Herman Brood facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Herman Brood
Herman Brood in 1979
Background information
Birth name	Hermanus Brood
Born	(1946-11-05)5 November 1946 Zwolle, Netherlands
Died	11 July 2001(2001-07-11) (aged 54) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Genres	Rock and roll
Occupation(s)	Musician, painter, actor, poet
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	1964–2001
Labels	RCA Records
Associated acts	Wild Romance, The Moans, Long Tall Ernie and the Shakers, Cuby and the Blizzards, Stud, Jan Akkerman, Vitesse, Nina Hagen, Lene Lovich

Hermanus "Herman" Brood (born November 5, 1946 – died July 11, 2001) was a famous Dutch musician, painter, actor, and poet. He became very popular in the 1970s and 1980s for his rock and roll music. Many people called him "the greatest and only Dutch rock 'n' roll star." Later in his life, he also became a successful painter.

Herman Brood: A Dutch Rock Star

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Herman Brood was born in Zwolle, a city in the Netherlands. He started playing the piano when he was just 12 years old. In 1964, he formed a band called The Moans. This band later became known as Long Tall Ernie and the Shakers. Herman also played with other groups like Cuby and the Blizzards, but he didn't stay with them for long. For a few years, he played with different bands, including The Studs, the Flash & Dance Band, and Vitesse.

Rising to Fame with Wild Romance

In 1976, Herman Brood decided to start his own band, called Herman Brood & His Wild Romance. The first members included Ferdi Karmelk on guitar, Gerrit Veen on bass, Peter Walrecht on drums, and Ellen Piebes and Ria Ruiters on vocals. They played many shows in clubs and bars, especially in the Groningen area of the Netherlands. In 1977, the band released their first album, titled Street.

The band became very busy, playing concerts all over the Netherlands. They are most famous for their second album, Shpritsz, released in 1978. This album featured their first big hit song in the Netherlands, "Saturday Night." Over the years, the band's members changed often. Some of the well-known musicians who played with Herman included Freddy Cavalli on bass, Dany Lademacher (and later David Hollestelle) on guitar, and Cees 'Ani' Meerman on drums. Bertus Borgers often joined them on saxophone.

Herman Brood in 2000

American Dreams and Later Success

In the summer of 1979, Herman Brood and his band tried to become famous in America. They opened for big bands like The Kinks and The Cars in large concert halls. They also played their own shows in famous venues like The Bottom Line in New York and The Roxy in Los Angeles. A new version of "Saturday Night" even reached number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart. However, the huge success Herman hoped for in America didn't quite happen.

When he returned to the Netherlands in October 1979, his band started to change, and his popularity went down for a while. The album Go Nutz, which he recorded in the US, and the movie Cha-Cha, released in December 1979, were not as successful as hoped. Still, Go Nutz had three songs that made it onto the charts in the Netherlands, and the Cha Cha movie soundtrack sold very well. The 1980 album Wait a Minute... did okay, but his next albums, Modern Times Revive (1981) and Frisz & Sympatisz (1982), did not make it onto the Dutch album charts.

Herman Brood kept making music throughout the 1980s and had a few more hits. He had a top-10 song called "Als Je Wint" with Henny Vrienten, and a smaller hit with a reggae song, "Tattoo Song." He also started spending more time on his artwork. In the late 1980s, he made a comeback with the album Yada Yada (1988), which was well-received. He also toured Germany with a new version of Wild Romance, including the return of Dany Lademacher. In 1990, he won the BV Popprijs, a very important Dutch music award. He also recorded the album Freeze with Clarence Clemons from the E Street Band and Tejano accordion player Flaco Jiménez. A live album of his best songs, Saturday Night Live, came out in 1992. His 50th birthday in 1996 was celebrated with a big show in Amsterdam, and he released an album of duets that same year.

Beyond Music: An Artist's Canvas

After his music career, Herman Brood became a painter. He was well-known in the art world of Amsterdam. His art is often called pop-art, which is a style that uses images from popular culture. His paintings were usually very colorful graffiti-inspired screen prints. He became quite successful and famous for his art, even creating large paintings on walls in public places around Amsterdam.

Herman Brood's Album Collection

Herman Brood on Screen

• Cha-Cha (1979)
• Stadtrand (1987, German movie)
• Zusje (1995) - Bovenbuurman / Upstairs neighbor
• Total Love (2000, Israeli movie) - M.J
• Live And More (2003, Concerts from Philipshalle, Düsseldorf 1978 & Musik Hall, Koln 1990 (3DVDBox))
• Wild Romance (2006, scenes from Herman Brood's life)
• Herman Brood Uncut (2006, documentary)
• Kunst begin drrr niet an (2015, 80 min. documentary by Gwen Jansen, DVD, 90% of all screenprints and paintings are made by Herman in the IQ studio between the late 80s until his passing in 2001. Compiled from over 70 hours of footage, produced by Ivo de Lange for iq.nl)
• Unknown Brood (2016, documentary directed by Dennis Alink)

Images for kids

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  Brood's grave at Zorgvlied