Bob Benny was a Belgian singer and musical theatre performer who was born as Emilius Wagemans in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, in 1926. He achieved early professional recognition in 1951 after an audition for the Nationaal Instituut voor de Radio-omroep (NIR) and is famous for representing Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest (1959, 1961) and for the hit single “Waar en wanneer” (1963). Benny began his singing career following World War II by performing in cafés in his hometown and eventually secured regular spots on the radio program De antenne zingt. His discography includes the recording Mijn hart spreekt tot u (1951) and the hit single “Cindy, oh Cindy” (1957), which reached number 2 on the Belgian charts. He represented Belgium at Eurovision with the tracks “Hou toch van mij” (1959) and “September, gouden roos” (1961). His single “Waar en wanneer” reached number 3 and earned him a gold record, followed by the hit “Alleen door jou” (1963), which reached number 5. Benny later established a career in musical theatre, performing in productions including My Fair Lady and Maske in Blau. Benny died in 2011.
