Andy Tielman

Andy Tielman (30 May 1936 – 10 November 2011) was an influential Indo (Eurasian) artist, recognised as the "godfather" of Indorock, the style of rock and roll played by Indo artists in the 1950s and 1960s. He is considered one of the most important figures in Dutch popular music, and "defied the notion that early rock and roll was a phenomenon of white and black musicians from America".

He was known for his wide vocal range (5 octaves) and virtuoso guitar playing as well as his showmanship. Many Dutch musicians, including Jan Akkerman, Barry Hay, and Herman Brood have cited him as major influences.

Tielman is credited with releasing the first Dutch rock and roll single, in 1958, and led the first Dutch rock band with international appeal, the Tielman Brothers, in a career that spanned seven decades, from the mid 1950s to his death in 2011. During Tielman's heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, the Tielman Brothers were hailed as the best live act in Europe and received the highest fees. In 2005 he was awarded a Royal decoration in the Order of Orange Nassau. In 2011 Tielman died of gastric cancer.

Andy Tielman was born in Makassar, Celebes, Dutch East Indies on 30 May 1936. Both his father, a KNIL captain named Herman Tielman, and his mother, Flora Laurentine Hess, were Indo-European. Aside from Andy, the couple had 5 children: Reggy, Phonton, Loulou (Lawrence), and Jane (Janette Loraine). When the Japanese invaded the Indies, the elder Tielman was imprisoned; Andy and his siblings were taken care of by his mother. He later recalled "When war came the world was broken. My whole world just fell apart."

After the Japanese surrendered in 1945, the family was reunited. By that time, Andy and his siblings were performing jazz standards at private functions using the musical training their father had given them. Within half a year they were performing throughout nascent Indonesia, which had proclaimed its independence after the Japanese surrender. The siblings' repertoire included both American and traditional Indonesian music.

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