Livin' Blues

Around 1967 a blues group from the Netherlands assembled in The Hague and operated as a steady unit beginning in 1969. Its initial roster listed Bjorn Toll on vocals, John Lagrand on harmonica, Ted Oberg on guitar, Ruud Fransen on bass and Niek Dijkhuys on drums. Although the group name stayed fixed, wholesale personnel turnover followed at once, installing Nicko Christiansen as singer, Peter Kleinjan on bass and Beer Klaasse on drums; those two were promptly succeeded by Gerard Strutbaum and Cesar Zuiderwijk, while Henk Smitskamp joined on keyboards. Further replacements marked the 1970s, a period when the band’s material tilted more toward rock. Among the musicians who passed through were bassists Ruud van Buuren, Jan van der Voort, Jaap van Eijk and André Reynen, together with drummers John Lejeune, Herman van Boeyen, Cor van Beek, Michel Driessen, Kenny Lamb and Arjen Kamminga, the last two serving together for a time. Smitskamp occasionally switched to bass, Johnny Frederiksz entered as singer, and organist Paul Vin along with guitarist Ron Meyes also joined the lineup.

Livin’ Blues remained most popular inside the Netherlands yet attracted listeners across other parts of Europe, notably Poland. At the opening of the 1980s the group comprised Oberg, Christiansen, Evert Willemstein on bass and Boris Wassenbergh on drums. Former members launched side projects such as Nitehawk and the J&T Band, and most participants also appeared with additional Dutch blues and rock ensembles. Recording activity commenced in 1968 with several singles; the first album arrived in 1969. After the early 1980s the band receded from prominence, yet demand for its catalog stayed strong into the new millennium.