Bram Vermeulen

Bram Vermeulen once claimed he possessed only a single gift—the ability to attain celebrity—and that he had exercised it on three distinct occasions across his life. His initial brush with renown arrived early in the 1960s, when he earned recognition as the Johan Cruyff of Dutch volleyball after debuting for the national side at age sixteen. The second surge came in the 1970s as one half of the celebrated cabaret partnership Neerlands Hoop, which attained extraordinary levels of popularity. The third phase unfolded during the 1980s, when he successfully shifted from pop performer to troubadour, delivering his compositions in theaters nearly every evening while conveying his messages to audiences. Beyond his roles as a volleyball international, comedian, and musician, Vermeulen also worked as a painter, television creator, and writer of many books.

Abraham Gerrit Vermeulen entered the world on October 13, 1946, in The Hague as the youngest of three siblings. His father served in government, advancing fresh agricultural methods. Young Bram attended Montessori school and showed keen curiosity. Outside classes he revealed skill at volleyball, earning selection for the Dutch national squad at sixteen. He made his first appearance in Doetinchem against France, positioned as centerfielder. At that stage he was enrolled at an H.B.S. school. In 1967 Vermeulen relocated to Amsterdam to pursue psychology studies and joined a student fraternity, where he encountered Freek de Jonge. The pair soon established the cabaret act Neerlands Hoop, with De Jonge authoring most of the texts while Vermeulen wrote the music and designed the visual elements. De Jonge tended toward outspoken delivery; Vermeulen, by contrast, embodied a more introspective, romantic temperament.

When Neerlands Hoop achieved its breakthrough in 1969 with the full production Neerlands Hoop in Bange Dagen, Vermeulen left the national volleyball team at twenty-two. For a decade the duo stood as national figures, challenging both reviewers and spectators by pioneering a brisk, confrontational cabaret approach that omitted conventional applause breaks and incorporated live pop musicians. Following the 1979 dissolution of Neerlands Hoop, Vermeulen promptly assembled the pop group De Toekomst, drawing members from prior Neerlands Hoop sidemen and Pee Wee & the Specials. Only then did his recording career gain momentum. The debut album Bram Vermeulen en de Toekomst sold modestly yet featured notable tracks such as “Politiek,” “Pauline,” and “Ik Kan Het Niet.” Its successor, Doe Het Niet Alleen, received an Edison award. In 1981 Vermeulen took the lead in Ab van Ieperen’s film Achter Glas. Two years of nonstop performances—among them a joint tour with Doe Maar under the collective name De Orde—preceded the third album Tegen de Tijd; shortly afterward De Toekomst disbanded amid repeated clashes between Vermeulen and guitarist Jan de Hont.

Vermeulen next formed the Famous Painters, later renamed De Neefjes, though the ensemble lasted only a year. That project marked the start of his move toward theater-based performance. Afterward he toured with a single accompanist, drummer Edward Wahr; these initial solo outings met limited critical favor. The stripped-down theatrical format, emphasizing lyrical content, prompted the 1984 self-titled album Bram, which earned another Edison. He then stepped away from music for several years to focus on writing and television projects.

Vermeulen returned triumphantly in 1988 with Rode Wijn, produced by Boudewijn de Groot; the record found particular acceptance in Belgium and included enduring pieces such as “Rode Wijn” and “De Steen.” De Groot also produced the follow-up Dans Met Mij in 1989, on which Ernst Jansz, formerly of Doe Maar, contributed as a musician. Thereafter Vermeulen mounted annual theater tours tied to each new release. In 1991 Jansz produced the live album Vriend en Vijand, recorded with a band that also featured Boudewijn de Groot, Raymond van ’t Groenewoud, Peter Wassenaar, and Rick Nolov.

After a brief hiatus Vermeulen issued Achter Mijn Ogen in 1994, again with Jansz producing. Jansz likewise helmed the 1995 double set Tijd/Vrije Tijd, pairing re-recordings of 1980s material with rarities that encompassed a rendition of Johan Verminnen’s “Tussen Spelers en Drinkers” and two Neerlands Hoop numbers. That year he received the Annie M.G. Schmidt award for the song “Een Doodgewone Jongen.”

In 1997 Vermeulen undertook a solo theater tour supporting Polonaise, performing on piano, guitar, and harmonica. The self-directed approach suited him, leading him to produce the 1999 studio album De Beuk Erin himself. The following year, at the invitation of the In Flanders Fields Museum, he prepared and presented a theater program devoted to World War One; Oorlog Aan de Oorlog, an album and subsequent tour addressing warfare, followed. His final studio album, De Mannen, appeared in 2003 and featured guitar work by Leonard Lucieer of Alamo Race Track. During the same period he created a television program on reincarnation that also existed in radio and interactive-web formats, while completing both a novel and a children’s book. The closing track “Vrij,” reminiscent of Nick Drake, carried an unintended premonition of his passing.

The final year of Vermeulen’s life opened with the television program In den Beginne. He then embarked on another war-themed theater tour, Mannen Maken Oorlog. Afterward he traveled to Italy, where he suffered a fatal heart attack at age fifty-six. The compilation Tijdloos, gathering selected songs, was released shortly thereafter. One year later his partner, actress Shireen Strooker, and his two daughters, working with Ernst Jansz and Pierre van Duijl, organized a tribute tour featuring numerous Dutch artists; a recording of the concluding concert at Carré appeared in 2006.