Bob Benny (18 May 1926 – 29 March 2011), born Emilius Wagemans, was a Belgian singer and musical theatre performer, who participated in the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

s of 1959 and 1961.

Early career

Benny began his singing career at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

when he started performing regularly at a café in Sint-Niklaas. By the early 1950s, he had regular spots on radio and released his first album ''Mijn haart spreekt tot u'' (''My Heart Speaks to You''). In 1957, he had his first hit single with "Cindy, Oh Cindy", which reached No. 2 on the Belgian chart.

Eurovision Song Contest

In 1959, Benny was chosen, with the song " Hou toch van mij" ("Do Love Me"), as the Belgian representative in the fourth

which took place on 11 March in

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

, France. ''Hou toch van mij'' received votes from five of the other 10 participating countries and finished in sixth place. In 1961, Benny was again selected to represent Belgium, with the song " September, gouden roos" ("September, Golden Rose"), in the sixth Eurovision, which again was held in Cannes, on 18 March. Although the contest had now expanded to 16 participants, "September, gouden roos" only managed to pick up one point from

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

, consigning Benny to a joint last-place finish with

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

's Jimmy Makulis.

Later career

Benny had two further hit singles in 1963, ''Waar en wanneer'' (#3) and ''Alleen door jou'' (#5). He became a musical theatre performer and played in many long-running shows in Belgium and Germany. In 2001, Benny suffered a stroke and fell into financial difficulties. A

benefit concert A benefit concert or charity concert is a type of musical benefit performance (e.g., concert, show, or gala) featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate h ...

on his behalf took place in

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

in April 2003, featuring the music of

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers wa ...

performed by well-known Flemish artists. In 2006, Benny celebrated his 80th birthday and claimed he was back to full health.Biography
(in Dutch)

Private life

In 2001, Benny came out as homosexual.

Death

On 29 March 2011 the Flemish broadcaster

Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep The Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie ("Flemish Radio and Television broadcasting organisation"), shortened to VRT (), is one of the national public broadcasting, public service broadcasters for the Flemish Community of Belgium. Its c ...

(VRT) reported that Benny had died in a nursing home in Sint-Niklaas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benny, Bob 1926 births 2011 deaths 20th-century Belgian male singers 20th-century Belgian singers People from Sint-Niklaas Gay singers Belgian gay musicians Belgian LGBTQ singers 20th-century Belgian LGBTQ people 21st-century Belgian LGBTQ people Dutch-language singers of Belgium Eurovision Song Contest entrants