Bobbejaan Schoepen

Bobbejaan Schoepen (born Modest Schoepen, May 16, 1925, Boom, Antwerp) is a Flemish entertainer, singer, guitarist, composer, actor, and founder of the Bobbejaanland amusement park in Belgium. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2092x2994, 4032 KB) Bobbejaan schoepen Use Permitted with source indication Source: Bobbejaanschoepen. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2092x2994, 4032 KB) Bobbejaan schoepen Use Permitted with source indication Source: Bobbejaanschoepen. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (137th in leap years). ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Location of Boom within the province of Antwerp Boom is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of Antwerp. ... The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal (Cathedral of our Lady) at the Handschoenmarkt, in the old quarter of Antwerp is the largest cathedral in the Low Countries and home to several triptychs by Baroque painter Rubens. ... The term Flemings (Dutch: ) is currently mostly used to refer to the ethnic group native to Flanders (the northern half of Belgium, historically part of the Southern Netherlands), which in total numbers about 6 million people in Belgium (the majority of all Belgians) . The term also designates, not only the... An entertainer is someone who is hired to entertain people. ... Ercole de Roberti: Concert, c. ... A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter Typhoon roller coaster Bobbejaanland is an amusement park in Lichtaart, Belgium. ...

As a child Modest Schoepen grew up in his father's smith. With a few dollars and a lot of powerful work ethic he started his remarkable career in the late 30s doing local vaudeville performances. Now he belongs to the 200 most rich people of Belgium. (Ludwig Verduyn, 2000)

He is the first Belgian singer successfully to pursue an international career. Bobbejaan Schoepen also introduced American Country music recordings to the masses of West-Europe. Apart from British artists, he is probably the only European to have performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville (three performances with Roy Acuff in 1953). He is also well known for his highly accomplished professional and virtuoso whistling. country music, see Country music (disambiguation) Country music, also known as country and western music or country-western, is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States. ... The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly Saturday night country music radio program broadcast live on WSM radio in Nashville, Tennessee, and televised on Great American Country network. ... Roy Acuff on the cover of The Great Roy Acuff (1964) Roy Claxton Acuff (15 September 1903 – 23 November 1992) was an American country musician. ...

Schoepen started as a classically trained singer and guitarist, an artistic jack-of-all-trades and master of none, who would always be very hard to categorize.

At the beginning of his career, he was a popular singer with broad musical perspectives, renowned as a bohemian entertainer with a very typical sense of irony and tongue-in-cheeck assertiveness. (His stage name is derived from the South African song "Bobbejaan klim die berg".) His comprehensive and sometimes wittingly countercultural catalogue stretches from cabaret, sentimental songs and cinematic instrumentals, over chansons and country to absolutely crazy folk music. He sold about five million copies of the songs in this enormous repertoire (his musical repertoire includes more than 500 songs).

He was arrested by the Nazis during his debut in 1943 in Antwerp when he sang a South African song "Mamma, 'k wil 'n man hê!" ("No mom no, I don't want German man, cause I don't eat schweinefleisch"), which was interpreted as anti-German. National Socialism redirects here. ... The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal (Cathedral of our Lady) at the Handschoenmarkt, in the old quarter of Antwerp is the largest cathedral in the Low Countries and home to several triptychs by Baroque painter Rubens. ...

Post WWII

In 1947, he met Jacques Kluger, a renowned Jewish manager that was looking for local talent. Right away he recognized a promising performer and asked Bobbejaan to entertain the American and Canadian troops in Frankfurt and Berlin. One of these floor shows happened to be attended by the American general and military governor Lucius D. Clay, who invited him straight away for more performances. These tours would influence his country repertoire and strongly stimulate his career. Lucius Dubignon Clay (April 23, 1897 - April 16, 1978) was an American general. ...

His first record became a hit single in Belgium in 1948: De jodelende fluiter (The Yodeling Whistler). In 1949 he also entertained the Dutch soldiers during the Indonesian War with 127 performances within three months of his own show.

