Andy Tielman (1936-2011), 'King of Indo-Rock' and 'Godfather of Dutch Pop Music'

http://www.youtube.com/embed/STa3GOLnf7E

Andy Tielman, the lead guitarist, front man, and last surviving member of the legendary rock 'n' roll band the Tielman Brothers, died of cancer on Friday, 11 November 2011. Andy was born to a Timorese-Dutch father, Herman Tielman, and German-Javanese mother, Flora Laurentine Hess, in Makassar (South Sulawesi), on 30 May 1936. He started playing music around the age of ten in Surabaya, forming the Timor Rhythm Brothers with his brothers Ponthon (bass), Reggie (banjo/guitar) and Loulou (drums) and their sister Jane (vocals). They mostly performed popular tunes, Indonesian folk songs, and dances at local venues, as well as touring Indonesia for NIWIN, a Dutch military welfare organization and once even performing at the Indonesian presidential palace.  

After moving to the Netherlands in 1957, settling first in Breda and later moving to The Hague, the Tielman Brothers were one of the very first bands to play American rock 'n' roll music (influenced, according to some observers, by Indonesian keroncong rhythms) professionally in the Netherlands. After a spectacular performance at the 1958 World Expo in Brussels, they drew the attention of international booking agents, and the band soon found itself playing the club circuit in several Western European countries, particularly Germany.  


As lead guitarist of one of the top bands of the era Andy became the leading figure of what would later be referred to as 'Indo-Rock', which remained popular until about 1964 (the term 'Indo-Rock' itself was only coined in retrospect, reportedly by Piet Muys in 1975). Andy Tielman may be considered the first 'guitar hero' of the Netherlands. The Tielman Brothers are also credited with recording the first Dutch rock 'n' roll record, Rock Little Baby of Mine, in 1958, although the Tielmans' debut single was in fact recorded in Belgium and had limited circulation. The first rock 'n' roll record made in the Netherlands itself by a native-born Dutchman (Kom van dat dak af, by Peter Koelewijn) hit the charts a year later; Rock Little Baby of Mine may thus be said to have marked the beginning of recorded Dutch rock/pop music.  

Andy Tielman was much admired for his effortless mastery of the electric guitar. The Tielman Brothers also raised the bar for showmanship in the Netherlands and Germany, where their live performances were very popular. Andy baffled audiences with spectacular feats, such as playing the guitar behind his back or with his teeth - about ten years before such antics were popularized by the likes of Jimi Hendrix and The Who.  

Despite their popularity as a live act and a legendary performance on Dutch television in 1959, the success of the Tielmans and other Indo-Rock bands as recording artists remained limited, and their records received relatively little airplay. Surprisingly, the Tielman Brothers' only Top 10 record, Little Bird, hit the Dutch charts in 1967, when the popularity of Indo-Rock was already declining, having been largely superseded by the wave of British 'beat' music.  

However, the Tielman Brothers continued to perform, undergoing several personnel changes and gradually being relegated to the nightclub/nostalgia circuit. After his brothers had all passed away, Andy Tielman withfrew from the music scene for some time, but eventually resumed his musical activities as a solo artist. Public interest in Indo-Rock and their greatest exponents, the Tielman Brothers, experienced a revival in the 1980s. The man who had been dubbed 'King of Indo-Rock' and ' Godfather of Dutch Pop Music' was elevated into knighthood by the Queen of the Netherlands in 2005.  

While claims have been made that Andy Tielman's playing has influenced famous American and British artists, including the Beatles (who played in nightclubs in Germany around the same time) these claims have so far not been substantiated. However, the influence of Indo-Rock musicians on the early development of pop music in the Netherlands has been generally recognized. We may safely conclude that with the demise of Andy Tielman, (Indonesian-)Dutch music has lost a great pioneer and cultural icon.  

Websites  
http://andytielman.nl/  
http://rollingstone.co.id/read/2011/11/11/173213/1765766/1093/pionir-rock-n-roll-dunia-asal-indonesia-andy-tielman-dari-the-tielman-brothers-tutup-usia   http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/3380/muziek/article/detail/3029094/2011/11/11/Muziekverkrachter-Tielman-stond-aan-de-wieg-van-de-Nederlandse-rock-roll.dhtml   http://www.storyofindorock.nl/index.htm  
http://indorock.pmouse.nl/tielmanbrothers.htm  

Literature  
That's my life / Andy Tielman ; [eindred.: Rob Dijkstra]. - Rijswijk : Sir Winston, 2006. - 148 p. : ill.  
Vinger aan de hoed voor de indorock / Leo Bennink.  In: En dan nu de polonaise : muziek in Den Haag en Scheveningen / [red. Cor Gout ... et al. ; ill. Diederik Gerlach].   - 's Gravenhage : Trespassers W, 2008. -  P. 341-351  
Rockin' Ramona / Lutgard Mutsaers. 's-Gravenhage : SDU, 1989.  - 153 p. : ill.