Doe Maar

Doe Maar, a Dutch ska-pop group formed in 1978, emerged from the Netherlands’ vibrant underground scene; its founding lineup included Ernst Jansz, Jan Hendriks, Piet Dekker, and Carel Copier, with Henny Vrienten joining later as bassist and vocalist. The band’s early recordings included the single “Ik zou het willen doen” and the debut album Doe Maar (1979). Their mainstream breakthrough came with the 1982 release of “Doris Day” and the album Doris Day en andere stukken (1982). Subsequent releases Skunk (1981), Doris Day en andere stukken (1982), and 4us (1983) were major hits in the Dutch charts, cementing the group’s dominance in Nederpop; the 1984 compilation De beste van Doe Maar further consolidated their legacy. After a split in 1984, the band reunited in 1999 and issued the studio album Klaar(2000) with a tour that sold around 175 000 tickets. A musical adaptation, Doe Maar!, premiered in 2007 and won multiple John Kraaijkamp Musical Awards. The group continued to perform sporadically, releasing Versies/Limmen tapes(2012) and the live album Symphonica in Rosso (2012), before a planned farewell tour was cancelled in 2021 due to Henny Vrienten’s illness; Vrienten passed away on 25 April 2022.