He enjoyed enormous popularity during the 1950s and the beginning of the 1970s. In 1951 the Belgian jazz musician Toots Thielemans was a member of his band, and in January 1955 the Belgian singer Jacques Brel was supporting act for one week in his show in the legendary concert hall Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. That autumn he toured for three months in Congo with his show. Jean Toots Thielemans (born Brussels, April 29, 1922) is a Belgian jazz artist well known for his guitar, harmonica play and also for his highly accomplished professional whistling. ... Brel on a cover of Les Adieux à lOlympia concert album (1966) Jacques Brel (April 8, 1929 – October 9, 1978) was a respected Belgian French-speaking singer-songwriter, considered by many as a poet as well, given the power of his lyrics. ... The Ancienne Belgique is a concert hall for contemporary music in Brussels, Belgium. ...

International

Schoepen toured about twenty countries, among others with Josephine Baker, Caterina Valente, (once) Gilbert Bécaud. He is the first European artist (apart from the UK) to have appeared in the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. In 1953 he played there about three times with Roy Acuff. In 1957 he recorded in New York for RCA Records with the legendary Steve Sholes, who offered him a record contract and a North-American tour to promote his songs as "Bobby John". He gave a guest-appearance in the Ed Sullivan TV-Show, and he also played a single performance with Country singer Red Foley (1910-1968) in Springfield Missouri. But Bob, who was already on tour for over ten years, did'nt want to continue his European succes in the US. He also had contractual duties in Europe and he was looking for a place to settle down (his later Bobbejaanland). Also in 1957 he was the second Belgian contestant to the Eurovision Song Contest 1957, tying for eighth place with Lys Assia with the song Straatdeuntje. The performance is memorable in featuring a whistling solo. Schoepen is also rumoured not to have known which song he was to perform at the Contest until he arrived, only rehearsing his entry once before performance. In 1958 he performed at the Royal Variety Show, a gala of the British Queen Mother. Josephine Baker, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1949. ... The two faces of Caterina Valente: lady and tomboy. ... Gilbert Bécaud Gilbert Bécaud (October 24, 1927 – December 18, 2001) was a French singer, composer and actor, known as Monsieur 100,000 Volts for his energetic performances. ... The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly Saturday night country music radio program broadcast live on WSM radio in Nashville, Tennessee, and televised on Great American Country network. ... For other cities named Nashville, see Nashville (disambiguation). ... Roy Acuff on the cover of The Great Roy Acuff (1964) Roy Claxton Acuff (15 September 1903 – 23 November 1992) was an American country musician. ... RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony BMG Music Entertainment. ... Born: Feb 12, 1911 in Washington, D.C. Died: Apr 22, 1968 in Nashville, Tennessee One of the most influential producers in postwar music. ... Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the emcee of a popular TV variety show that was at its height of popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. ... Clyde Julian Red Foley ( June 17, 1910 - September 19, 1968) was a country music singer. ... Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter Typhoon roller coaster Bobbejaanland is an amusement park in Lichtaart, Belgium. ... The Eurovision Song Contest 1957 was the second Eurovision Song Contest. ... Lys Assia (born March 2, 1924), original name Rosa Mina Schärer, was born in Lenzburg?, Canton of Aargau, Switzerland. ... Straatdeuntje (English translation: Street Tune) was the Belgian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957, performed in Dutch by Bobbejaan Schoepen. ... The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held in London once each year, usually in a theatre in the West End. ... The title Queen Mother is a title reserved for a widowed Queen consort whose son/daughter from that union is the reigning monarch. ...

In 1959 and 1960 Bobbejaan Schoepen covered Pub with no beer, originally by the Australian country singer Slim Dusty (1957, written by Gordon Parsons). The Dutch and German cover versions of the song became number-one hits (even evergreens) in Belgium and in Austria. In Germany the song remained 30 weeks in the charts. A Pub With No Beer is the title of a well-known humorous country song. ... David Gordon Slim Dusty Kirkpatrick (June 13, 1927-September 19, 2003 in Kempsey, NSW)was an Australian country music singer and songwriter. ...

