (I) | April 23rd 1977 | 8 | 20 | ||
| Van een afstand | April 19th 1980 | 7 | 16 | ||
| In concert | February 13th 1982 | 20 | 12 | ||
| Maalstroom | April 28th 1984 | 22 | 8 | ||
| Voor vrienden van vroeger | September 12th 1987 | 52 | 5 | ||
| Het beste van (II) | September 29th 1990 | 28 | 24 | ||
| Een nieuwe herfst | June 8th 1996 | 16 | 39 | ||
| Wonderkind aan het strand (30 jaar) | December 14th 1996 | 21 | 40 | ||
| Een hele tour (live) | November 8th 1997 | 14 | 23 | ||
| Het eiland in de verte | February 28th 2004 | 2 | 49 | ||
| Lage landen | January 19th 2007 | February 3rd 2007 | 1 | 4* |
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