School of Rock
Random article All articles A–Z
2 languages

Rinus Gerritsen

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

Rinus Gerritsen, in full Marinus Gerritsen, is a Dutch bassist, born in 1946 in The Hague. He is best known as a co-founder of Golden Earring. In 1961 he formed a duo with his neighbour George Kooymans. At first it was called The Tornados, but when it turned out that a British group had a hit with Telstar, the name became The Golden Earrings, taken from a song by the British group The Hunters, for whom they had been the support act.

Music and breakthrough

In 1965 the band had a first hit with Please Go, when they were still a pop group with Frans Krassenburg as singer. After two albums Barry Hay became the singer, and around 1970, with the drummer Cesar Zuiderwijk, the line-up was in place that would last fifty years. The group broke through internationally with Radar Love in 1973, followed later by Twilight Zone in 1982 and When the Lady Smiles in 1984. Twenty-five studio albums were released, and the band had almost thirty hits in the Dutch top ten. In 1979 Gerritsen made a solo album with Michel van Dijk and he produced Herman Brood, among others. In 2021 the band announced that its career was over because of Kooymans's illness.

Influence

Steve Harris of Iron Maiden cites Gerritsen as an influence on his bass playing. In School of Rock he stands at the beginning of Nederpop: as the man who founded the group that was one of the first from the Netherlands to break through internationally.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Radar Love and focus on the bass, which drives the song along with a rolling pattern. Can you hear how the rhythm sounds almost like a car on the road?

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

Categories: Artists