Template:Short description Template:About Template:Infobox musical artist
Golden Earring were a Dutch rock band, founded in 1961 in The Hague as The Tornados. They achieved worldwide fame with their international hit songs "Radar Love" in 1973, which went to number one on the Dutch chart, reached the top ten in the United Kingdom, and went to number thirteen on the United States chart,<ref name=huey/><ref>US-Singles: Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–2006. Billboard Books, New York 2007, Template:ISBN / US-Alben: The Billboard Albums von Joel Whitburn, 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, Template:ISBN</ref> "Twilight Zone" in 1982, and "When the Lady Smiles" in 1984.<ref name=huey/> During their career they had nearly 30 top-ten singles on the Dutch charts and released 25 studio albums.
The band went through a number of early personnel changes until settling on a stable lineup in 1970, consisting of Rinus Gerritsen (bass and keyboards), George Kooymans (vocals and guitar), Barry Hay (vocals, guitar, flute and saxophone), and Cesar Zuiderwijk (drums and percussion), which remained unchanged until the band broke up in 2021 when Kooymans was diagnosed with ALS. A number of other musicians also appeared in short stints with the band over its history.
The band is scheduled to play a series of five farewell concerts at the Rotterdam Ahoy in 2026.
HistoryEdit
Early years (1961–1969)Edit
What became Golden Earring was formed in 1961 in The Hague by 13-year-old George Kooymans and his 15-year-old neighbor, Rinus Gerritsen.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Originally called "the Tornados", the name was changed to the Golden Earrings<ref name="LarkinHR"/> when they discovered that the name the Tornados was already in use by another group. The name "the Golden Earrings" was taken from an instrumental called "Golden Earrings" performed by the British group the Hunters, for whom they served as opening and closing act.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Initially a pop-rock band with Frans Krassenburg on lead vocals and Jaap Eggermont on drums, the Golden Earrings had a hit with their debut single "Please Go", recorded in 1965.<ref name=huey/><ref name="LarkinHR"/> Dissatisfied with Dutch recording studios, the band's manager and co-discoverer Fred Haayen arranged for the next single to be recorded at the Pye Records studios in London. The record cut at Pye, "That Day", reached number two on the Dutch charts.Template:CN The definite article was dropped from the name in 1967, and the plural "s" was dropped in 1969.<ref name=huey>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 1968, Barry Hay joined the band, replacing Krassenburg as frontman. Two years later, the band earned their first number one hit in the Netherlands with the song "Dong Dong Diki Digi Dong".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the United States, ground work for entering the US market was being laid by East Coast FM radio disc jockey and music critic Neil Kempfer-Stocker, who is credited as the first radio DJ to play the band in the US. This single was followed by a successful psychedelic album Eight Miles High,<ref name="LarkinHR"/> which featured a 19-minute version of the title track, a cover of the 1966 hit song by the Byrds. The song, played throughout their US tour, became the core performance of their live shows, and their experience in the US led them to make their studio albums resemble their live shows, rather than the other way around.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The band's American records during this period were issued by the Perception Records label in New York, and the band's Golden Earring LP, known as Wall of Dolls, and single "Back Home" performed poorly in the US but became a number 1 hit in the Netherlands.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
International fame (1970s and 1980s)Edit
Template:Multiple image In 1969, drummer Cesar Zuiderwijk joined the band,<ref name="LarkinHR"/> completing what has become Golden Earring's classic line-up. The band enjoyed brief international fame in the 1970s when the single version of "Radar Love" (1973),<ref name="LarkinHR"/> from the gold-certified album Moontan, became a hit in both Europe and the US.<ref name=huey/> Golden Earring embarked on their first major US tour in 1969–1970. Owing to American influences, their music evolved towards hard rock,<ref name="LarkinHR"/> and they performed along with Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Procol Harum, and Eric Clapton. Between 1969 and 1984, Golden Earring completed 13 US tours. During this period, they performed as the opening act for Santana, King Crimson, the Doobie Brothers, Rush and .38 Special. During 1973–74, when "Radar Love" was a hit, they had Kiss and Aerosmith as their opening acts.
