Getty Kaspers | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Kaspers in 1975 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Gertrude Kaspers[1] (1948-03-05)5 March 1948 (age 77) |
| Origin | Netherlands |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1971–75; 1976–present[3][4] |
| Labels | |
Gertrude "Getty"Kaspers (born 5 March 1948) is anAustrian-bornDutch singer. She was the lead vocalist of the Dutch bandTeach-In, with which she won theEurovision Song Contest 1975 for the song "Ding-a-dong".[2]
Kaspers joined the bandTeach-In in 1971. In 1974, the band had three Top 15 hits in theNetherlands. The band also had a number of international successes. One of these, "In The Summernight", reached number 5 inSouth Africa for 13 weeks and also peaked at number 3 in the Dutch andBelgian charts for 10 and 9 weeks respectively.[5][6]
Teach-In participated in theNationaal Songfestival 1975, the Dutch national final for theEurovision Song Contest 1975. The competition was held in theJaarbeurs convention centre inUtrecht, and for the first time since 1970, the act had not been preselected by broadcasterNOS, but was selected in a two-stage process. Teach-In were required to perform their song "Ding-a-dong" in the first round to select the song that would represent the Netherlands. A five-member international jury selected the winning song 4 votes to 1 over the songs "Ik heb geen geld voor de trein" from Albert West and "Circus" from Debbie (Dutch versions of Teach-In songs "Tennessee Town" and "The Circus Show").[7][8]
With the song "Ding-a-dong" winning the first round, all three performers were required to sing this song in the second round to decide the winning artist. The final vote would consist of a public vote resulting in Teach-In winning theNationaal Songfestival with 56 points, compared to 33 points for Albert West and 11 points for Debbie.
As the lead vocalist of Teach-In, Kaspers opened theEurovision Song Contest 1975 held inStockholm,Sweden, and went on to win the contest with 152 points.
After their Eurovision victory, the band entered the charts in nearly every European country.[9] "Ding-a-dong" reached third place in the Top 40 of the National Hit Parade in the Netherlands and reached place thirteen in theBritish charts. Later that year, Teach-In released the single "Goodbye Love", which also made the Top 10, peaking at number 5 for 7 weeks.[10][11]
In 1976, Kaspers returned to theEurovision Song Contest to giveBrotherhood of Man, the winners of theEurovision Song Contest 1976, their prizes.
Teach-In toured Europe for the next two years, but the disappointing sale of the album "Get On Board"[12] and the song "Rose Valley"[13] caused the band to break apart in 1978. Whilst Ruud Nijhuis and Koos Versteeg decided to reform the band in 1979 with two new female singers, Kaspers decided to continue her music career as a solo artist under the stage name Getty, recording a couple of discs including the Getty Album, featuring such songs as "Mademoiselle", "Love Me" and "De Eerste Liefde is Een Feest", originally "The Queen of Hearts" byAgnetha Fältskog in Swedish and English. Her vocals can also be heard onRick van der Linden's "Cum Laude" album and on recordings made byRadio Veronica.[14][3]
In 1978, she joined her bandmate John Gaasbeek[15] with Wilma van Diepen and formed the Balloon trio, recording a few songs such as "All You Need Is The Music" and "Summerparty", featuring cameos of well known songs. After little success, the trio broke apart in 1980.[16][17]
Kaspers was present as a jury member in the1978,1982 and2009 Dutch national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. She also featured in the 2005Eurovision documentary "Tour d'Eurovision", highlighting some of the best performances of Eurovision.
In 1997, it was announced that the original line-up of Teach-In, including Kaspers, had re-recorded some of their old hits and had plans to tour again. The band reunited to sing "Ding-a-dong" at a show inMaastricht on 31 August 2007. Kaspers also performed with the group in the original line-up at the opening of the2009 Eurovision Song Contest inMoscow, singing classics such as "Ding-a-dong" and "I'm Alone".
In 2009, Teach-In re-released a combined album titled "Festival/Get On Board".[18] The following year, the band released the "Best Of Teach-In" album, featuring their greatest hits.[19]
Kaspers was present at the 2012 Dutch national final for theEurovision Song Contest.
Kaspers was born inGraz,Austria on 5 March 1948[2] to a Dutch mother and an Austrian father. She is fluent inEnglish,Dutch andGerman. In 2011, Kaspers' husband died ofALS.[20]
In April 2019, Luitingh-Sijthoff published a book about the illustrious life of Kaspers. In "Een leven lang geleden" Kaspers tells that her life has not always been a fairy tale. Her youth was dominated by the aftermath of theWorld War II, and also life after "Dinge-dong" went with many ups and downs. Kasper's biography was written by Dave Boomkens, a Dutch writer who is known from books such as "Liesbeth List, de dochter van de vuurtorenwachter" and "Het Grote Songfestivalboek".
| Songs in theDutch Charts[21][22] | Year of Appearance | Chart Position | Date of Entry | Label | Composer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Love Me" | 1976 | Top 40 (5 weeks) | 11/11/1976 | CNR | J. Gaasbeek, B. Baarslag | |
| "I Am Ready" | 1976 | CNR | D. McRonald, Dunhills | B-Side to 'Love M' | ||
| "Mademoiselle (Mais Oui Je T'aime)" | 1977 | Top 40 (4 weeks) | 23/4/1977 | CNR | Dunhills, Mc. Ronald | |
| "Believe Me" | 1977 | CNR | J. Gaasbeek, B. Baarslag | B-Side to 'Mademoiselle' | ||
| "Shelter Me" | 1977 | Top 40 (3 weeks) | 22/10/1977 | CNR | Dave Paul, Duncan Mackellar | |
| "Fly With Me" | 1977 | CNR | B. Baarslag, J. Gaasbeek | B-Side to 'Shelter Me' | ||
| "I'm Alone" | 1977 | Top 40 (3 weeks) | 21/1/1978 | CNR | D. Mc. Ronald, H. Waltheim, F. Rothman | Artist listed as 'Getty and Teach-In' |
| "Ik Wil Je Liever Niet Weer Zien" | 1982 | Philips | Cath. Courage, H. P. de Boer | |||
| "Voor Jou, Voor Mij" | 1982 | Philips | Ouwens, Stolk,G. den Braber | B-Side to "Ik Wil Je Liever Niet Weer Zien" | ||
| "Madam" | 1982 | A&R | Cath. Courage, G. den Braber | |||
| "Weet Je Nog Wel" | 1982 | A&R | Ouwens, Stolk, Waltheim | B-Side to 'Madam' | ||
| "Vive Le Festival" | 1989 | Corduroy | Kaspers | Instrumental also released | ||
| "Enschedé (C'est La Vie)"[23] | 2009 | Vinylparadijs | P. Paljet, T. Minor, L. Post | |||
| Kom Je Kijken (Papertown) | 2009 | Vinylparadijs | Östlund, H. Barter, R. Barter, J. Twigt | |||
| "Jan Fortuin" | 2010 | Vinylparadijs | F. Gaasbeek | |||
| "Manolito" | 2010 | Vinylparadijs | H. Stott, H. P. De Boer, E. Ouwens |
| Album(s) in theDutch Charts[22][3] | Year of Appearance | Chart Position | Date of Entry | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Getty" | 1982 | CBS |
| International | |
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| Artists | |
