The Late Great George Kooymans

George Kooymans, co-founder of the Dutch rock band Golden Earring as well as its guitarist and one of its songwriters, died on July 22 at the age of 77. He had been diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, in 2021. 

George Kooymans was born on March 11 1948 in The Hague, Netherlands. He was only 13 years old when he and his neighbour 15-year-old neighbor, Rinus Gerritsen formed a band called "The Tornados" in 1961. They changed their name to The Golden Earrings when they learned of the English instrumental group also called The Tornados. Their first single, "Please Go," was recorded at Pye Studios in the United Kingdom because their manager at the time did not find Dutch studios satisfactory. "Please Go" proved to be a hit in the Netherlands, going to no. 8 on the Dutch singles chart.

The band's original lead vocalist, Frans Krassenburg, was replaced by Barry Hay in 1968. It was in 1970 that Cesar Zuiderwijk became the band's drummer. The classic line-up of George Kooymans, Rinus Gerritsen. Barry Hayk, and Cesar Zuiderwijk would remain in place until George Kooymans retired due to his illness in 2021. The classic lineup of Golden Earring is then the longest running lineup of any band in rock history. It was in 1969 that The Golden Earrings became simply The Golden Earring. In 1970 it would be shortened to simply "Golden Earring."

It was in 1973 that Golden Earring finally broke though the English speaking market, with their song "Radar Love" peaking at no. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and no. 7 on the UK singles chart. The song was written by George Kooymans and Barry Hay. Golden Earring would have further hits in the English language market with "The Twilight Zone" (no. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and no. 13 on Canada Top Singles) and "When the Lady Smiles" (no. 76 on the Billboard Hot 100). The former was written by George Kooymans and the latter by George Kooymans and Barry Hays.

While Golden Earring would have no further major hits int the US or UK, they continued to do well on the charts in the Netherlands well into the Naughts. In the United States they maintained a cult following, and "Radar Love" remained popular on FM radio. 

In addition to writing or co-writing songs for Golden Earring, George Kooymans also produced other artists, including Ernie Van, New Adventures, Herman Brood and His Wild Romance, Nancy Boyd, and Anouk, among others. He was a member and co-founder the Dutch supergroup Vreemde Kostgangers. 

There can be no doubt that George Kooymans was responsible for much of the success of Golden Earring. He was a talented guitarist, His guitar work was both powerful and insistent, and his riffs often permeated with the blues. He was also an excellent songwriter, writing or co-writing such songs as "That Day," "Sounds of the Screaming Day," "Radar Love," "Weekend Love," "Candy's Going Bad," "The Twilight Zone," "When the Lady Smiles," and others. Geroge Kooymans was simply a remarkable musician and songwriter who left behind a great legacy of music.