Luv' biography (1976 - 2013)

Collage by Karin Angeleyes

35 years of Luv' (my tribute video to the ladies)

1976: Formation of Luv' (featuring José van de Wijdeven, Marga Scheide and Patty Brard).

1977: "My Man" (first single) peaked at #12 in the Netherlands and #10 in Belgium. "Dream, Dream" (second single) flopped. 

1978: In March, the single "U.O.Me" (theme from the Dutch high-rated TV series "Het is weer zo laat!" (aka Waldolala) reached the Top 3 in Benelux and sold 150.000 copies. 

The follow-up single "You're the Greatest Lover" was the group's international breakthrough in the autumn (#1 in Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain (with its Spanish version "Tu Eres Mi Mejor Amante"), #2 in Austria, #19 in France and #15 in South Africa). This million-seller became Luv's signature song and was certified platinum in Holland and gold in Belgium and Germany. 

The debut album "With Luv" came out in late August. It went platinum in the Netherlands and reached the silver status in Denmark.

Luv' later conquered the charts with "Trojan Horse" (another million-selling record which hit the number one spot in the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark, the Top 5 in German-speaking countries, the top 10 in New Zealand, the top 20 in South Africa, the top 50 in France and Australia as well as the top 100 in Canada). 

1979:  The singles "Casanova", "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" and "Ooh, Yes I Do" maintained Luv's position as a popular group in the above-mentioned countries. The studio albums "Lots of Luv'" and True Luv' were successful in the charts. The girls kept on collecting gold and platinum records. On December 31st, they received the Conamus Export Prize for being the "best Dutch Export act".

1980: Success of the singles "Ann-Maria", "One More Little Kissie" and "My Number One" and the album "Forever Yours". In May, Luv' embarked on a promo tour in Mexico where they received a gold record for "Si, Que Si" (the Spanish version of "Ooh, Yes I Do"). 

In August, Patty left the group and was replaced by Ria Thielsch.

1981: The group disbanded in early March. To the public's great surprise, Luv' gave a farewell performance on July 22 on "Nederland Muziekland" (a TV show on Veronica channel) by singing "Tingalingaling" (which was released as a single). Luv' also appeared at the Efteling theme park during a summer multi-sport event with Dutch celebrities. Then the compilation album "Goodbye Luv" came out.

1985: Story (a Dutch celebrity gossip magazine) brought the original trio together for a photo session and an interview.

1988: Luv' reunited for a one-off performance on a TV charity show. They later planned to record a comeback album with British producers "Stock, Aitken & Waterman" (famous for the hits of Bananarama, Mel & Kim, Rick Astley and Kylie Minogue) but this project never saw the light of day.

1989: Marga formed a new Luv' act with two new members: Michelle Gold and Diana van Berlo. This line-up scored a moderate hit ("Welcome To My Party": #22 in the Netherlands and #28 in Belgium).  

1990: Michelle left Luv' and was replaced by Carina Lemoine. Although chart success was a distant memory, the ladies toured the club circuit and performed on TV. In December, they entertained the Dutch troops based in Dubai and involved in the Gulf War.

1991: Luv' had a minor hit:"He's My Guy" (#75 on the Dutch Single Top 100).

1992: Marga's Luv' disbanded.

1993: The original Luv' girls (Patty, José and Marga) got together. A compilation (Luv' Gold) was released and peaked at #14 on the Dutch albums chart. A megamix also came out and reached the 23rd position on the Dutch Top 40. The trio went on a promo tour through Benelux, Germany and Denmark.

1994: Luv's last studio album (All You Need Is Luv') was released and only available in Kruidvat (a chain of drugstores).

1994-1996: The group did sporadic gigs and disbanded in late 1996. 

2003: Universal Music put out a double CD compilation (25 Jaar Na Waldolala) to celebrate Luv's 25th anniversary. This anthology featured smash hits, album songs and bonus tracks.

2005: Luv' gave a surprise performance at the 60th birthday party of Hans van Hemert (the producer who conceived the girl group). This event made front-page news in the Netherlands.

2006: The girls reunited once again. A reality TV show (Back In Luv) about their comeback was broadcast on RTL 5 in Holland and on VTM in Flanders. A DVD (also entitled "Back In Luv" and featuring TV archives from the trio's heyday) came out. With the help from the official fanclub, Universal Music released "Completely In Luv'", a 4 CD Box (including their entire repertoire from the 1977-1980 period with bonus tracks and remixes).  On May 26th, 27th and 28th 2006, the three singers and Bobby Farrell (of Boney M.) made a guest appearance on the mega shows of De Toppers (a group formed by Gordon, René Froger and Gerard Joling) at the Amsterdam ArenA. In addition to TV performances, Luv' was booked for discos, festivals, private parties and corporate events.

2007-2012: Luv' performed on stage occasionally. On March 12th, 2012 Marga Scheide confirmed the definitive break-up of the group on NOS/Radio 1. The ladies took this decision without anger. They gave their final live performance on August 11th, 2012 at the Dutch Valley Festival in Spaarnwoude, NL. 

2013: Brief reunion of the 1980-1981 lineup (José, Marga and Ria Thielsch) at a fan club meeting in Eindhoven on May 25th.