José Hoebee
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| José Hoebee | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Josina van de Wijdeven |
| Also known as | José and José Andreoli (in the beginning of her career) |
| Born | March 24, 1954 ; Best, Netherlands |
| Origin | Netherlands |
| Genre(s) | pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Singing |
| Years active | 1977 - present |
| Label(s) | Carrere Records, RCA Records, WVS Music |
| Associated acts | Luv', Patty Brard, Marga Scheide |
José Hoebee (born Josina van de Wijdeven in Best, (North Brabant, Netherlands), on March 24, 1954) is a Dutch pop female singer. She is part of Luv' (the most famous girl group from the Netherlands in the late 1970s and early 1980s which scored hits in a dozen of countries). In 1981, she went solo and was successful in her homeland and in the Flanders between 1982 and 1985. She formed an occasional duet known as Bonnie & José with the artist Bonnie St. Claire to record Dutch cover versions of ABBA's songs. She currently performs solo and with Luv'.
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[edit] Debut
She started her career as a professional singer in the early 1970’s as a member of a folk & country band, Young Tradition, formed with her two sisters. This formation took part in casting shows, changed its name into Elongi and recorded a single produced by Piet Souer who suggested José to join Luv'.
[edit] The Luv' Years
In 1976, she became a member of Luv' (a girl group) with Patty Brard and Marga Scheide. She chose as an artist name José Andreoli. From 1977 to 1981, at the time Bananarama and the Spice Girls didn't exist, Luv' was Holland's biggest hit machine and scored a string of hit records in Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Poland, South Africa and Mexico. In March 1981, the group announced its dissolution. The original formation reunited twice (in 1993-1994 and in 2005-present]).
[edit] Solo & Duets
After Luv' had splitted up, José went solo, gave up her artist name (José Andreoli) and married Will Hoebee, a music producer, in David Soul[1]villa in Los Angeles. Her new career was less international than the one she had as a Luv' member. Artistically, she chose a repertoire featuring a majority of cover versions of pop standards with the help of her husband. Her first album The Good Times was released in 1982.
Eight of her singles (among them a #1 hit and some duets) topped the record charts (six in the Netherlands and five in the Flanders)[2]:
- I Will Follow Him[3] (peak position: #1 in the Netherlands and #1 in the Flanders in 1982)
- Secret Love [4](peak position: #11 in the Netherlands and #3 in the Flanders in 1982)
- The Good Times (#28 in the Flanders in 1982)
- I Can Hear Music [5](N°13 in the Flanders in 1983)
- So Long Marianne[6] [José & Ron Brandsteder] (peak position: #11 in the Netherlands and #20 in the Flanders in 1984)
- Cassandra[7] [Bonnie & José] (peak position: # 24 in the Netherlands in 1984)
- Zoals Vrienden Doen[8] [Bonnie & José] (peak position: #36 in the Netherlands in 1985)
- I Will Follow Him 2005[9] (peak position: #90 in Holland in 2006)
José was the first female singer who had #1 hits on the Dutch Top 40 as a member of a group (Luv') and as a solo artist. Then, Diana Ross (of the Supremes), Yvonne Keeley (of the Star Sisters), Melanie C (of the Spice Girls), Sita (of K-Otic) and Beyoncé (of Destiny's Child) established the same record in the hit parade.
After the birth of her son Tim (born on October 10. 1985), José slowed down her career. She retired from show business in 1989 to devote herself to her family. Four years later, she made a brief comeback with Luv' and then escaped from entertainment again to live with her relatives in Best, a village near Eindhoven. For one year and a half, she was the owner of a video rental shop (The Movie Store) that she sold in the summer of 2003.
Then, with the help from Corry Konings (a popular singer in Holland) and her management agency (CK Produkties), José decided to go back on stage. Her live shows attracted fans who hadn't seen her for years. In early 2004, she recorded under the pseudonym Stuff a dance oriented cover version of a Four Tops hit (Walk Away Renée)[10] downloadable on internet. Moreover, she sang two tracks as a guest artist on a tribute album to Doris Day (Marjan Berger meets Doris Day).
