Elongi by Elongi (1976)
Produced by Piet Souer
As she was 15 years old, José made her debut in a folk & country band (Young Tradition) with her two sisters (Marijke and Yvonne) and her best friend Ad van Genechten. The group toured the folk circuit in North Brabant. They performed songs by Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Donovan and Leonard Cohen. In 1971, they were discovered by record producer Piet Souer on a talent show "Het cabaret der onbekenden" (the cabaret of the unknowns) in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. One year later, Young Tradition took part in a TV talent show "Nieuwe Oogst" (New Harvest) on AVRO channel and finished second.
In 1976, José, Marijke and Yvonne formed a new group named after the first single they recorded with Piet Souer: Elongi. It was a cover version of a classic of Makossa and World Music initially performed by Cameroonian singer Ekambi Brillant in 1975.
The version of Elongi by José and her sisters was released by Philips Records. Piet Souer produced it and wrote English lyrics. Unfortunately, it flopped.
Shortly after that, Souer asked José to join a girl group he was forming with Hans van Hemert: Luv'. The rest is history...
Peak positions:
#1 on the Dutch Top 40 (Netherlands)
# 2 on the Nationale Hitparade (Netherlands)
#1 on the BRT Top 30 (Belgium)
#1 on the Flemish Ultratop (Belgium)
100.000 copies sold in Benelux
I Will Follow Him (2005 remix): #90 on the Single Top 100 (Netherlands)
In the summer of 1982, one year after Luv's first break-up, with the help of record producer Pim Koopman, José hit the number-one spot in the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium) with "I Will Follow Him" (originally performed by Peggy March in 1963). She was part of a prestigious list of artists (including John Lennon, George Michael, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross) who had a #1 hit single in Holland as members of a group and as solo singers. This list appeared in the 1997 edition of 500 Nr. 1 Hits uit de Top 40, a book written by Johan van Slooten and published by Gottmer Becht Groep:
In 2011, a dream came true: José and Peggy March recorded a new version of their signature song as a duet. One year later, it was released as a bonus track on Peggy's album Always and Forever.
Secret Love (1982)
Peak positions:
#11 on the Dutch Top 40 (Netherlands)
#14 on the Nationale Hitparade (Netherlands)
#3 on the BRT Top 30 (Belgium)
#4 on the Flemish Ultratop 50 (Belgium)
Secret Love, the follow-up record to I Will Follow Him, was a cover version of a Doris Day classic from 1953. It was a smash hit in the Low Countries.
I Can Hear Music (1983)
Peak positions:
#48 on the Nationale Hitparade (Netherlands)
#13 on the BRT Top 30 (Belgium)
#15 on the Ultratop (Belgium)
José put out her next single in early 1983: I Can Hear Music. This song was written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector for the American girl group The Ronettes in 1966. Three years later, the track was made famous by the legendary Beach Boys.
So Long Marianne by José & Ron Brandsteder (1983/1984)
Peak positions
#11 on the Dutch Top 40 (Netherlands)
#6 on the Nationale Hitparade (Netherlands)
#20 on the BRT Top 30 (Belgium)
#30 on the Flemish Ultratop (Belgium)
In late 1983, José and TV star Ron Brandsteder decided to record a cover version of Leonard Cohen's classic hit So Long, Marianne as a duet. José's husband, the sought-after music professional Will Hoebee supervised the recording sessions. Eurovision Song Contest conductor Harry van Hoof was the arranger.
So Long, Marianne was originally composed and performed by the great Canadian Folk Maestro Leonard Cohen in 1967. It appeared on his debut album Songs of Leonard Cohen. It was inspired by Marianne Jensen (later Marianne Ihlen), whom Cohen met on the Greek island of Hydra in 1960. The artist said she was the most beautiful woman he had ever met.
Time Goes By (1984)
Peak position:
# 16 on the Nationale Hitparade (Netherlands)
10.000 copies sold in the Netherlands.
In 1984, José chose to render the pop song "Time Goes By" (originally recorded by Hungarian band Neoton Família (aka Newton Family). The original track won the Grand Prix at the World Popular Song Festival (aka Yamaha Music Festival) in Tokyo, Japan in 1983.
Cassandra by Bonnie & José (1984)
Peak positions:
#24 on the Top 40 (Netherlands)
#19 on the Nationale Hitparade (Netherlands)
Will Hoebee supervised the recording of this single at the Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum, Netherlands. Harry van Hoof arranged the track. Benny Neyman (a famous artist from Will's roster) wrote the text of this song in Dutch. His lyrics dealt with the movement of Argentinian mothers (Las Madres de La Plaza de Mayo) who marched in 1977 in Buenos Aires to protest against the disappearance of their children (who were actually arrested by the military and eventually died).
I Love You (1984)
In the fall of 1984, José decided to release an ambitious cover version entitled I Love You which was a medley of The Moody Blues' signature song Nights Of White Satin (from 1967) and I (Who Have Nothing) (from 1961).
I (Who Have Nothing) is the English version of the Italian song Uno Dei Tanti originally performed by Joe Sentieri in 1961. Many international singers (including Ben E. King, Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones and Sylvester) covered it.
José teamed up with the renowned producer Hans Vermeulen and her husband Will Hoebee to sing I Love You. A demo of this song was even recorded as a duet with Hans Vermeulen and appeared as a bonus track on Luv's compilation 25 Jaar Na Waldolala in 2003.
