Ramses Shaffy

Dutch singer and actor Ramses Shaffy reached the height of his fame from the middle to the end of the 1960s, yet he continued performing and recording all through the following decade. He entered the world on August 29, 1933, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, on the outskirts of Paris, and passed his first six years in Cannes alongside his mother. Once she contracted tuberculosis, he moved in with a relative in the Netherlands. During the early 1950s he trained in theater in Amsterdam and joined the Nederlandse Comedie ensemble in 1955. While his stage work gained momentum in the 1960s, Shaffy also launched a parallel career as a vocalist and opened the music venue Shaffy Chantant. The club’s popularity led directly to the 1966 album of the same name, which showcased performances by Shaffy, Liesbeth List, Loesje Hamel, Joop Admiraal, and Polo de Haas. Its title song appeared as a single and has endured as one of his most lasting recordings. The follow-up LP, Ramses II (1966), delivered his career-defining success with the track “Sammy.” Additional releases continued through the rest of the decade, highlighted by the 1968 Top Five single “Pastorale,” a duet with List that coincided with the start of her own thriving vocal career. Shaffy stayed active into the 1970s, though a growing dependence on alcohol limited his output; the decade’s principal successes were “Zing, Vecht, Huil, Bid, Lach, Werk en Bewonder” (1971), “We Zullen Doorgaan” (1975), and “Laat Me” (1978). From the 1980s forward his studio work appeared only occasionally. The 2002 documentary Ramses portrayed him living with Korsakoff’s syndrome inside a care facility. He passed away on December 1, 2009, at the age of 76. Issued shortly before his death, the 2009 compilation Laat Me climbed to a Top Five position on the Dutch albums chart.