I
Frank Boeijen

About:

27 November 1957

Frank Boeijen is born and raised in the city of Nijmegen. Inspired by singer songwriters like Bob Dylan and en Neil Young he starts to make Music. In 1977 he records his first album together with popgitarist Wout Pennings. The themes of the songs are the usual teenage angst you can expect from twenty year old boys but the album gets an interest from record company CNR. They give Boeijen and Pennings the change to re-record the album under the production of popular singer Rob de Nijs. Added with four new songs the album Boeijen en Pennings is released. The press compares it to a mix of Kleinkunst and Singer songwriter like Boudewijn de Groot and Herman van Veen. To perform the songs live the duo hires drummer Henk Wanders and bass player Nels Busch.

In 1979 Pennings leaves the band and his place is taken by gitarist Wil Theunissen. The name is then changed to the Frank Boeijen Groep. It takes a while before the main public get’s interested but when national radio starts playing the B-side of the debut single 'Verjaardagsfeest' ('Birthday party') their popularity grows.

The 'Frank Boeijen Groep' then releases a string of hits and albums. Most succesful singles are 'Linda' (1983), 'Zwart Wit' ('Black White') (1984) and 'Kronenburg Park' (1985). 'Linda' is considered by Boeijen as a personal failure and he refuses to play the song live. After the departure of yet another guitar player in 1984 the new ones follow in a row. Somehow Boeijen never seems able to keep them for long. In 1987 the band decides that the promotional tour for the album ‘Welkom in Utopia’ is not gonna be the normal rockclub and discotheque tour. Instead they turn to the theatre starting a tradition amongst Dutch artists that lasts untill now. To be taken seriously, you have to perform in the traditional theatres.

In 1990 Boeijen marries TV presentor Amanda Reddington. He divorces her again in 1993. In 1991 Boeijen broke up his band and went solo. In november of that year he released his first soloalbum called 'Wilde bloemen'. 'Wilde bloemen' features duets with other Dutch singers like in the songs 'Twee Gezichten' with Henk Hofstede of the Nits, 'De Koorddanser' with Harry Sacksioni and 'Het ijs' with former Doe Maar singer Hennie Vrienten.

In 1993 Boeijen tours with Belgian singer Raymond van het Groenewoud and Harry Sacksioni. In the summer of  that year he records the album 'Jazz in Barcelona' which is written around his divorce. The follow up album 'De ontmoeting' (1994) is also an album filled with songs about lost love. In the same year he produces a come back album for singer Liesbeth List.

At the end of 1996 Frank Boeijen makes a trip through Asia which results in the album 'Vaderland' in 1997. The album features oriental influeces in the music but the themes are about the death of both his parents. After this album he releases 'De ballade van de dromedaris' (1998), recorded in Peter Gabriels Real World Studio's.

In the summer of 2001 faithful co musician Norman Bonink decides to leave Frank Boeijen to replace the deceased drummer Chris Götte of the band Bløf. Since there is a connection Boeijen records the duet 'Geen gevaar' with Blof singer Paskal Jakobsen for his new album 'Heden'. It becomes a small hit in 2002 but the years of top 40 rotation have been long passed. In 2003 Boeijen released the album 'Schaduw van de liefde'. The year after he received the Radio 2 life time achievement award. During a special event artist like Freek de Jonge, Trijntje Oosterhuis, Mathilde Santing, Stef Bos and Liesbeth List paid homage to Frank.

In November 2006 Frank Boeijen temporarily reunites with his Groep for the album 'As'. Other artist that cooperate for the project are Stef Bos, Daniël Lohues and Henk Hofstede. In some songs Frank is being accompanied by a Prague orchestra. The songs vary from political to love ballads. Politically outspoken are songs like 'Bezitters van een ziel'; a complaint against the toughening of Dutch society, and 'Het lied van de doofheid' about the assassination of Dutch cineaste Theo van Gogh. In 2007 Boeijen teams up with artist Eric de Bruijn for the project '36,9°C'. The project consists of a book with 38 texts by Frank, art work by De Bruijn and the cd 'Fim do mundo' which features one epic track. In 2008 Boeijen tours with a program under the same title, '36,9ºC'. In the same year he releases the album 'Aardige jongens', a combined project with Henny Vrienten (former Doe Maar) and Henk Hofstede (from The Nits). His 2011 album 'Genade' is actually not a cd-release but released as a book in which the music accompanies the story. In 2013 he returns to the intimate acoustic music that colored his previous two albums.

On the web:

- Frank's website: http://www.frankboeijen.nl

If you like this, you probably like.. / european counterparts

TV-2 (Denmark)

Michel Berger (France)

Claudio Baglioni (Italy)

What do we think:

DB: Dutch music lovers differ of what they should think of Frank Boeijen. Some find his lyrics unneccasery pretentious and say that although he sings in Dutch they can't understand a word he's singing. I guess it's the old it's-not-english-so-it-must-be-bad atitude the music clique has in Holland. Boeijen has been a steady value for years in Dutch pop and is one of the few who kept Dutch sung popmusic going when it was (again) not fashionable. Wrote some of the best Dutch pop songs.

PR: Frank Boeijen has been around on the Dutch pop scene for more than twenty years now. Some of his records with his band, the Frank Boeijen Groep, were very succesful and resulted in may hit singles. From the beginning though, Frank was an album artist. He always combined up/ and midtempo songs with balads. His albums from the eighties still sound great, especially 'Foto van een mooie dag'. After going solo, he turned to a more singersongwriter (or: troubadour) style. His voice and songs are still very good, although I sometimes miss the touch of the band... (sorry, my nostalgia). If you are a music lover from outside Holland and you want to try some Dutch pop music, Frank Boeijen is a great artist to start with!

Recommended albums:

♪♪♪ - 1001 Hotel - 1983

♪♪♪ - Kontakt - 1984

♪♪♪♪♪ - Foto van een mooie dag - 1985

♪♪♪♪- Welkom in Utopia - 1987

♪♪♪ - Wilde bloemen - 1991

♪♪♪ - Jazz in Barcelona - 1993

♪♪♪♪ - De ontmoeting - 1994

♪♪ - Camera - 2009

Further listening:

Boeijen & Pennings - 1979; Frank Boeijen Groep - 1981; Twee - 1982; In Natura - 1986; Dans in slow-motion - 1988; Een zomer aan het eind van de twingtigste eeuw - 1989; Vaderland - 1997 ; De ballade van de dromedaris - 1999 ; Heden - 2001 ; Schaduw van de liefde - 2003 ; As - 2006 ; Fim do mundo - 2007; Genade - 2011; Liefde en moed - 2013

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♪♪♪♪♪ = outstanding album, an absolute must-have
♪♪♪♪ = great album, highly recomended
♪♪♪ = nice album
♪♪ = be careful, requires listening before buying
♪ = best to be avoided