André Hazes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| André Hazes | |
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 Statue of André Hazes in Amsterdam
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | André Hazes |
| Born | June 30, 1951 |
| Origin | Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
| Died | September 23, 2004 (aged 53) |
| Genres | Levenslied (Dutch folk music) |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Instruments | Singing |
| Years active | 1959, 1976-1977, 1979-2004 |
| Labels | EMI |
| Website | http://www.andrehazes.nl |
André Hazes (June 30, 1951 - September 23, 2004) was a Dutch singer in a genre called levenslied (song about life) which is a form of emotional folk music about everyday life sung in the Dutch language. André Hazes was one of the most successful singers in this genre. Hazes recorded 31 studio and live albums and he released 54 singles.
[edit] Biography
Hazes was born in 1951 in the Pijp, a neighbourhood in Amsterdam. At the age of eight, he was discovered at the famous Albert Cuyp day market by Johnny Kraaykamp, a Dutch TV personality, and made his television debut in AVRO's Weekendshow. A single, "Droomschip," was released but was only a minor success.
In 1976 he was discovered again by Willy Alberti who helped him get a record contract with Philips Records. Andre wrote "Eenzame Kerst" ("Lonely Christmas") and Willy Alberti ensured its publication, earning Hazes his first hit single. The next single, "Mamma," didn't chart. He reached his artistic high point with the 1977 hit song "De Vlieger" ("The Kite"), which didn't chart originally but became a Dutch evergreen many years later. His career was not particularly successful with many odd jobs and he became known locally as the singing bartender.[1] Philips Records had big plans for Hazes, but he disagreed and left the label in 1977 to return to being a fulltime barkeeper, this time in the village of Schalkwijk, Utrecht.
In 1980 he signed a contract with EMI, and soon after that his career started to take off. "Een Vriend" ("A Friend") and "Een Beetje Verliefd" ("A Little Bit In Love)" were both top ten hits in 1981, produced by his best friend Tim Griek.
In 1981 Hazes was awarded the Zilveren Harp (Silver Harp) for his album Gewoon André ('Simply André') which sold 500,000 copies[2] and was certified five times platinum in its first year of release and two more times two years later.[3] 1982 was the year of his great concert in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. His Italian album in 1986, in memory of Willy Alberti, was followed by a blues album. A childhood dream had come true.
In February 1988 record producer and best friend Tim Griek died in a car accident. Hazes dedicated the album Liefde, leven, geven to Griek's memory.
In 1988 he sang the song "Wij houden van Oranje" ("We love Orange"—Orange being the national color of the Netherlands and also a nickname for the Dutch national soccer team and in general all sport teams) for the football championships. The song became very popular as the Netherlands won the European Championship in the same year.
In 1989 his career was stalled after several years without record releases and to revive it record company EMI approached Hazes for a new album, asking him what he wanted to do next. EMI offered him a free hand and full control if he decided to revitalize his career. He responded by recording the album Dit is wat ik wil ("This is what I want"), a blues and rock 'n roll album featuring many contemporary rock artists like Herman Brood and Jan Akkerman.
1999 saw the release of a hit documentary on Hazes, named Zij Gelooft In Mij ("She Believes In Me") after his translation of the Kenny Rogers song "She Believes In Me". The film portrayed the singer as a tragic man of simple ways, a well-meaning but clueless father and lousy husband tormented by stage fright and a propensity towards drinking. Hazes had mixed feelings about the film, but most viewers saw a man who had remained true to his humble background and whose raw emotional songs were genuinely felt. It earned him something of a cult status outside of his loyal fan base, with the cultural establishment taking him in a somewhat uncomfortable embrace.
Hazes was known to live unhealthily, beer being his main vice. He himself once said: "If it wasn't for the fame, I'd be a full-blown alcoholic." In fact, he already was; he just managed to integrate this well into his life.
In May 2002 Hazes briefly entered local politics by getting elected into the city council of "de Ronde Venen" for the local political party "Ronde Venen Belang". He quickly became the focus of criticism because after a month he hadn't shown up yet for any meetings. After being criticized and ridiculed in national newspapers, Hazes did show for a council meeting in June 2002, but shortly before it started Hazes suffered a mental breakdown and was unable to attend. Four days later he announced his resignation and offered his seat to the party.
On September 23, 2004, Hazes died of cardiac arrest. Eventually his lifestyle had caught up with him, and somehow he became bigger in death than he had ever been during his lifetime. Everybody identified with him, and in the months after his death André Hazes became public domain.
In an interview with de Volkskrant, he made the remark that he knew as a child that when he died, he would make the television news. Not only did that happen, four days after he died, a startling crowd of about 48,000 attended a memorial ceremony in his honour at the Amsterdam Arena stadium. Over 6 million viewers followed the event, broadcast live on Dutch and Belgian television. Hazes was cremated the day after.
On September 29, 2004 the single "Zij Gelooft In Mij" was re-released and was his first #1 hit in the Dutch Top 40. In 2007, one of his songs, the hit "Blijf Bij Mij" ("Stay By Me"), reached the #1-position in the Dutch Top 40 again. This song was sung with Gerard Joling. "Blijf Bij Mij" is a cover from the song "Forse" by the Italian singer Pupo.
Exactly one year after his death, in accordance with his wishes, Hazes' remaining ashes were distributed over a couple of skyrockets, which were then launched into the sky by his surviving relatives. On the same day his statue was revealed in the Pijp, Amsterdam, near the singer's birthplace.
[edit] References
- ^ Hoogeveen, Ed, Biography in the booklet of the compilation album Al 15 jaar gewoon André
- ^ De Telegraaf, 23 September 2004, André Hazes overleden, link (Dutch)(Accessed: Aug 12, 2006)
- ^ NVPI.nl Dutch certification database Accessed November 4, 2006