She later left CK Produkties and signed a deal with WVS Management. This transfer was accompanied by José's move from the Netherlands to Lommel (a town in the Flanders, Belgium). In 2005, WVS Music (an independent record label) released her first compilation Alle Hits & Unieke Bonustracks. This anthology includes the singer's greatest hits, b-sides, album tracks and bonus tracks[11]
[edit] Bonnie & José: the ABBA project
In 1984, she formed with her best friend in the show business, Bonnie St. Claire, an occasional duet, credited as Bonnie & José. The two vocalists recorded a Dutch cover version of ABBA's Cassandra which became a Top 40 hit in the Netherlands in the summer of 1984. A few months later, Bonnie & José were involved in the ABBAcadabra project (a TV musical for children based on songs of ABBA). Bonnie played the role of Sleeping Beauty and José had the role of Snow White. Other Dutch celebrities took part in this music show: Marga Scheide of Luv' (as "Carabosse/the Bad Fairy"), Ron Brandsteder (Patty Brard's first husband) and Benny Neyman. In 1985, Bonnie & José recorded a whole LP (entitled Herinnering) with ABBA's standards. This opus contained another Top 40 hit: Zoals Vrienden Doen (The Way Old Friends Do). In 1986, the duet recorded a TV special in Sweden: Bonnie en José in Zwedenaired on the NCRV channel. The two singers were filmed in Stockholm (including a scene[12] in the Polar Music Studios, ABBA's recording studios) performing ABBA's songs in Dutch. Björn Ulvaeus (member of the Swedish pop band) was interviewed for this special and acknowledged the duet's initiative. After the broadcast of this show, They performed from time to time on TV and on stage, even with a non-ABBA repertoire but no new records were released. In 1987, they broke up. Eight years later, they made a comeback by recording a single 'n Engel Als Jij (a cover version of a German song: Engel Wie Du originally sung by Juliane Werding, Maggie Reilly & Viktor Lazlo). In December 2004, José acted as a witness at Bonnie's wedding (aired live on SBS 6, a Dutch TV channel).
[edit] Background vocals
José recorded background vocals for other artists in her career, for example:
- In 1981, in ABBA's prestigious studio (Polar Music Studio) in Stockholm on The Marvellous Marionnettes (a single that reached the 8th position in the Dutch singles charts and that was performed by Doris D. & The Pins, a girl group).
- In 1982, on The Best Days Of My Life album[13] of David Soul.
[edit] Discography
- Singles:
- Elongi (Philips, 1976)
- I´m So Sorry (Carrere, 1981)
- I Will Follow Him (Carrere, 1982)
- Secret Love (Carrere, 1982)
- The Good Times (Carrere, 1982)
- I Can Hear Music (Carrere, 1983)
- Hey Now, Watcha Gonna Do (Carrere, 1983)
- So Long Marianne (with Ron Brandsteder, CNR, 1984)
- Time Goes By (Carrere, 1984)
- Cassandra (with Bonnie St. Claire, Philips, 1984)
- Wij Zijn Vrij (taken from the ABBAcadabra TV musical, Indisc, 1984)
- I Love You (CNR, 1984)
- Zoals Vrienden Doen (with Bonnie St. Claire, RCA, 1985)
- Waarom (with Bonnie St. Claire, RCA, 1985)
- De Flierefluiter (with Bonnie St. Claire, RCA, 1986)
- Herrinering (with Bonnie St. Claire, RCA, 1986)
- All Around My Hat (RCA, 1986)
- In The Sign Of Love (Corduroy, 1987)
- N Engel Als Jij (with Bonnie St. Claire, Bunny Music Bucs/Dino, 1994)
- Walk Away Renée (STUFF a.k.a José, download on internet, 2003)
- I Will Follow 2005 (WVS Music, 2006)
- Albums :
- The Good Times (Carrere, 1982)
- ABBAcadabra[14] (Dutch version), Indisc, 1984)
- Herinnering (with Bonnie St. Claire, RCA, 1985)
- Nederland Muziekland - 14 'Nooitgedachte' Hoogtepunten[15] (CNR, 1986)
- Wie Gaat Er Me Naar Dinoland [16](Dino, 1993)
- Marjan Berger Meets Doris Day [17](2003)
- Alle Hits & Unieke Bonustracks (compilation, WVS Music, 2005)
[edit] TV career
In the fall of 2004, José hosted a music talent contest show (Tijd Voor Muziek) on a Dutch local channel (VSM TV). Her husband collaborated on the production of this programme.
