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Zangeres Zonder Naam

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

The Zangeres Zonder Naam (the Singer Without a Name) was the stage pseudonym of Mary Servaes-Beij, born in Leiden in 1919. She was the eighth child in a working-class family and suffered from a broken hip from an early age. In Maastricht she sang in cafés. In 1957 she sang backing vocals on a demo that ended up with the producer Johnny Hoes. He heard a child's voice, turned out to have discovered a thirty-seven-year-old woman and gave her a record contract. He had no name for her remarkable voice, so he invented the artist name Zangeres Zonder Naam.

Music and breakthrough

In 1959 her first gold single appeared, Ach vaderlief, toe drink niet meer. After that she had hits until the 1980s with, among others, De blinde soldaat, Mexico and Mandolinen in Nicosia. She recorded almost six hundred songs and was nicknamed the Queen of the Levenslied. The levenslied is the Dutch street song, full of sentimental stories about sorrow, mothers and soldiers, with accordion and orchestral accompaniment. In 1986 she performed at Paradiso, and her live record from that concert won an Edison in 1987.

Influence

She also sang protest songs. In 1977 she recorded Luister Anita, against Anita Bryant's anti-gay campaign, and performed at the concert Miami Nightmare. Writers such as Gerard Reve and Lucebert admired her, and so she also reached an audience of artists. She died in 1998.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Ach vaderlief, toe drink niet meer and notice how her voice begins as a child's voice and how the story is told in the song. What feelings does the melody evoke?

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: ArtistsLevenslied and smartlap