Pussycat first surfaced in the 1970s through the shared ambitions of the Kowalczyk sisters, Tonny Willé, Betty Drastra, and Marianne Hensen. Raised in Limburg, Netherlands, the siblings initially drew notice under the name Zingende Zusjes (the Singing Sisters) by performing a popular set of German-language material. After enlisting a female drummer, the act overhauled its musical direction, adopted the name BG's from Holland to signal its connection to the rising big-beat trend, and expressed confidence in escaping its regional confines.
Studio work followed swiftly. In 1973 the group issued the single “Tell Alain” on the Telstar label under the alias Sweet Reaction. Retaining the sisters as its nucleus, the lineup expanded by early 1975 with the addition of drummer Theo Coumans, bassist Theo Wetzels, and guitarist John Theunissen; the ensemble then adopted a fresh visual identity and settled on the name Pussycat. The EMI roster welcomed them, and their debut single “Mississippi” became an enormous commercial success, propelling the act onto charts throughout Europe and England, where it reached the top position in August 1976. A follow-up, “Smile,” entered the U.K. listings that December, after which British interest declined, yet Pussycat sustained a robust European trajectory that lasted roughly a decade and yielded seventeen albums.
Hans Lutjens took over drumming duties from Theo Coumans in 1978, allowing the band to maintain its release schedule and extensive touring, including repeated visits to South Africa. As the 1980s advanced, the sisters found it increasingly impractical to fund large-scale shows with a full complement of musicians, so they substituted taped accompaniment for the live rhythm section and adjusted their presentation once more. They remained active through the middle of the decade before choosing, on amicable terms, to disband in pursuit of individual paths. Tonny, who had already issued the 1973 single “For You” under the pseudonym Sally Lane, proved especially active as a solo artist; among her releases, New Words to an Old Love Song earned her the Dutch magazine Country Gazette’s designation as Best Female Country Singer of the Year. Ongoing reissues of compilations and hit collections ensure that Pussycat’s catalog continues to circulate widely.