In 1961 he became one of the musical highlights of the Filmfestival in Berlin. A few years later Bobbejaan's evergreen Eerbied voor jouw grijze haren ('Grey hairs') became an international hit, covered by the popular German singers Heino, Camillo Felgen and also James Last, with over three million copies sold. In France, Richard Anthony scored a big hit with his "Je me suis souvent demandé". Because of this song, Schoepen was honoured with an artisitic award in Paris in 1965. The one and only Heino! Heino (born December 13, 1938 Düsseldorf as Heinz Georg Kramm) is a German singer of popular music (Schlager and Volksmusik). ... Camillo Felgen (Camille Jean Nicolas Felgen) (b. ... James Last (left) together with fan Guenter Krueger, Berlin (Germany) James Last (born Hans Last on April 17, 1929 in Bremen) is a German composer and big band leader with a large fan base in Europe and world-wide. ...

During the sixties and seventies he was a regular visitor of the United States, where he took up with actor Roy Rogers, Nudie (the fashion designer of Elvis, Johnny Cash et al.), and with Tex Williams, the founding father of swing country. The foursome occasionally performed together in local clubs. Williams himself will release Schoepen's "Fire and Blisters" in 1974. Dale Evans & Roy Rogers Leonard Franklin Slye (November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998), became famous as Roy Rogers, a singer and cowboy actor. ... Nudie Jeans is a Swedish clothing brand and a subsidiary of Svenska Jeans AB, founded in 1999 by Maria Erixsson, a former employee and AD of Lee Europe and Swedish Jeans designer JC. As of 2003, the company had 12 employees, a revenue of 93 million SEK and a net... Elvis Aron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), also known as The King of Rock and Roll, or as just simply The King, was an American singer who had an immeasurable effect on world culture. ... Johnny Cash (born J.R. Cash, February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an influential American country and rock and roll singer and songwriter. ... Tex Williams (August 23, 1917 - October 11, 1985) was an American country musician from Ramsey, Illinois. ...

From marsh to amusement park

In 1959 Bobbejaan Schoepen got weary of touring and decided to build his own music theater: after draining a 30 ha marsh he built a venue where he could perform as often as he liked. In 1961, the Bobbejaanland amusement park was born (his personal manager Jacques Kluger invented the name). In 1975 he and his wife Josée decided to build an attraction park around his theater. Within 40 years this domain became one of the top amusements parks in Europe, runned by him and his family. Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter Typhoon roller coaster Bobbejaanland is an amusement park in Lichtaart, Belgium. ...

During his career, Bobbejaan Schoepen performed in 5 films as an actor or singer. In 1999 the alternative rock band Dead Man Ray wrote a new soundtrack for the film At the Drop of A Head (alias De Ordonnans or Pub with no beer) and went on tour with the film in the Low Countries. The original movie from 1962 starred Schoepen; the original soundtrack was at that time immensely popular pop band Les Cousins (The Cousins). Dead Man Ray is a Belgian rock band. ... A Pub With No Beer is the title of a well-known humorous country song. ... The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries (see Country) on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse (Maas) rivers. ... Les Cousins may refer to: Les Cousins (music club), a 1960s folk and blues club in Greek street, Soho, London. ...

