Doe Maar

Among Dutch pop ensembles, Doe Maar ranks among the most celebrated in history. Fusing reggae grooves, pop structures, ska accents, and lyrics delivered in Dutch, the outfit forged an agitated, punk-inflected strain of pop that steered clear of standard guitar solos. Their fame crested at extraordinary levels in the opening years of the 1980s while simultaneously clearing a path for Nederpop, the wave of domestic acts performing in their mother tongue. Across a brief run from 1978 through 1984, the collective issued just four studio albums, three of which ascended to the top chart position. The 2000 reunion release Klaar likewise reached the summit. Commercial triumph for the compilation Alles at the turn of the century, together with the tribute set Trillend op Mijn Benen: Doe Maar Door Anderen, confirmed that Doe Maar retained significance in both popular appeal and creative stature.

Doe Maar’s roots extend to 1978. In leftover hours, Ernst Jansz (lead vocals, keyboards, May 24, 1948) and companions Piet Dekker (bass) and Jan Pijnenburg (drums, Vught, December 29, 1955) rehearsed Jansz’s compositions. Intent on leaving the practice room to establish a proper group, Jansz and Dekker encountered Pijnenburg’s refusal. Carel Copier (drums), previously with Steam, stepped in to complete a fresh rhythm section, after which former bassist Jan Hendriks (guitar), also from Steam, joined on guitar. Invited to appear at the Festival of Fools hosted by Amsterdam’s Paradiso, the unit adopted the name Foolsband and shared stages with clowns plus male and female backing vocalists. Those festival encounters prompted the musicians to keep performing.

Renamed Doe Maar, the group began playing four or five nights weekly. From the outset Jansz supplied the Dutch-language material. He simultaneously functioned as principal songwriter and de-facto manager, overseeing nearly every band-related matter. Once modest traction developed, Jansz enlisted professional manager Frank van der Meijden. By that point Doe Maar could execute its songs with precision. Following an initial appearance on a various-artists LP via the track “Blozen,” van der Meijden forwarded a demo to Telstar Records. The label offered a contract. Nevertheless Doe Maar remained modest in scale; its 1979 debut album Doe Maar moved only 2,000 units. First chart movement arrived when single “Ik Zou Het Willen Doen” registered on the Tip-Parade.

In 1980 Piet Dekker’s departure created a turning point, and the members resolved to disband. Telstar, however, enforced the outstanding contract. Jansz recruited longtime associate Henny Vrienten (lead vocals, bass, guitar) to complete the lineup for what was intended as a final album. The two had previously collaborated on a Boudewijn de Groot record and in the ensuing touring band; afterward they performed together in a reggae outfit. Vrienten initially declined, leading Jansz to approach Joost Belinfante, who lacked prior bass experience. Shortly before sessions for the second album Skunk, the adept Vrienten supplanted Belinfante. His arrival instantly supplied Doe Maar with two strong songwriters; Vrienten added three tracks to the new set.

Even so, the label hesitated to issue the record. After locking the band into the agreement, executives awaited an optimal window. Holiday-season competition appeared too fierce, followed by carnival season, so a post-carnival date was chosen. Marketing copies nevertheless reached radio ahead of carnival. Impressed by the record’s caliber and distinctiveness, DJs began airing both Skunk and the single “Sinds een Dag of Twee.” Audiences responded yet struggled with the title; DJ Frits Spits retitled the song “32 Jaar.” Although the members objected, Telstar approved the change, resulting in 20,000 units sold the next year and the first number-one album placement for a Dutch-language act—an achievement that marked Doe Maar’s initial major breakthrough.

Carel Copier exited at the close of 1981 and was succeeded by 19-year-old René van Collum. The third studio album, Doris Day en Andere Stukken, arrived in 1982 and again claimed the top chart spot, remaining listed for more than twelve months like its predecessor. Lead single “Doris Day” became a radio fixture while the group expanded its sonic range from ska into reggae. Concert halls began resembling Beatles shows, filled with screaming, swooning young women; as a result Jansz and Vrienten in particular emerged as media figures whose phosphor-green and cotton-candy-pink aesthetic appeared ubiquitously. Their appeal to teenagers stood out, given that both songwriters were in their thirties—Vrienten himself characterized Doris Day en Andere Stukken as an album “by people in their thirties, for people in their thirties.” Later that year Vrienten issued a dub remix titled Doe de Dub: Discodubversie.

Doe Maar received the Zilveren Harp in 1982, an award recognizing emerging talent. The band also opened Pinkpop and shared Veronica’s Popnacht bill with Golden Earring. Massive popularity arrived with the November 1982 single “De Bom,” a meditation on Cold War anxiety and life’s apparent pointlessness. In January 1983 van Collum yielded the drum chair to Jan Pijnenburg, yet after Pijnenburg’s second performance he suffered a car accident and van Collum resumed the role. Fourth album 4US achieved platinum certification before reaching stores, becoming the first Dutch title issued on CD; lead single “Pa” became the first Dutch single to debut directly at number one. More than half a million copies of 4US sold. Eastern textures appeared throughout the set, and both Jansz and Vrienten adopted a sharper lyrical tone on tracks such as “Heroïne” and “Doe Maar Net (Alsof Je Neus Bloedt).”

Mounting fame grew increasingly difficult for Jansz and Vrienten to manage. Following the album’s release a publicity moratorium was declared, yet the move only intensified media and fan pressure. Double-live set Lijf aan Lijf, featuring drummer Jan Pijnenburg, surfaced at year’s end. In 1984, still at peak renown and midway through another recording project, Doe Maar dissolved. The members cited exhaustion with fainting concertgoers and relentless intrusion into private life. The split remained amicable, and the musicians continued occasional collaborations. Fifteen years afterward the group reconvened for sixteen concerts that drew 175,000 attendees; the one-off studio album Klaar followed in 2000, again with Pijnenburg on drums. Reception for Klaar proved divided. Continued visibility arrived via CD and DVD releases of the Ahoy performances. A Doe Maar musical opened in 2005, selling out houses and securing five awards. Lead singer and bassist Henny Vrienten died on April 25, 2022 in Amsterdam at the age of 73.