Rubberen Robbie is a Dutch band (or "comedy act") from

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, best known for a parodic

medley Medley or Medleys may refer to: Sports *Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles * Medley relay races at track meets Music *Medley (music), multiple pieces strung together People *Medley (surname), list of people with this nam ...

of Dutch-language songs that was a number-one hit in the Netherlands in 1981. It is the continuation of a successful 1970s

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on div ...

outfit,

Catapult A catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden release of store ...

; its members also formed a successful production and songwriting team, Cat Music, responsible for a number of Dutch hit songs.

History

The band was formed by various ex-members of a rock combo called Catapult, which split up in the early 1980s. Catapult had scored a number of hits in the late 1970s playing a form of

; "Let your hair hang down" and "Teeny Bopper Band" were two of the band's hits. After their popularity faded, the band split up and its members formed a production company, Cat Music, specializing in producing various bands (including hard rock act

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) and occasional one-hit wonders. They became quite adept at songwriting; Andre Hazes recorded three of their songs for his album ''Gewoon André'', including the number-one hit "Een Beetje Verliefd". The members did form a number of other bands, one of which, The Monotones, had a hit in Germany and the Netherlands with the song "Mono". Rubberen Robbie was their vehicle for parody and carnival songs. One of the band's most popular songs, "De Nederlandse Sterre Die Strale Overal" ("Dutch Stars Shine Everywhere"), was a medley of verses adapted and butchered from Dutch hit songs; the very idea of such a compilation parodied a slew of hits by the Dutch novelty pop act

Stars on 45 Stars on 45 was a Dutch novelty pop act that was successful in Europe, the United States, and Australia in the early 1980s. The group later shortened its name to Stars On in the U.S., while in the UK and Ireland it was known as Starsound (aka ...

; it sold 60,000 copies in three weeks and earned the band number one status on the Dutch charts. The band is hailed as one of the best acts from Leiden; their song "3 Oktoberrr" is a perennial favorite at the Leids

3 October Festival The 3 October Festival (Dutch : ''3 Oktoberfeest'' or simply ''3 Oktober'', also ''Leidens Ontzet'') is a festival in Leiden, the Netherlands. It is held annually during the days leading up to the 3rd and often concludes that evening or the fol ...

(the triple r in the song title is a reference to the Leiden dialect, with its peculiar pronunciation of that phoneme). Almost thirty years later the song was still ranked 62 in the top 500 songs of Omroep West, the regional radio station. Other well-known songs by the band include a parody of the Dutch classic

levenslied Levenslied (Dutch, literally "life song" or "song about life") is a sentimental Dutch-language subgenre of popular music. ''Levenslied'' lyrics can be sweet or bitter, light and sentimental, but also reflective and dark, about subjects such as love, ...

" Zuiderzeeballade", and the song "Marie" (about a guy complaining that his girlfriend left him, even though he didn't cheat on her more than once a week), which is cited as an example of what the Leiden dialect sounds like. The band remains popular as a live act. Since the mid-2000s, singer Cees Bergman plays live concerts with a classic rock band, Van Beukenstein. Maximum Overdrive is a cover band playing Rubberen Robbie songs.

Members

*Aart Mol (bass guitar, vocals) *Cees Bergman (vocals) *Elmer Veerhoff (

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) *Erwin van Prehn (guitar) *Geertjan Hessing (drums)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robbie, Rubberen Culture in Leiden Dutch musical groups Dutch comedy musicians Dutch parodists Comedy rock musical groups