Golden Earring released the Live album in 1977.<ref name="LarkinHR">Template:Cite book</ref> The album was recorded at London's Rainbow Theater.
Golden Earring enjoyed a brief period of US stardom, but were unable to secure further chart success until 1982's "Twilight Zone".<ref name="LarkinHR"/> The music video of the song, directed by Dick Maas, was played on the recently launched MTV, and helped the song to become a US hit, spending 27 weeks on the Billboard chart.<ref name=internationale>Template:Cite news</ref>
"When the Lady Smiles" became an international hit in 1984, reaching No. 3 in Canada and becoming the band's fifth number one hit in their native country, but was not successful in the United States, reaching no higher than #76 on the US Singles Chart. The video was banned from MTV because of its "unholy desires about a nun and a lobotomy";<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> this was Dick Maas's second video for the band, and helped launch his career as a film director.<ref name=internationale/> While touring the US in 1984, the band played at the Great Arena Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey on May 11 and were in the midst of their performance when a fire broke out at the Haunted Castle on the opposite side of the theme park, killing eight teenagers. Following this tour, Golden Earring turned their focus toward Europe where they continued to attract standing-room-only crowds. The group paused briefly after the release of The Hole in 1986 to focus on other projects, with Hay and Kooymans both releasing solo albums (Victory of Bad Taste and Solo, respectively) the following year. The group then reconvened to record their final album of the 1980s, releasing Keeper of the Flame in 1989.<ref name="LarkinHR"/>
Later years (1990s–2021)Edit
In 1991, Golden Earring had another hit in the Netherlands with "Going to the Run", a rock-ballad about a Hells Angels motorcycle gang member who was a friend of the band and died in a crash. The Russian rock band Aria made a successful cover of "Going to the Run" as "Беспечный ангел" ("Careless Angel"). Between 1992 and 2004, the band released three acoustic live unplugged albums, which became quick successes. The first, The Naked Truth, sold 450,000 copies within the first few years<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and became the third-best selling album of 1993 in the Netherlands.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Golden Earring celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2011, which the Dutch postal service honored with a stamp that contained a music link: when a smartphone with a special app is held up to the music stamp, Golden Earring's "Radar Love" plays.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
On 11 May 2012, the band released what was to prove to be their final studio album, Tits 'n Ass.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
On 5 February 2021, the band's manager announced to the Dutch press that the band's active career was over due to George Kooymans' serious ALS illness.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
One Last Night (2025–present)Edit
In January 2025, the band announced that they would play one final concert, named "Golden Earring: One Last Night" at the Rotterdam Ahoy on 30 January 2026. Kooymans will not play, but several famous Dutch artists will perform with the band, and five euros from each ticket sold will go to ALS research.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Because of extra demand, four more shows from 26 to 29 January were added, which also all sold out immediately.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Band membersEdit
Final membersEdit
- Rinus Gerritsen – bass, keyboards, guitar, harmonica (1961–2021)
- George Kooymans – guitar, vocals (1961–2021)
- Barry Hay – vocals, guitar, flute, saxophone (1967–2021)
- Cesar Zuiderwijk – drums, percussion (1970–2021)
Former membersEdit
- Fred van der Hilst – drums, percussion (1962–1965)
- Hans van Herwerden – guitar (1962–1963)
- Peter de Ronde – guitar (1963–1966)