The life of Schoepen is also a lucky bag of funny and colourful anecdotes. Once, he managed to buy the original Zorro's horse from guntumbler Casey Tibbs, but unfortunately the animal tread on an exposed cable and died. From his American friend Nudie Cohn, he acquired the peculiar white Pontiac Nudie Mobiles, skilfully decorated with American coins and showweapens. He had to count out ten thousand dollar for it, but looking back he would consider the white Pontiac as the most effective and talked-about element of al the attractions he featured. Probably just as charcteristic for his inventive spirit of enterprise, is the fact that Schoepen is the original deviser of the name Paribas, the French-Dutch banking group, later BNP-Paribas. Zorro (sometimes with the definite article : El Zorro), Spanish for Fox, is the secret identity of Don Diego de la Vega (originally Don Diego Vega), a fictional nobleman and master swordsman living in Spanish-era California. ... Gram Parsons wearing a Nudie Suit Nudie Cohn (December 15, 1902 – May 9, 1984) was a Ukrainian-American tailor, known for designing rhinestone-covered outfits to be worn by celebrities. ... Nudie Mobiles refers to the name of Nudie Cohn (December 15, 1902 – May 9, 1984). ... This article concerns the automobile; for the Native American leader, see Chief Pontiac, for other uses see the disambiguation page. ...

Remarkable changes

All the same, the life of Bobbejaan Schoepen was not without its difficulties: during wartime he was thrown into prison twice. Later, he lost his virtuoso whistle gift due to an operative intervention. Until recently he suffered from intestinal cancer, which gave rise to the idea to part with his life's work Bobbejaanland. Appearently there was no stopping him: in the winter of 2003, a major investement of 12 million dollar was made for a couple of world premières: the Typhoon (a roller coaster with a fourfold loop and a free fall) and the Sledge Hammer (a giant shuttle that reaches topspeeds of 110 km/h). In 2003, the consumer’s organisation Test-Aankoop conducts a large-scale comparative survey of 13 European amusement parks. On a European level, Bobbejaanland came off second best after Phantasialand for as good as every aspect under scrutiny, together with Disneyland and the Parc Astérix. For Belgium, Bobbejaanland is considered to be the best. (Test-Aankoop magazine 477, June 2004). A whistle is a one-note woodwind instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. ... Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter Typhoon roller coaster Bobbejaanland is an amusement park in Lichtaart, Belgium. ... Deep in Africa Phantasialand is an amusement park in Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany that attracts approximately 2 million visitors annually. ... Disneyland (since 1998 officially Disneyland Park, to distinguish it from the Disneyland Resort complex of which it is a part), is a theme park in Anaheim, California, USA (28 miles from Downtown Los Angeles). ... Parc Astérix is a theme amusement park park in France, based on the stories of Asterix, created by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny. ...

But April 2004 the final decision to sell the park was taken, after a preparatory period of more than three years. With this decision, the last family concern in the sector of amusement parks in Belgium disappeared. During the 43 years of the Schoepen-management, we can consider the founding father to be the artistic brain behind the park. His wife José (who is the oldest of sixteen children) was the commercial backbone, and her sister Louise set up a solid foundation with regard to accounting and finances. The key to succes was the mutual trust in this triumvirate and their powerful work ethic.

Bobbejaan Schoepen and his wife still live on the domain. In 2005 he gave four surprise performances on the literary festival Saint Amour. Currently he is working on a new CD release.

Quotes

• "I have never been a child prodigy. When I think back to my childhood, I can not discern any sign of future success. My only real talent couldn't be found in any curriculum: whistling." (HUMO, 1964)

• "In 1956 I was granted the biggest reward of my career: my wife, Josée Jongen." (1970)

• "Bobbejaan Schoepen is a real artist, who managed to transform his jazzy country guitar-playing, his deep seraphic voice and his crazy sense of humour into a trademark and later into an amusement park." (Dead Man Ray, 1999)

• "Happiness is the moment when one doesn't feel pain." (HUMO, 2005)

HUMO is a popular, independent, Belgian weekly radio and television magazine, written in Dutch. ... Dead Man Ray is a Belgian rock band. ... HUMO is a popular, independent, Belgian weekly radio and television magazine, written in Dutch. ...

Rewards and nominations Bobbejaan Schoepen

• Document for courage and self-immolation for the musical support of the Dutch troops in Indonesia, presented by General Baay, supreme commander of the Dutch troops in Eastern Java, 1949.