[edit] References
- ^ David Soul is famous for his role in Starsky & Hutch and is a good friend of Will and José Hoebee. Moreover, Will produced his The Best Days Of My Life album (released in 1982).
- ^ *Dutch singles charts : (Dutch) Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, Megacharts/Media Control & Gfk International*Flemish Charts : BRT Top 30/VRT Top 30/Radio 2 Top 30
- ^ This track is a cover version of a French song (Chariot) originally performed by Petula Clark in 1962. One year later, English lyrics were written and it was entitled I Will Follow Him and sung by Little Peggy March. It reached the first position on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. It became a standard and was featured in the 1992 movie Sister Act(with Whoopi Goldberg).
- ^ Cover version of a song originally performed by Doris Day in 1954. George Michael recorded his own version of this standard in 1999.
- ^ Cover version of a song originally performed by the Ronettes in 1966 and popularized by the Beach Boys in 1969
- ^ Cover version of a song of Leonard Cohen in duet with Ron Brandsteder, a famous TV host in Holland and the first husband of Patty Brard.
- ^ Dutch cover version of a ABBA's track, in duet with Bonnie St. Claire.
- ^ Dutch cover version of The Way Old Friends Do by ABBA in duet with Bonnie St. Claire.
- ^ José's I Will Follow Him was remixed in 2005 by Serge Ramaekers, a Flemish eurodance producer who collaborated with famous Dance acts such as 2 Unlimited, Confetti's and Cartouche in the 1980s and the 1990s.
- ^ This track refers to the divorce of Patty Brard and her third husband (René Muthert).
- ^ Among the bonus tracks:
- Elongi: the very first song recorded by José and her sisters.
- Don't Give Up / Don't Give Up On Us: a previously unreleased track sung with Piet Souer. It was supposed to be performed as a duet with David Soul.
- ^ Youtube video of Bonnie & José performing "Herinnering" in ABBA's Polar Music Studios
- ^ Details about "The Best Day Of My Life" album produced by Will Hoebee with José Hoebee-Van de Wijdeven as back-up singer
- ^ ABBAcadabra is a musical for children originally broadcast on the French TV channel TF1 on Christmas 1983 and composed by Alain Boublil et Daniel Boublil. It was based on songs of ABBA. Among the performers of this show: Fabienne Thibeault, Daniel Balavoine, Plastic Bertrand and Frida Lyngstad (of ABBA). A Dutch version of this musical was recorded at the end of 1984 with José Hoebee and Marga Scheide and aired on TV in 1985. José sang a solo track Spiegel but also Wij Zijn Vrij and Laat Het Feest Beginnen with other Dutch vocalists.
- ^ José sings De Postkoets in duet with Bonnie St. Claire
- ^ On this compilation, José sings three tracks: De dinosaurus deel 2 / De dinosaurus deel 3 / Tim en de brontosaurus
- ^ José sings two solo tracks: My Happiness and Who's Sorry Now
[edit] External links
- José Hoebee at the Internet Movie Database
- Site of the official José Hoebee fanclub (in Dutch)
- Site of the official Luv'fanclub (in Dutch)
- Infos about José's career on the Dutch Pop Institute website
- José's columns (written in Dutch from November 2003 to March 2006) about her career, her family life and her point of view on the show business
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