In Memoriam: George, Ozzy, Flaco

During my holiday several well known and less well known musicians like Terry Reid and Bobby Whitlock, have passed away.

George Kooymans

For me the most appreciated one is George Kooymans, guitarist, singer and composer of Dutch rockers Golden Earring(s). He passed away after having been severely ill for some years, forcing him to end his career prematurely and as an effect Golden Earring's, as the band always worked from the premise that if one falls the institution falls.

For most of the world Golden Earring is at best a two hit wonder, 'Radar Love' and 'Twilight Zone'. The former is a song that can be heard all over the world and must have been a constant stream of income for the band. For us Dutchies the band is the best and best known rock band of our nation and I'm fairly certain that there will never be a band like it again. Times have changed. From the first hit single 'Please Go' early in 1965, the band has scored hits into the early 2000s, including five number one hits, all written by Kooymans. Usually the music, at times the lyrics, sometimes as lead vocalist. Songs like the one next to this post, 'She Flies On Strange Wings', 'Holy Holy Life', 'Back Home', 'Going To The Run', 'Weekend Love', 'When The Lady Smiles' are all songs anyone in the world ought to be familiar with.

When Kooymans' illness was announced I wrote a sort of obituary, which I refer to (https://wonomagazine.blogspot.com/search?q=golden+earring). After his illness he finalised the final album of Vreemde Kostgangers (strange lodgers) of which Henny Vrienten died even faster, and another duo album with Frank Carillo.

Ozzy

Ozzy Osbourne became more and more a phenomenon than a singer. I was never a Black Sabbath fan, but that one single from 1970 is one for the ages. 'Paranoid' is a fantastic hardrock song that I will always love to hear, but it never led me to wanting to hear more by the band. This one song is simply enough. It's like a slap in the face to help one focus. His farewell show in June or early July even made it to the 20 hour news here, as an important event, as Black Sabbath played its farewell show in public. This single fact shows how big a phenomenon Osbourne had become. In no other way would the farewell aspect have made the news. The show was very much on time, as Osbourne passed away just a few weeks later.

Flaco Jimenez

The Tex-Mex accordionist passed away at the age of 86. It never really was my kind of music. It fitted more with the taste of my ex-wife. However, on Ry Cooder's album 'Chicken Skin Music' things sort of fell in line for me. Cooder, always more a music historian than an original musician, dug his heels into the Tex-Mex genre and delivered my personal favourite of his oeuvre. With a great role for Jimenez, who gave the music a part of its origins and authenticity. From here he was able to start a career that brought him more into the limelight, solo and in supergroups like Texas Tornados and Los Super Seven. In The Netherlands he played with Rowwen Heze and The Cats.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

P.S. In the past few months the members of the golden Feyenoord of 1970 (at the time Feijenoord) are dying at a fast pace. That were my first live matches on radio and tv.