Vreemde Kostgangers

Vreemde Kostgangers Was A Dutch 'super Group' Although The Three Musicians Involved Found 'super Group' A Silly Word. It Was The Long Overdue Yet Unlikely Collaboration Of Three Of The Netherlands' Most Famous And Succesful Songwriters Of All Times Boudewijn De Groot George Kooymans Of Golden Earring And Henny Vrienten Of Doe Maar . The Three Had Been Good Friends For Many Years But Had Never Shared A Stage Together Although A Young Henny Vrienten Did Have A Stint In Boudewijn De Groot's Backing Band In The Early 1970s Until They Did A Surprise Performance Together At The 65th Birthday Celebration Of Golden Earring Drummer Cesar Zuiderwijk. They 'clicked' Felt That Their Voices Sounded Good Together And Loosely Agreed To "do Something With This". A Collection Of New Songs Was Written And September 2016 Saw The Launch Of Their Joint Theatre Show 'Vreemde Kostgangers' Which Literally Means 'Strange Lodgers' Or 'Strange Boarders' But Loosely Translates As 'All Sorts' As In The Saying 'it Takes All Sorts To Make A World'. Boudewijn De Groot Henny Vrienten And George Kooymans Have More Than 150 Years Of Experience As Recording Artists Between Them And Were Listed In The Dutch Top 40 For A Mind-Boggling 581 Weeks In Total. The Public Had Never Heard Golden Earring's George Kooymans Sing In His Mothertongue Before. The Trio's First Album Simply Titled Vreemde Kostgangers Was Recorded Live In The Studio Before An Audience And Released On 24 February 2017 Surprisingly Followed By A Second Studio Album Nachtwerk In November Of The Same Year. Nachtwerk Was Followed By Another 34-Date Tour Of The Netherlands And Belgium In Early 2018. The Group's Third Lengthy Theatre Tour Was Cut Short By The Covid-19 Pandemic In Early 2020. During The Pandemic Disaster Struck. George Kooymans Was Diagnosed With The Neuro-Musculair Disease ALS Which Soon Rendered Him Unable To Play And Perform Leading To The Tragic And Sudden Demise Of Golden Earring On 5 February 2021. In September 2021 Henny Vrienten Announced That He Was Ill And Undergoing Medical Treatment. All Of His Tour Dates With Doe Maar Were Cancelled. No Further Details Were Given Until Vrienten's Passing Was Announced On 25 April 2022. According To Obituaries His Undisclosed Disease Was Lung Cancer. These Tragic Events Marked The End Of Vreemde Kostgangers But Kooymans And De Groot Soon Revealed That The Trio Had Finished A Third And Final Studio Album Mist Which Was Eventually Released On 17 March 2023. read less