Boudewijn de Groot was born on May 20th, 1944 in a Japanese concentration camp in Indonesia. Shortly after the war, the de Groot family returned to Holland and settled in Heemstede. Boudewijn was admitted into the Haarlem Coorbhert Lyceum. It's there that he met Lennaert Nijgh. Influenced by Jaques Brel, but even more by Jaap Fisher, they started composing songs together. After high school, Boudewijn enrolled in the Movie Academy in Amsterdam. However, besides his academic studies, he continued making music together with Lennaert Nijgh. In 1964, Boudewijn recorded a demo tape with songs which were inspired by popular news anchor Ed Lautenslager. As a result, he got his first single released on the Phonogram record label. In October 1965, he landed his first hit single, "Een meisje van zestien", a Lennaert Nijgh version of the Charlez Aznavour song "Un Enfant". Boudewijn had left the Movie Academy one year prior to that and started working at 'Bijenkorf', a megastore in Amsterdam. After the success of "Een meisje van zestien" he decided to turn professional.
This turned out to be a wise decision, as he soon became Holland's most popular singer/songwriter! The Top 10 song "Welterusten Meneer de President" ("Sleep Well, Mr. President") also made him known as a protest singer/songwriter - a monicker, which he would carry on with for many years to come, something Boudewijn himself is not very happy about.
His breaktrough came in early 1967, with the No.1 hit, "Het land van Maas en Waal" ("The land of Maas and Waal" - two Dutch rivers). In the meantime the "Apocalyps" (66) and "Voor de Overlevenden" (66) were released to much acclaim, the latter being the first real 'adult' product of the collaboration between Boudewijn and Lennaert Nijgh. Influenced by the upcoming hippie movement, as well as his friends at the music magazine 'Hitweek', Boudewijn produced a 'flower-power' album in 1967, called "Picknick". Later he confessed that this was his least 'personal' and album of all. On it, he was aided by Elly Nieman, which resulted in another Top 10 hit, "Prikkebeen". This was followed up by the mystic and pretentious "Nacht en Ontij" LP (68), which distanced him from his followers. At this point, he also parted company with Lennaert Nijgh.
In 1969 Boudewijn announced that he would no longer perform live. After an unsuccesfull period involving English language repertoir, and a band of his own, called 'Tower', which produced singles, "In your life" and "Captain Decker", Boudewijn rejoined Phonogram, in 1970, this time in the capacity of a producer. No new albums of his were released during this period, however, he stayed quite popular, still! "Boudewijn in concert", a double album containing old successful hit songs is a proof of that: over 50,000 copies sold. After "Als de rook om je hoofd is verdwenen", ("It won't make it into the Top 20"), the "Hoe sterk is de eenzame fietser" album was released in 1973. This album became a major commercial success, boasting the token single included therein, "Jimmy". For the first time in many years, Boudewijn rejoined Lennaert Nijgh - resulting in another successful collaboration. In 1975, he celebrated his 10th anniversary in the business with the retrospective and autobiografic LP, "Waar Ik Woon En Wie Ik Ben". The record was produced with the help of the former Movie Academy mate Renee Daalder. Around this time, Boudewijn stated in an interview that he does not have the right kind of relationship with Lennaert Nijgh in order to write the kind of deep, personal songs, which were included on that record.
In 1976, Boudewijn travelled to the Amercan West Coast (together with Renee Daalder), to try his luck. This had long been a dream of his. In the meantime, as a result of his pioneering work as the authentic Dutch 'chanson' writer, he got himself a nice niche in that market; the most important examples of famous other artists successfully using his work in the '70s are Robert Long and de Groot-produced Rob de Nijs. After a year in America, De Groot returned to Holland and performed a series of concerts in Belgium, and in 1980 released his next album, "Van Een Afstand". This album contains the title song from the movie, "Een tip van de sluier", written by his brother-in-law Frans Bromet. Both the movie and the record, however, disappeared without a trace.
Although he continued to record with famous musicians, such as Hans Hollestelle, Jan Vermeulen, Peter Schon and Jan Rietman, commercially, his live album "Boudewijn in concert" (82) was a disappointment. The next release, "Bo de Groot" (83) was a Greatest Hits compilation of German versions of his famous hits. After 1984, Boudewijn de Groot became active mostly as a producer of movie soundtracks, and also starred in two musicals. He has also translated many Stephen King novels into Dutch. Both "Maalstroom" (84) and "Een Nieuwe Herfst" (96) were his attempts to make a comeback into the world of pop music. The set list at his concert at the Paradiso in Amsterdam in 1996 included all of his greatest hits to date - an overview of his career through the years. His sons Marcel and Jimmy are currently attempting to make their first imprints on the Dutch pop history.
One time session with Boudewijn de Groot and Rick van der Linden.
1971 Moonstruck/Ballad of a minstrel Decca 6100023
In England, a single by Boudewijn de Groot was released under the name Baldwin.
