Category: ESC Related

R.I.P. Martin Lee

Martin Lee, lead singer of the pop group Brotherhood of Man, died at the age of 77. The British group won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1976 with Save Your Kisses for Me.

“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our friend and colleague Martin Lee. He passed away peacefully on Sunday evening due to heart failure following a short illness,” Brotherhood of Man wrote in a statement.

Lee was part of a second formation of the band in 1972 after the first group split up. In addition to being a guitarist, he was the lead singer of the group. In 1976, they represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. The band received the most points and won with the song Save Your Kisses for Me, which subsequently became an international hit. It reached number one in the Dutch Top 40.

Brotherhood of Man also scored hits with songs such as Kiss Me, Kiss Your Baby, Oh Boy and Angelo. The band has remained a welcome guest at Eurovision concerts in recent years.

Lee was married to Brotherhood Of Man band member Sandra Stevens until his death. Source: nu.nl.

R.I.P. Harry van Hoof

Composer and conductor Harry van Hoof passed away on Saturday at the age of 81. Van Hoof became known as the conductor of many Dutch Eurovision entries. He was also a guest conductor with the Metropole Orchestra for more than twenty years.

Van Hoof’s ex-wife, singer Trea Dobbs, announced the death on Facebook on Sunday. The composer passed away in his hometown of Eindhoven.

According to Toon van Hoof, who took over Harry van Hoof’s production company in 2008, the death came “like a bolt from the blue. He was not ill and was still very much alive”. Toon van Hoof still had regular contact with Harry van Hoof, who was not related despite having the same surname.

Harry van Hoof conducted many Dutch Eurovision entries between 1972 and 1994. He was also involved in Teach-In’s victory with Dinge-dong in 1975.

As a composer, Van Hoof achieved his greatest success with the hit How Do You Do, by Mouth & MacNeal. The song from 1971 became a worldwide hit. Van Hoof wrote the song together with Hans van Hemert.

Van Hoof was also involved in the song Sophietje by Johnny Lion from 1970, in which he also plays the organ part. During his career, Van Hoof worked a lot with artists such as Rob de Nijs, Willeke Alberti and Ramses Shaffy.

Common Reunion

Waylon has always been open to returning to The Common Linnets. The singer said this on Wednesday in the 538 Afternoon Show. “Everyone is making a comeback right now. Now this would be a comeback.”

Waylon and Ilse DeLange participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014 as The Common Linnets. They came second with their song Calm After The Storm. After their great success, they broke up and had no contact for a while. DeLange continued the band and went on tour with the other band members.

“The door has never been closed for me,” says Waylon. The singer reiterated that he and DeLange have no feud. “A few years ago we saw each other in a restaurant. Then we walked up to each other and I said: ‘Isn’t it time we gave each other a big hug?’ And then we gave each other a big hug and maybe even a tear. Do you know what it is? The greatest success in her career and the greatest success in my career, we share it with each other.”

DeLange said in an interview with LINDA (Magazine) this week that she could no longer work with Waylon because he wanted to do things in a different way. “Due to our success during the Eurovision Song Contest – Calm After The Storm was number one in fourteen countries – many opportunities came our way,” the singer explains. According to her, that is where the disagreement arose. “Waylon wanted to tackle that in a way that I didn’t think was possible, so I said: ‘I’m going to jump on that train anyway. Participate or not, but I’m jumping on it’.” Source: nu.nl

Het Grote Songfestivalfeest

Het Grote Songfestivalfeest returns for fourth edition, with the 2024 event taking place on December 12.

Het Grote Songfestivalfeest is back, with the date of the event for 2024 being announced today. The show which has been held since 2019 will take place at the Ziggo Dome, bringing together past Eurovision Song Contest participants and winners.

Just like last year, Edsilia Rombley will host Het Grote Songfestivalfeest 2023, joined by the Dutch commentator Cornald Maas. Tickets are on sale now here, with tickets starting at € 44.80.

Het Grote Songfestivalfeest 2023 is currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom, NRK in Norway and will be broadcast on NPO 3 around Eurovision 2024. Source: Het Grote Songfestivalfeest.

I don’t think I’ll be present, it’s my birthday on this day (as it is every year). Or maybe just because of that date I will attend.