Luv' in 1980: José Hoebee, Marga Scheide & Ria Thielsch
Exactly 40 years ago, on September 16th, 1980, the announcement of Ria Thielsch as a permanent replacement for Patty Brard was on the front page of Dutch most-read newspaper De Telegraaf.
De Telegraaf - September 16th, 1980. Click on the image to enlarge it
Click here to read the article online. Ria Thielsch's name was misspelt.
De Telegraaf ("Privé" - entertainment section) - September 16th, 1980 (part 2). Click on the image to enlarge it. Click here to read the article online.
In the summer of 1980, Dutch girl group Luv' was in a mess. Patty Brard's sudden departure caused turmoil (see article posted on July 26th, 2020). The girls were busy promoting their latest single "One More Little Kissy". They had big plans for the future: a promo tour in Russia, the participation in the Yamaha Music Festival in Japan, the shooting of a TV series as well as stage and TV performances. All these projects had to be cancelled due to Patty's escape. The remaining Luv' ladies and their entourage were hoping for Miss Brard's comeback. They communicated with the enfant terrible through lawyers. Behind the scenes, Luv's manager Pim ter Linde recruited a Patty lookalike: photo model Ria Thielsch (see article posted on August 23rd, 2020). The idea was to hire her for some shows as the owner of a club in Zevenhuizen, the Netherlands wanted to sue Luv' if they didn't perform in his venue. To avoid the penalty, Ria rehearsed with Marga Scheide and José Hoebee. The first gig of the new line-up was a success but Ter Linde continued auditions with other candidates. At some point, Luv's team even considered the recruitment of Dutch pop singer Anita Meyer as well as a male singer: actor Rick Luyckx. But this decision would have been damaging to the trio's concept and the public would not accept it.
Anita Meyer is a fantastic solo singer but her style and repertoire didn't fit with Luv'
Luv's manager and producers considered the recruitment of Rik Luyckx to replace Patty Brard. Fortunately, it didn't happen.
Finally in mid-September 1980, when it became clear that Patty would not come back, Ria was allowed to be a permanent member of Luv'. The media wrote about this line-up change. Even the notorious Billboard magazine mentioned it in its October 11th,1980 edition. The tabloid press published articles about her background. Ria was born in Manokwari, West Papua/Indonesia, on August 25th, 1951. She started her modeling career in the late 1960s. In 1978/1979, she was part of "Ricardo & The Flames", a group which released a single that flopped.
Press clippings (click on the images to enlarge them):
Hitkrant - September 11th, 1980 (part 2)
Muziek Parade - September 1980
Algemeen Dagblad - September 17th, 1980
Click here to read the article online
Nieuwsblad van het Noorden - September 18th, 1980
Click here to read the article online
Hitkrant - September 18th, 1980
Hitkrant - September 25th, 1980
Hitkrant - September 25th, 1980 (part 2)
Hitkrant - October 2nd, 1980
Billboard magazine - October 11th, 1980
Click here to read the article online
Ria's real assessment happened when her charisma was put to the test on television. The viewers discovered the new Luv' girl when she performed "One More Little Kissy" with her colleagues on "Boemerang", a Flemish TV program on BRT channel on September 27th, 1980.
Luv' on Boemerang (Ria's first TV performance with José and Marga)
Moreover, Luv' intended to represent the Netherlands at the World Popular Song Festival (aka Yamaha Music Festival) with the track "Be My Lover Tonight" in November 1980. However, the ladies cancelled their participation in this competition.
Ria was immediately accepted by the fans. After her introduction to the media and the public, the next phase was the release of a new single and an album. The question was: would Luv' still be popular without Patty? The answer was "yes". But that's another story.....
Bibliography:
The Story of Luv' by Peter Boonstra, 2015
Source: Luv' weblog archives, Ria Thielsch Fan Zone : Forever Yours (Facebook), Delpher.nl, YouTube...
Merci Ralph
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