HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Tielman Brothers was the first Dutch-Indonesian band to successfully venture into the international music scene in the 1950s. They were one of the pioneers of
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
in The Netherlands and are credited with releasing the first Dutch rock and roll single, "Rock Little Baby of Mine" in 1958. The band became famous in Europe for playing a kind of rock and roll later called
Indorock Indorock is a musical genre that originated in the 1950s in the Netherlands, formerly the colonial exploiter of the Dutch East Indies. It is a fusion of Indonesian and Western music, with roots in Kroncong (traditional Portuguese-Indonesian fus ...
, a fusion of Indonesian and Western music with roots in
Kroncong Kroncong (pronounced "kronchong"; , ) is the name of a ukulele-like instrument and an Indonesian musical style that typically makes use of the kroncong (the sound ' comes from this instrument, so the music is called ''kroncong''). A ''kroncong'' ...
. At the height of their career, in the 1950s and early 1960s, the band was hailed as one of the greatest live-acts in Europe.


History

The founders of the band are the children of Herman Tielman from
Kupang Kupang (, ), formerly known as Koepang, is the capital of the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. At the 2020 Indonesian census, 2020 Census, it had a population of 442,758;Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. the official estimate as o ...
,
East Nusa Tenggara East Nusa Tenggara (; ) is the southernmost province of Indonesia. It comprises the eastern portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, facing the Indian Ocean in the south and the Flores Sea in the north, with a total land area of 47,238.07 km2. It cons ...
(NTT),
Eastern Indonesia Eastern Indonesia (or East Indonesia) is one of the two main geographical regions of Indonesia, the other being Western Indonesia. It comprises four geographical units: Lesser Sunda Islands, Sulawesi, Maluku Islands and Papua. Central Indone ...
and Flora Lorine Hess: Andy (vocals, guitar), Reggy (guitar), Ponthon (bass), and Loulou Tielman (drums). They grew up in Indonesia, where they first performed under the names Timor Brothers and the Four T's.
Tielman Brothers
' Muziekencyclopedie. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
Although not the first band, the Tielman Brothers were at the forefront of what was later called the
Indorock Indorock is a musical genre that originated in the 1950s in the Netherlands, formerly the colonial exploiter of the Dutch East Indies. It is a fusion of Indonesian and Western music, with roots in Kroncong (traditional Portuguese-Indonesian fus ...
scene.


1950s

In 1956, The Tielman Brothers moved to The Netherlands, first to
Breda Breda ( , , , ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant. ...
, later to
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
. Their performances were noted because of their spectacular stage act, which included guitar tossing.Van der Plas, Jan (2003). ''Nederpop met hart en ziel''. p.20-21. In 1958 the band were part of the Dutch pavilion at the Brussels World Fair. They were the relief band. While the Hawaiian band took a break, the Tielman brothers were supposed to be on for just 15 minutes but took advantage of the opportunity. While on stage they excited the audience with their stage antics while tossing instruments to each other and playing the bass with their teeth etc. Their energetic stage performance drew the attention of international concert promoters, and the band was booked to play for several concerts in German night clubs, including on the
Reeperbahn The Reeperbahn () is a street and entertainment district in Hamburg's St. Pauli district, one of the two centres of Hamburg's nightlife (the other being Sternschanze) and also the city's major red-light district. In German, it is also n ...
in
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
. After the World Fair, The Tielman Brothers were signed by the Belgian record label Fernap Records to record their first single, a song called "Rock Little Baby of Mine". This is considered to be the first Dutch rock 'n' roll record released in 1958. In 1959, the band was signed to
Imperial Records Imperial Records is an American record company and label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd. The label was reactivated in 2006 by EMI, which owned the label and back catalogue at the time. Imperial is owned by Universal Music Group. Early years to ...
.


1960s

In 1960, an additional guitarist joined the band, Frank Luyten. In Germany, the band grew out to be a popular live act. The band received there a fee of 20,000 guilders to perform for a month, and
Ariola Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola Express, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international ...
released records especially for the German market. In their wake many more indorock bands started to perform in Germany. The Tielman Brothers also performed in Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Italy and Sweden. In The Netherlands, they were less successful, mainly performing in their hometown The Hague. The band got little attention from the Dutch media: a performance on the TV program ''Avro Weekend Show'' in January 1960 was criticized because they incorporated a
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
melody ( Piano Sonata No. 16) in the song "18th Century Rock". At the beginning of 1964, Andy and Reggy were involved in a serious car accident in Germany. It marked the start of many line-up changes, with Andy Tielman as the only permanent member. Luyten and Alfons Faverey left the Tielman Brothers in 1964 to form the
rhythm & blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...
band The Time Breakers. In 1966, The Tielman Brothers were joined by George de Fretes, who was with them for a short period of time. Other musicians that were with the band for a short period of time include Robby Latuperisa (bass guitar), Hans Bax (guitar), Roy udy Piroeli (guitar) and Leo Masengi (saxophone). At the end of 1967, the Tielman Brothers released the single "Little Bird", which would become their biggest hit in The Netherlands. The single reached No. 7 in the
Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 () is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore radio, offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" ...
.


Later years

In later years, the Tielman Brothers moved to Australia. The move possibly came about from what they felt was racism and them not getting due credit for their efforts in the music business. The band members would occasionally return to Europe for performances. In 1983, Andy Tielman disbanded the band. In 1990, The Tielman Brothers got together for a reunion concert. Reggy and Ponthon were not present. In March 2014 the last remaining member, Reggy Tielman, died aged 80. His brothers Andy (in 2011), Ponthon (2000) and Loulou (1994) predeceased him.


Discography


Singles

*"Rock Little Baby of Mine" (1958) *“Record Hop” (1959) *"18th Century Rock" (1960) *"I Can't Forget You" (1961) *"Tahiti Jungle" (1962) *" Exodus" (1965) *"Hello Caterina" (1965) *"Little lovely lady" (1965) *"Maria" (1965) NED: No. 20 *"No One But You" (1965) *" White Christmas" (1965) *"Wanderer ohne Ziel" (1966) *"Michelle" (1966) *"You Got Too Much Going For You" (1966) *"Little Bird" (1967) NED: No. 7 *"Nina Don't Go" (1968) *"Manolita" (Andy Tielman) (1970) *"Say A Simple Word" (Andy Tielman) (1971) *"Poor People" (feat. Andy Tielman) (1972) NED: ''Tip'' *"With Your Help (Oh Mighty Father)" (Andy Tielman) (1972) *"Hey Hey (Rock 'n' Roll Is In)" (1973) *"Goodbye Mama" (Andy Tielman & The Tielman Brothers) (1975) *"Rip It Up" (1976) *"Gypsy Mama" (Andy Tielman) (1980) *"Jesus" (Andy Tielman & The Tielman Brothers) (1980) *"Cheryl Moana Marie" (Andy Tielman) (1981)


References

{{Authority control Indo people Indonesian rock music groups Dutch rock music groups