Posted on 02/08/2021 2:11:26 PM PST by nickcarraway
Golden Earring, the Dutch rock band known for such hits as “Radar Love,” “Twilight Zone” and “When the Lady Smiles,” has officially called it quits.
The decision comes after George Kooymans, the band’s guitarist and co-founder, was diagnosed with ALS.
“This is a death blow,” Barry Hay, the singer and multi-instrumentalist who has been a member of the group for over 50 years, declared to Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. “We always said we would keep going until one of us fell over."
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“I didn't expect George to be the first," Hay continued. "Kooymans was always the toughest of the four of us. You sometimes philosophize about that: who goes first? Then he was always at the back of the line. It sucks; we would have preferred a farewell tour, but unfortunately this is what it is. Our last performance appears to have been in Ahoy (a conversion center in Rotterdam, Netherlands) in 2019. That was a great show with family and friends, but we would have preferred it differently.”
Kooymans founded Golden Earring - originally called The Hague - alongside his friend and neighbor Rinus Gerritsen when the two were just teenagers. They remained in the group for the entirety of its 60 year run, with Gerritsen handling bass, while Kooymans provided guitar and vocals. Hay would join in 1967. The addition of drummer Cesar Zuiderwijk in 1970 completed what many consider to be the group’s classic lineup.
In total, the band released 25 studio albums over the course of its impressive career. 1973’s Moontan, spurred largely by the success of “Radar Love,” was the band’s most commercially successful LP in America. The group’s most recent release, a compilation album titled Alive... Though the Years, arrived in 2018.
Aside from confirming his ALS diagnosis and admitting he’s receiving treatment at a hospital in Belgium, Kooymans has been tight-lipped regarding his health.
Asked if the group could conceivably continue forward with a new musician replacing their co-founder, Zuiderwijk was clear. "That will never happen," the drummer insisted. “We are a group of friends of four men who are irreplaceable. A new band member? That wouldn't fit.”
The best road trip tune ever.
Sad news indeed!
I grew up with those guys. Me and my brother use to play Radar Love’s opening with him on the drum set and me on guitar. I have a big chunk of their albums and like their 80’s hit When the Bullet Hits the Bone. The singer had attitude (almost too much some times) but they were all perfect for the band... and I think there was even another guitarist for a brief spell in the 70s.
You got Radar Love and Riders on the Storm, you can drive forever...
I haven’t thought about that group since I was in High School. That was a long, long time ago.
And don’t forget Lagrange, though that’s more for accelerating up to speed (and then some).
I had no idea they were still together. “Radar Love” is still a great tune to blast while driving down an empty freeway late at night.
“You got Radar Love and Riders on the Storm, you can drive forever...”
When you’re on the road, don’t forget these tunes either...
“Modern Day Cowboy” - Tesla
“Bark At The Moon” - Ozzie Osborne
“Stand Up And Shout” - Ronnie James Dio
“Wild Side” - Motley Crue
“Cat Scratch Fever” - Ted Nugent
“And The Cradle Will Rock” - Van Halen
No more speed I'm almost there....
“I had no idea they were still together.”
Came here to say this. I had heard that Kooymans had been diagnosed with ALS last week, thanks in part to it being mentioned on a Sea of Tranquility video.
Falling down the spiral......destination unknown.
I had no idea that they were still a group.
When I worked in Massachusetts in the 1980s one of my colleagues was president of the Golden Earring fan club. He even went to Holland for concerts. He knew and was friends with all of the band members. At the time I thought it was a pretty odd choice of bands to get fanatical over. Time has proven me wrong.
How I didn't die driving to Radar Love as a teen is a miracle.
Even today I step on it when it plays in my car.
Roy Orbison - I Drove All Night 1991
Sad news, indeed, but....Barry Hay needs to stop his whining.....and, be very thankful for what they HAVE been blessed with.
ALS, or Charcot’s disease, is nasty—one of the worst ways there is to die. A Sunday school classmate of mine from kindergarten through confirmation passed away from it several years ago.
I heard a story last year about how long they had been together. I never realized they were together that long.
They should have kept their original name.
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