Liesbeth List facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Liesbeth List
List in 1964
Background information
Birth name	Elisabeth Dorathea Driessen
Born	(1941-12-12)12 December 1941 Bandoeng, Dutch East Indies
Origin	Netherlands
Died	March 25, 2020 (aged 78) Soest, Netherlands
Genres	Chanson, pop
Occupation(s)	Singer, actress
Years active	1962–2012
Associated acts	Jacques Brel

Liesbeth List with her longtime partner, writer Cees Nooteboom, in 1967.

Elisabeth Dorathea List, known to many as Liesbeth List (born December 12, 1941 – died March 25, 2020), was a famous Dutch singer, actress, and TV star. She became very popular in the 1960s. She often worked with the singer Ramses Shaffy. Liesbeth also sang Jacques Brel's French songs, called chansons, but translated into Dutch.

About Liesbeth List

Her Early Life and Family

Liesbeth List was born in Bandoeng, which was then called the Dutch East Indies. Today, this place is known as Indonesia. Her birth name was Elisabeth "Elly" Dorathea Driessen.

When she was very young, in 1942, her parents separated. This happened during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. Her father was forced to work in coal mines. Elly and her mother were sent to special camps for Dutch people. Life in these camps was very difficult. Her mother became very sad and struggled a lot because of the hard conditions.

After World War II ended, Elly and her mother were set free. Elly and her father then moved back to the Netherlands. Her father remarried, but Elly did not get along well with her new stepmother.

When Elly was seven years old, child services took her away. They thought her father had passed away, so she was placed in an orphanage. Later, it was discovered her father was still alive. She was then returned to live with her father and stepmother.

In 1948, during a trip to the Dutch island of Vlieland, Elly's stepmother heard that a hotel owner and his wife wanted to adopt a child. Elly's father then allowed her to be adopted by this couple. Their last name was List, which is how Elisabeth got her famous stage name.

Starting Her Career: 1958–1968

As a teenager, Liesbeth List loved culture and music. In 1959, when she was 18, she moved to Amsterdam. There, she studied fashion and worked as a secretary.

She appeared on a TV talent show called "Nieuwe Oogst." After this, she was asked to work with the famous Dutch singer Ramses Shaffy (1933–2009). They performed together in a theater show called Shaffy Chantant, starting in 1964. They sang many well-known chansons.

In 1965, Liesbeth and Ramses won the Europe Cup for Best Singing Performance in Knokke, Belgium. This award made Liesbeth decide to focus on a music career. She released her first album in 1966.

In 1967, a composer named Mikis Theodorakis asked her to sing on an album. This album featured his Mauthausen Ballad, which told the story of the persecution of Jewish people during World War II. The album was very successful with both critics and the public. Liesbeth also had great success with another album where she sang cover versions of songs by Jacques Brel. This album sold so well that it was certified gold.

Expanding Her Work: 1969–1990

Liesbeth List performing in 1970.

Liesbeth List with poet and singer Jacques Brel. She received a Gold record for her album of Brel's songs translated into Dutch.

Liesbeth List with Ramses Shaffy presenting his album Zonder Bagage in 1971.

In 1969, Liesbeth List won a press prize at a television festival in Montreux. She received this award for her work in a TV series. Because of this international recognition, Liesbeth started to focus more on becoming successful worldwide.

She began recording more cover versions of songs by famous artists, like Gilbert Bécaud. Liesbeth continued to be successful, releasing more albums and acting in television shows, movies, and on stage. She recorded an album with American singer-songwriter Rod McKuen in 1972. In 1973, she recorded "Meet lovely Liesbeth List" in England. Her album "Liesbeth List sings Jacques Brel" was released in the USA in 1972. In 1976, she recorded an album with songs by Charles Aznavour and sang a duet with him called "Don't Say a Word."

Liesbeth took a short break from her career when she became pregnant. She and her husband, Robert Braaksma, had a daughter named Elisah in 1983. Liesbeth was 41 at the time. She stopped working for six years to take care of her child.

In 1988, Liesbeth returned to the public eye with a theater show called "List NU." In 1990, she started a similar show, but it did not do well. Liesbeth then thought her career might be over.

Later Career and Retirement: 1991–2020

In the 1990s, singer, songwriter, and producer Frank Boeijen helped Liesbeth List restart her career. She recorded two albums with him: List in 1994 and Noach in 1996. In 1995, she received an Edison award for the first album. This is one of the highest musical honors in the Netherlands.

In 1999, she released Vergezicht, which included the song Heb Het Leven Lief (Love Life). She sang this song in 2007 at a memorial for Jos Brink. She had performed with him in a musical called Het Hemelbed, which was very popular.

Liesbeth was also asked by Albert Verlinde to star in a musical about the life of Edith Piaf. She began performing in Piaf, de Musical in 1999 and did 170 shows. Because the musical was so successful, she performed the role again in 2008 and 2009. In 2000 and 2009, she won the important John Kraaijkamp Musical Award for this role.

In 2009, she released a new CD called Verloren & Gewonnen. Her last album, Echo, came out in 2015. It was a tribute album to Ramses Shaffy and featured covers of his songs.

In 2017, Liesbeth List decided to retire from music. She was having problems with her memory and thinking due to an injury she had sustained in a car accident earlier in her life. She passed away peacefully in her sleep on March 25, 2020. She had spent her last years living in a special facility that provided care.

Discography

• Liesbeth List (1966)
• Liesbeth List Sings Theodorakis (1967)
• Pastorale (1968)
• Zingt Jacques Brel (1969)
• Victoria (1970)
• Neuremberger Droom (1971)
• Two Against the Morning (1972)
• Meet lovely Liesbeth List (1973)
• Foto (1974)
• Samen (with Ramses Shaffy) (1976)
• Charles Aznavour presents: Liesbeth List (1976)
• Madame Melancholie (1977)
• Meisjes van Dertig (1979)
• Voor vanavond en daarna (1982)
• List (1994)
• Noach (1996)
• Vergezicht (1999)
• Van Shaffy tot Piaf (2001)
• Heb het leven lief (2001)
• Portret (2002)
• Carré Vedetten Gala (2006)
• Verloren en Gewonnen (2009)
• Echo (2015)
• Voor Altijd (2022)