Ponthon Tielman

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Ponthon Tielman (died in 2000) was the bassist of the Tielman Brothers, the first Dutch-Indonesian band to have international success. He grew up in Indonesia with his brothers Andy, who sang and played guitar, Reggy on guitar and Loulou on drums. The family came from Kupang in eastern Indonesia. In Indonesia the brothers first played under the names Timor Brothers and The Four T's. In 1956 they moved to the Netherlands, first to Breda and later to The Hague.

Music and breakthrough

The band played a kind of rock 'n' roll that later became known as Indorock: a mixture of Indonesian and Western music with roots in kroncong. Their performances were spectacular. The brothers threw their guitars to each other and Ponthon played the bass with his teeth. In 1958 the band stood out as a stand-in act at the World's Fair in Brussels. A quarter of an hour of filling in became a show that drove the audience wild, after which they were allowed to play in German clubs, including on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg. After the World's Fair their first single, Rock Little Baby of Mine, came out on the Belgian label Fernap Records. That is the first Dutch rock 'n' roll record. In 1959 the band signed with Imperial Records.

Influence

Later the band moved to Australia, possibly because of racism and because the brothers felt they received too little recognition. In 1983 Andy Tielman disbanded the group. Ponthon died in 2000.

Listening