Shocking Blue
Formed in 1967 by ex-Motions guitarist Robbie van Leeuwen (b. 1944), this Dutch quartet originally featured lead vocalist Fred de Wilde, bassist Klassje van der Wal and drummer Cornelius van der Beek. After one minor hit in their homeland, Lucy Brown Is Back In Town, there was a major line-up change when the group's management replaced De Wilde with Mariska Veres (b. 1949). With her solid vocals, long dark hair, heavy make-up and low-cut garments Veres brought the group a sexy image and another Netherlands hit Send Me A Postcard Darling. Next came Venus, a massive European hit, which went on to top the US charts in February 1970 after Jerry Ross had signed the group to his Colossus label. With the talented Van Leeuwen dominating the composing and production credits, Shocking Blue attempted to bridge the gap between the pop and progressive markets. Their SHOCKING BLUE AT HOMEcontained such lengthy cuts as California Here I Come, The Butterfly And I and featured a sitar on the innovative Acka Raga. They remained largely a pop unit in the UK market however, where they enjoyed another minor hit with Mighty Joe, which had reached number 1 in Holland. Thereafter, the transatlantic hits evaporated although they managed another Dutch chart topper with Never Marry A Railroad Man. Within four years of their international fame, they split in 1974, with Van Leeuwen later re-surfacing in the folk/jazz group, Galaxy Inc. His most famous song Venus was frequently covered and was back at number 1 in the USA in 1981 and 1986 by Stars On 45 and Bananarama, respectively.