- Frans Krassenburg – vocals (1964–1967)
- Jaap Eggermont – drums, percussion (1965–1969)
- Sieb Warner – drums, percussion (1969–1970)
- Bertus Borgers – saxophone (1973–1976)
- Eelco Gelling – guitar (1973–1975, 1976–1978)
- Robert Jan Stips – keyboards, synthesizers (1974–1976, 1977–1978, 1980, 1982, 1986)
- John Lagrand – harmonica (1979)
LineupsEdit
| 1961–1962 | 1962–1963 | 1963–1964 | 1964–1965 |
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| 1965–1966 | 1966–1967 | 1967–1969 | 1969–1970 |
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| 1970–1973 | 1973–1974 | 1974–1975 | 1975–1976 |
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| 1976 | 1976–1977 | 1977–1978 | 1978–2021 |
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TimelineEdit
<timeline> ImageSize = width:1000 height:450 PlotArea = left:105 bottom:120 top:0 right:35 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1961 till:05/02/2021 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:4 start:1961 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1961
Colors =
id:voc value:red legend:Vocals id:ww value:tan2 legend:Wind_instruments id:g value:green legend:Guitars id:key value:purple legend:Keyboards id:b value:blue legend:Bass id:dr value:orange legend:Drums id:alb value:black legend:Studio_releases
LineData =
layer:back at:01/09/1965 at:27/01/1967 at:01/01/1968 at:01/01/1969 at:01/11/1969 at:01/10/1970 at:01/06/1972 at:01/07/1973 at:01/03/1975 at:01/01/1976 at:01/07/1976 at:01/01/1978 at:01/07/1979 at:01/10/1980 at:01/08/1982 at:01/03/1984 at:01/05/1986 at:08/05/1989 at:19/04/1991 at:01/07/1994 at:01/07/1995 at:12/04/1999 at:01/02/2003 at:11/05/2012 at:11/05/2015
PlotData =
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,–4) bar:Frans Krassenburg from:01/07/1964 till:01/07/1967 color:voc bar:Barry Hay from:01/07/1967 till:end color:voc bar:Barry Hay from:01/07/1967 till:01/07/2003 color:g width:3 bar:Barry Hay from:01/07/1967 till:01/07/1992 color:ww width:7 bar:Bertus Borgers from:01/07/1973 till:01/05/1976 color:ww bar:George Kooymans from:start till:end color:g bar:George Kooymans from:start till:end color:voc width:3 bar:Hans van Herwerden from:01/07/1962 till:01/07/1963 color:g bar:Peter de Ronde from:01/07/1963 till:01/07/1966 color:g bar:Eelco Gelling from:01/05/1973 till:01/07/1975 color:g bar:Eelco Gelling from:01/05/1976 till:01/07/1978 color:g bar:Robert Jan Stips from:01/07/1974 till:01/09/1976 color:key bar:Rinus Gerritsen from:start till:end color:b bar:Rinus Gerritsen from:start till:end color:key width:3 bar:Fred van der Hilst from:01/07/1962 till:01/07/1965 color:dr bar:Jaap Eggermont from:01/07/1965 till:01/03/1969 color:dr bar:Sieb Warner from:01/03/1969 till:01/09/1969 color:dr bar:Cesar Zuiderwijk from:01/09/1969 till:end color:dr
</timeline>
DiscographyEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}
- Just Ear-rings (1965)
- Winter-Harvest (1967)
- Miracle Mirror (1968)
- On the Double (1969)
- Eight Miles High (1969)
- Golden Earring (1970)
- Seven Tears (1971)
- Together (1972)
- Moontan (1973)
- Switch (1975)
- To the Hilt (1976)
- Contraband (1976)
- Grab It for a Second (1978)
- No Promises...No Debts (1979)
- Prisoner of the Night (1980)
- Cut (1982)
- N.E.W.S. (1984)
- The Hole (1986)
- Keeper of the Flame (1989)
- Bloody Buccaneers (1991)
- Face It (1994)
- Love Sweat (1995)
- Paradise in Distress (1999)
- Millbrook U.S.A. (2003)
- Tits 'n Ass (2012)
- The Hague (EP) (2015)
ReferencesEdit
SourcesEdit
- Biography by Golden Earring founder and bass player Rinus Gerritsen published on the band's website.
- Biographical books on the Golden Earring: Haagsche Bluf by Pieter Franssen, 1993, and Rock die niet roest by prof. Maarten Steenmeyer, 2005. Both titles are in Dutch.
- The Story of Golden Earring by Karin and Mechteld Beks, Picture publishers, an authorized biography published on the occasion of the band's 45th anniversary. Text in Dutch. (2005)
- Interviews with the band over the years, many of which can be traced back through the Golden Earring Museum website.