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LIESBETH
LIST (ARTIEST BIOGRAPHY)
Liesbeth
List (born Elisabeth Dorathea Driessen, 12 December 1941, Bandoeng,
Dutch East Indies ) is a Dutch singer and chansonnier. She became
popular during the 1960s and frequently collaborated with Ramses
Shaffy. She also sang Jacques Brel’s chansons in Dutch translation.
Ramses Shaffy (August 29, 1933) is a Dutch singer, chansonnier, and
actor. He became popular during the 1960s. His most famous songs
include Zing, vecht, huil, bid, lach, werk en bewonder (Sing, fight,
cry, pray, laugh, work and admire), We zullen doorgaan (We will go
on), Pastorale, Sammy and Laat me (Leave me be). He frequently
collaborated with Dutch singer Liesbeth List.
Shaffy was born in Paris, in the suburb Neuilly-sur-Seine. His
father was an Egyptian diplomat, his mother was a Polish duchess
from Russian descent. He grew up with her in Cannes. When she was
infected with tuberculosis, Shaffy was sent to an aunt in Utrecht.
Eventually, he ended up in a foster family in Leiden.
He did not finish high school, but he was accepted at the Amsterdam
school of theatre arts in 1952. In 1955, he made his debut with the
Nederlandse Comedie. He went to Rome in 1960 with his lover Joop
Admiraal, aspiring a career as a film actor. Eventually, they
returned without success. In 1964, Shaffy founded the theatre group
Shaffy Chantant, which led to his first collaborations with Liesbeth
List. He also worked together with Dutch pianist Louis van Dijk.
Among others, Thijs van Leer was a member of the group for a short
period of time. With Liesbeth List, he recorded the classic song
Pastorale.
His hit Wij zullen doorgaan was parodied by comedian André van Duin
in 1975.
In the 1980s, Shaffy returned to the stage and the set as an actor.
He played Don Quixote in the musical De man van La Mancha (The man
from La Mancha) in 1993. Pieter Fleury made a documentary about
Shaffy in 2002, titled Ramses. It won a Golden Calf, the award of
the Netherlands Film Festival. The film shows Shaffy’s life as a
somewhat confused, shaky old man in a rest home in Amsterdam. Many
years of extensive alcohol abuse are the main cause of his
deteriorated condition. [1]Some say he suffers from Korsakoff’s
syndrome, but this was never diagnosed by the doctors.
Shaffy’s condition slightly improved in the years following the
film. His memory improved and he sometimes makes public appearances
again. In the fall of 2005 he re-recorded his 1978 hit song Laat me,
together with Liesbeth List and the band ‘Alderliefste’, which
became a minor hit. |
