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Ronnie Tober | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | Ronald Edwin Tober (1945-04-21)21 April 1945 (age 80) Bussum, Netherlands |
| Occupation | Singer |
Ronald Edwin Tober (born 21 April 1945) is aDutchsinger, known for representing theNetherlands in theEurovision Song Contest 1968 with the song "Morgen".
Tober was born inBussum,Netherlands, but moved to theUnited States with his family at the age of three. He grew up inAlbany,New York.



Invited to appear on "The Teen Age Barn", atelevision show on the channelWRGB, he performed every week for several years. During this time, he appeared on television as a guest of singerPerry Como, performing "O Holy Night" together. He was also a guest star on theCBS seriesRoute 66 withGeorge Maharis andMartin Milner, and appeared onThe Ed Sullivan Show.
Tober went on to perform for several notable people, including SenatorJohn F. Kennedy, Vice-PresidentRichard Nixon, and GovernorsW. Averell Harriman andNelson Rockefeller.
Tober played the role of Tony in the musicalThe Boy Friend and Billy Jester inLittle Mary Sunshine. After being introduced to songwriter and record producerBob Crewe, Tober recorded his first record in 1959 entitled "Who Taught You How To Love".
In 1963, while in the Netherlands to visit his grandmother, he appeared onVoor de vuist weg, a television show hosted byWillem Duys. Based on the positive reactions to his performance, he decided to move back to the Netherlands. He signed withPhonogram/Philips and produced his first Dutch record "Iedere avond" in 1964.
In 1966, he participated in theSopot International Song Festival inSopot,Poland, with themedley "Showtime on Broadway".
In 1968, he won the Dutchnational selection for theEurovision Song Contest and represented the Netherlands in theEurovision Song Contest 1968 held inLondon,United Kingdom, with the song "Morgen". He finished in sixteenth place with only one point.
Tober has had TV shows with the broadcasting organizationsAVRO andKRO, and his guests have includedVikki Carr,Roger Whittaker andNancy Wilson.
Tober married Jan Jochems, who he had been in a relationship with since 1968, on 24 February 1998. In 1999, Tober was diagnosed withbladder cancer and underwentchemotherapy.
On 27 December 2003, during his 40th year in show business, Tober was invested as a Knight of theOrder of Orange-Nassau byQueen Beatrix of the Netherlands. Tober's name is also inscribed on theWall of Fame in theZuiderkerk inAmsterdam.[citation needed]
In 2002, Tober founded theRonnie Tober Foundation to help assist people with adevelopmental disability through cultural and musical works. In 2007, Tober, his husband, and their friends raised €10,000 for his foundation by completing theInternational Four Days Marches Nijmegen.
| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 | Succeeded by |