1967 End at rainbow's end/Beautiful butterfly [Engeland] Decca F 12624
Discography:
1965 Strand/Refrein voor... Decca AT 10076
Elegie prénatale/Seksuele voorlichting Decca AT 10077
De morgen/Delirium Decca AT 10091
EP met de zes bovengenoemde titels Decca BU 70003
1965 Noordzee/Apocalyps Decca AT 10151
Een meisje van zestien/De eeuwige soldaat Decca AT 10176
1966 Welterusten mijnheer de president/Vrijgezel Decca AT 10198
Ken je dat land/Vrienden van vroeger Decca AT 10219
LP Apocalyps Decca EHY 349003
1967 Het Land van Maas en Waal/Testament Decca AT 10247
Onder ons/Verdronken vlinder Decca AT 10267
Een vreemde vogel/Mieke's thema Decca AT 10279
Picknick/Ballade van de vriendinnen voor één nacht Decca AT 10282
EP Het Land van Maas en Waal/Vrijgezel/
/Lied voor een kind dat bang is in het donker/Testament Decca BU 70023
LP Voor de overlevenden Decca NU 370014
1968 Prikkebeen/Eva [met Elly Nieman] Decca AT 10315
Waterdrager/Als de rook om je hoofd is verdwenen Decca AT 10338
EP Prikkebeen/Eva/Tuin der lusten/Megaton Decca LU 270028
LP Picknick Decca NU 370016
1969 Aeneas nu/Wie kan me nog vertellen Decca AT 10366
Verdronken vlinder/Beneden alle peil Decca 6100004
LP Bij nacht en ontij (Heksensabbath) Decca NU 370021
1970 De nachtwacht/Aan het einde Decca 6100008
1971 2LP Vijf jaar hits Deram DXU 300500
[idem] Decca 6645100
[idem] Decca 6835903/04
1972 Als de rook om je hoofd is verdwenen/Wie kan me nog vertellen
Decca 6100080
1973 Jimmy/Onderweg Decca 6100103
LP Hoe sterk is de eenzame fietser Decca 6376005
2LP Dubbel twee Decca 6677200
LP Voor de overlevenden [re] Decca 6440600
1974 Tante Julia/Ik druk m'n snor [met Nico Haak] Fontana 6013048
Ik ben ik/Buiten Decca 6100113
LP Grootste hits vol.1 Decca 6835201
1975 Of niet soms/Wegen Decca 6100120
LP Grootste hits vol.2 Decca 6412109
LP Waar ik woon en wie ik ben Decca 6419020
1976 Travestie/De verbouwing Decca 6100121
1977 Kinderballade/De dominee van Amersfoort Decca 6100127
LP Het beste Decca 6641605
1978 LP Apocalyps [re] Decca 6640998
1979 LP Grootste hits [re] Decca 6410145
LP Picknick [re] Decca 3343283
LP Voor de overlevenden [re] Decca 6640806
2LP Vijf jaar hits Decca 6677053
2LP Dubbel twee Decca 6677054
1980 Een tip van de sluier/De zwemmer Philips 6017065
LP Van een afstand Philips 6423301
LP Waar ik woon en wie ik ben [re] Philips 6423104
1981 2LP 5 jaar hits Philips 6601029
1982 2LP Concert Philips 6624058
Dutch charts:
BOUDEWIJN DE GROOT
30-10-65 SINGLE 23 13 EEN MEISJE VAN 16
9-4-66 SINGLE 9 12 WELTERUSTEN MENEER DE PRESIDENT
14-1-67 SINGLE 1 18 LAND VAN MAAS EN WAAL
15-4-67 SINGLE 11 10 ONDER ONS
23-9-67 SINGLE 25 4 PICKNICK
24-8-68 SINGLE 36 2 WATERDRAGER
19-9-70 SINGLE tip VERDRONKEN VLINDER
16-1-71 SINGLE tip DE NACHTWACHT
3-6-72 ALBUM 13 17 VIJF JAAR HITS
17-6-72 SINGLE 24 4 ALS DE ROOK OM JE HOOFD IS VERDWENEN
23-6-73 ALBUM 7 18 DUBBEL, TWEE [Album v/d week op 16-6-73]
29-9-73 ALBUM 1 20 HOE STERK IS DE EENZAME FIETSER [Album v/d week op 15-9-73]
20-10-73 SINGLE 6 11 JIMMY [Alarmschijf op 13-10-73]
26-10-74 SINGLE 21 4 IK BEN IK
13-9-75 ALBUM 16 8 WAAR IK WOON EN WIE IK BEN
23-4-77 ALBUM 8 20 HET BESTE VAN BOUDEWIJN DE GROOT
30-4-77 SINGLE tip KINDERBALLADE
19-4-80 ALBUM 7 16 VAN EEN AFSTAND [Album v/d week op 12-4-80]
13-2-82 ALBUM 20 12 IN CONCERT
28-4-84 ALBUM 22 8 MAALSTROOM
12-9-87 ALBUM 52 5 VOOR VRIENDEN VAN VROEGER
29-9-90 ALBUM 28 24 HET BESTE VAN ...
8-6-96 ALBUM 17 5 EEN NIEUWE HERFST
BOUDEWIJN DE GROOT & NICO HAAK
2-2-74 SINGLE tip TANTE JULIA
BOUDEWIJN DE GROOT & ELLY NIEMAN
9-3-68 SINGLE 9 10 MEESTER PRIKKEBEEN
To Boudewijn de
Groot Home
Page
Submitted by: Louis Rentrop
(uriahboz@zeelandnet.nl)
Discography Submitted
by: Adri Verhoef (a3@a3.xs4all.nl-removespam)
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