Bots is a socially engaged Dutch language folk rock group from the southern city of Eindhoven that is successful in both the Netherlands and Germany. The band was formed in 1974. Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium. ... Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and for the common people. ... Eindhoven is a municipality and a city located in the province of Noord-Brabant in the south of the Netherlands, originally at the confluence of the Dommel and Gender brooks. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

Line-up

• Bonkie Bongaerts guitar, piano, vocals
• Frans Meijer drums
• Hans Sanders guitar, vocals
• Kees Buenen guitar, piano, vocals
• Noudt Janssen bass guitar, vocals
• Peter de Vries bass guitar
• Piet Engel flute, saxophone
• Sjors Van De Molengraft flute, saxophone

Other musicians

• Anton Wannemakers bass guitar
• Bert Smaak drums
• Broer Bogaart drums
• Erik van Donkersgoed backing vocals, guitar
• Floris Teunissen Van Manen drums
• George Koenraad backing vocals, drums
• Sjoerd Van Bommel drums

Biography

1974 Bots is formed by Bonkie Bongaerts and Bertus Borgers. After leaving the band Dirty Underwear, Hans Sanders - stuck with a band with no pianist and no saxophone support - chose to team up with Bonkie Bongaerts and form the new group Bots (BO-nkie Bongaer-TS). 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Pianist Claudio Arrau, Carnegie Hall, 1954. ... Saxophones of different sizes play in different registers. ...

1975 The band records its first album Van Kwaad Tot Erger (From Bad To Worse) with producer Peter Koelewijn. The album places Bots in the centre of attention and the band also makes its debut on national TV. The singles "Het Lied Van De Werkende Jeugd" ("The Song Of The Working Youth") en "De Man" ("The Man") are released. The band tours frequently, also in Belgium. By this time Hans Sanders started to claim texts and lyrics he did not actually write. This was not discovered earlier then by 1981 when gold-record awards did not result in heavy payments to other band-members then Hans Sanders himself. 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... See TV (disambiguation) for other uses and Television (band) for the rock band European networks National In much of Europe television broadcasting has historically been state dominated, rather than commercially organised, although commercial stations have grown in number recently. ...

1976 East Germany is interested in the band. The song "Zeven Dagen Lang" ("Seven Days On End") ends up on the album Voor God En Vaderland (For God And Country). Co-producer of the album is Peter Koelewijn. The single reaches number 23 in the charts. Themes on the album include feminism, racism, solidarity and militarism. The music shows influences of both folk and pop. 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... GDR redirects here. ...

1977 Bots tours East Germany. Bots records the poem "Rond" ("Round") by Bert Schierbeek. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

1978 The third Bots album is called Wie Zwijgt Stemt Toe (Silence Lends Consent) and is also recorded with Peter Koelewijn. The band's line-up still includes the likes of Sanders and Bongaerts but also sax and flute player Piet Engel, Peter de Vries (bass) and Frans Meijer (drums). The single "Popmuzikant" ("Pop Musician") dents the charts. Together with Eindhoven-based theatre group Proloog Bots creates the musical Barst. 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Peter Koelewijn (born 29 December 1940, Eindhoven, the Netherlands) is a founding father of Dutch language rock and roll. ... Peter De Vries (February 27, 1910 - September 28, 1993) was an American editor and comic novelist known for his satiric wit. ...

1979 Bots also works with Proloog on the Bots Rood Show. This musical theatre production is, however, not very successful. Bots also plays in West Germany. They begin by playing Dutch-language songs but soon they are asked to start singing in German. This page refers to the year 1979. ...

1980 Bots records the album Je Voelt Pas Nattigheid Als Je Droog Komt Te Staan (You Won't Smell A Rat Until You Come Across One) with producer Peter Koelewijn. In the autumn the band's first German-language album comes out. Aufstehn! (Stand Up!) contains German versions of songs like "Zeven Dagen Lang" (de:"Sieben Tage Lang" en:"Seven Days On End") and Ali. The songs are translated by German author Günter Wallraff. 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Peter Koelewijn (born 29 December 1940, Eindhoven, the Netherlands) is a founding father of Dutch language rock and roll. ... Günter Wallraff (born October 1, 1942 in Burscheid near Cologne) is a German writer and undercover journalist. ...

1981 Bots sells over 400.000 copies of Aufstehn! and its follow-up Entrüstung (Indignation, also Ent-Rüstung = Dis-Armament (correctly: en:disarmament = de:Abrüstung) ). But the success also has a down side and the band knows many changes in its line-up which now includes Broer Bogaart (drums) and Noudt Jansen (bass). 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1981-1982 There was a major dispute within the band and between the band and producers/record companies. Hans Sanders had been holding back money from everyone. Due to the these escalations, the bands line-up changed completely. The band has not been supported by a major record company nor recorded a popular hit since. 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1983 The third German-language Schön Krank (Considerable(slang) Sick) is recorded, with very little success or sales. The band is on the road a lot and plays for free in front of half a million people at the Künstler Für Den Frieden (Artists For Peace) festival in West Berlin. This was the last (desperate) action publicly recorded from the band (which could hardly be referred to as 'Bots' any longer). 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1985 From 1985 until 1988 Sjoerd van Bommel is the band's drummer. 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1986 German-language record Lass Die Sterne Stehen is released. 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1988 The band plays in Germany. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1990 The Dutch-language album Paradijs (Paradise) is recorded and released on the Free label in May. The album is produced by Sanders and keyboard player/singer Kees Buenen. Bots sporadically performs in their hometown of Eindhoven. This article is about the year. ... Eindhoven is a municipality and a city located in the province of Noord-Brabant in the south of the Netherlands, originally at the confluence of the Dommel and Gender brooks. ...

1997 When football team PSV Eindhoven wins the national championships Sanders re-records his classic "Zeven Dagen Lang" and turns it into "Zeven Jaren Lang" ("Seven Years On End"). Former BOTS band members and fans were insulted by the way Sanders rewrote the song and publicly tried to claim Bots' heritage . 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... PSV Eindhoven PSV (Philips Sport Vereniging or Philips Sports Union) is a professional football club from Eindhoven, the Netherlands. ...

2001 Bots still tours (drives around) but seldom plays. During the Folkwoods Festival in August the band's line-up includes Sanders, Buenen, George Koenraad (drums/vocals), Erik van Donkersgoed (guitar/vocals) and Anton Wannemakers (bass). 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...