AbbaCaDaBra (1984/1985)
In late 1984, Will Hoebee and Joost Timp produced the French children's musical AbbaCaDaBra in Dutch (including ABBA songs). Among the performers were José (Snow White), Marga Scheide (Carabosse), Bonnie St. Claire (Sleeping Beauty), Ron Brandsteder (Werewolf) and Benny Neyman (Prince). Indisc released the Dutch LP in the Netherlands and Belgium. The song Wij Zijn Vrij (The Visitors) taken from the album came out as the lead single. José also performed the solo song Spiegel (I Wonder) and Laat Het Feest Beginnen (Thank You For The Music) with the rest of the cast.
TROS/Nederland 2 broadcast the musical on March 16th, 1985. Rien van Wijk directed it and Jef Nassenstein produced it. Willem Duijn (who took part in the recording of the album and played the role of Alladin) did not appear on TV and was replaced by Joost Timp.
Zoals Vrienden Doen by Bonnie & José (1985)
Peak positions :
#36 on the Dutch Top 40 (Netherlands)
#18 on the Nationale Hitparade (Netherlands)
After Cassandra's respectable success on the hit parade, Bonnie & José decided to continue their professional relationship. In the summer of 1985, Zoals Vrienden Doen (the cover of ABBA's The Way Old Friends Do) was released. During the promotion of the record, José had to slow down as she was pregnant. However, her duet single with Bonnie became quite successful and was the duo's signature song.
Herinnering (album) by Bonnie & José - 1985 and 2020
Peak position:
#73 on the Nationale Hitparade Elpee Top 75 (Netherlands)
After the promising performance of Cassandra and Zoals Vrienden Doen, RCA Records put out the Herinnering album in September 1985 including lesser-known ABBA songs (except Chiquitita). Though it wasn't a commercial success, the record achieved cult status among the admirers of the duo and the community of ABBA fans. The ladies promoted the songs of the album during the TV Special "Bonnie & José in Zweden" broadcast on May 27th, 1986 on NCRV.
On November 20th, 2020, this opus was reissued on CD/DVD by the independent label CD-Licious thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign launched by Franklin van Liempt. This new edition featured the remastered version of Herinnering with four bonus tracks and a DVD including the above-mentioned TV special and three bonus videos.
Waarom by Bonnie & José (with Ron Brandsteder) - 1985
Peak position:
#35 on the Nationale Hitparade (Netherlands)
In addition to the previous hits Cassandra and Zoals Vrienden Doen, the Herinnering LP included a third song released as a single in October 1985: Waarom (the cover of ABBA's Move On). TV personality Ron Brandsteder wrote the Dutch lyrics of Waarom which dealt with the hate between human beings. He also contributed to the recording of this song as a narrator.
De Flierefluiter and Herinnering (singles) by Bonnie & José (1986)
Produced by Will Hoebee and Albert Hol
Two other songs taken from the Herinnering album came out as singles later in 1986 but never reached the charts: De Flierefluiter (The Piper) and Herinnering (Andante, Andante).
All Around My Hat (1986)
In late 1986, José went back to her folk & country roots by covering All Around My Hat, a traditional English folk song from the 19th century made famous by Steeleye Span in 1975.
In The Sign Of love (1987)
Produced by Piet Souer
In 1987, José and the Pro Musica choir recorded In The Sign Of Love, a song inspired by a classical theme by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. José's first Pygmalion Piet Souer produced the single.
'n Engel Als Jij by Bonnie & José (1995)
In early 1995, Bonnie & José reunited to record 'n Engel Als Jij, the Dutch cover version of a German track Ein Engel Wie Du (originally performed by Juliane Werding, Maggie Reilly & Viktor Lazlo).
Walk Away René by Stuff (2004)
In late 2003, José decided to relaunch her solo career after years of inactivity. In early 2004, she put out her first digital single: Walk Away René. It was a dance cover version of a 1966 song Walk Away Renée by The Left Blanke and made famous by the Four Tops. José performed it under the pseudonym Stuff. This song referred to Patty Brard's break-up with her third husband René Muthert who stole her money. At the time, Patty and José were on very bad terms.
My Happiness and Who's sorry now? (2004 and 2014)
In 2004, José sang two tracks (My Happiness and Who's sorry now?) as a guest artist on a tribute album to Doris Day (Marjan Berger meets Doris Day).
Who's Sorry Now was made famous by Connie Francis in 1957.
In 2014, as she was busy with another solo comeback, José reissued Who's Sorry Now? as a digital single.
Peak position:
#92 on the Dutch Top 100 (Netherlands)
In May 2009, former BZN singer Anny Schilder & José put out Be My Baby, a Phil Spector pop classic originally performed by American girl group The Ronettes in 1963. The ladies recorded two versions of the track (one in Dutch and the other in English). They gave TV performances and live shows through the Netherlands and Belgium until November 2010.
Noheyo (2014)
Peak position:
#1 hit on SBS 6 download chart in the "Dutch-speaking" category (Netherlands)
In June 2014, José released a digital single entitled Noheyo, a cover version of a 2011 song by Polish band Blue Café. José had a hectic schedule again. She promoted her new track on TV and on the radio. She gave several interviews in the press and was booked for gigs.
Source: Luv' and José weblogs archives, YouTube
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