• Best Flemish singer (Flemish Grammy Award, by NIR and Studio Gent, 15 March 1955)

• Education Artistique, diplôme de Croix d'Honneur de Chevalier. Presented by the Académie Natonale Artistique Littéraire et Scientifique, on June 30th, 1965 in Paris (No 5177).

• Platinum record for 30 years Flemmisch Hits, Telstar 1978.

• 25 golden records.

• Compagnion in the Order of the Crown, 9 April 1986, presented by the Ministry of the Flemmisch Community.

• Sabam Prize-medal - Belgian Artistical Promotion, 19 January 1993.

• Sabam Prize-medal - Belgian Artistical Promotion, 26 September 1995

• Certificate Belgium, Order of Leopold II: Knight of the Order of Leopold II, 26 September 1995, presented by the Ministry of the Flemmisch Community.

• Place of honour in the Radio 2 Hall of Fame, 2000.

• "Ik heb eerbied voor jouw grijze haren" (nomination for the Radio2 Hall of Fame, 2000)

• "Lichtjes aan de Schelde" (nomination for the Radio2 Hall of Fame, November 2005)

5 Greatest hits (int.)

• Ich hab Ehrfurcht vor schneeweißen Haaren (1959)
• Je me suis souvent demandé (1965)
• Ich steh an der Bar und habe kein Geld (1959) (Pub with no beer)
• Lichtjes van de Schelde (1952, Belgium)
• Ein Hauschen auf der Heide (1960)/Kili watch (1961)

Managers

• Europe: Jacques Kluger
• Denmark en Iceland: Syd Fox
• US: Steve Sholes

Born: Feb 12, 1911 in Washington, D.C. Died: Apr 22, 1968 in Nashville, Tennessee One of the most influential producers in postwar music. ...

Artist names

• Belgium and The Netherlands: Bobbejaan Schoepen
• Germany and Austria: Bobby Jaan, Bobbejaan
• Denmark and Iceland: Bobby Jaan
• France: Bobby Jaan, Bobby Jann, Bobbi-Jean
• US: Bobby John

Filmography

• Ah! t'Is zo fijn in België te leven (1950, Belgium)
• Televisite (TV series 1955, Belgium)
• The Eurovision Song Contest (1957, Germany)
• At the Drop of a Head/De Ordonnans/Café zonder bier (1962, Belgium–England)
• O sole mio (1960, Germany)
• Davon träumen alle Mädchen (1961, Germany)
• Bobbejaanland (film production ZDF—by Vladimir Sis, 1967, Studio Barrandov Prague)
• Der Goldene Schuß— TV episode (as Bobbejaan) (Musical, 1969)

References

• Official Discography Bobbejaan Schoepen
• The Yodeling Whistler

Sources

• Bobbejaan Schoepen (Johan Roggen, Publisher Het Volk, 1980 - D/1980/2345/10).
• De Vlaamse kleinkunstbeweging na de Tweede Wereldoorlog - Een historisch overzicht (Peter Notte, Universiteit Gent 1992). 'The Flemish Variety Movement after World War II - An Historical Overview'. Peter Notte, University Ghent, 1992)
• Bobbejaan Schoepen — "Histories" documentary, 4 January 2001 (Canvas/VRT)
• Bobbejaan Schoepen — The Belgian Pop & Rock Archive (Dirk Houbrechts and the Flanders Music Center, 2001).
• "Brel Le flamand" — Histories documentary, 2003 (Canvas/VRT).
• Bobbejaan Schoepen Archive — Bobbejaan Records bvba
• Official Biography Bobbejaan Schoepen — by Tom Schoepen - "Volkskundige Kroniek" van de Federatie voor Volkskunde in Vlaanderen (i.e. “Folklife Chronicles”, magazine of the Folklife Federation Flanders)- yr. 14 - nr. 2 april-may-juin 2006).