Dolly Dots

Dolly Dots
Dolly Dots in 1981
Background information
Origin	Netherlands
Genres	Pop, Dance, MOR
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1979–1988, 1998, 2006–2008, 2015-Present
Labels	Warner Bros. Records
Members	Angela Groothuizen Angéla Kramers Anita Heilker Esther Oosterbeek Patty Zomer
Past members	Ria Brieffies

Dolly Dots were a popular Dutch girl band in the 1980s. With their style of upbeat dance/pop, they scored many hits throughout Europe. The sextet consisted of Angela Groothuizen, Angéla Kramers, Anita Heilker, Esther Oosterbeek, Patty Zomer and Ria Brieffies.

The Dolly Dots had many hits between 1979 and 1988. They were most successful in the Netherlands, but they also scored hits in the rest of Europe. Their single "Radio" was a big hit in Japan. "P.S." was a Top 50 Billboard Hot Dance Club Play hit in 1981. They also enjoyed hits in Turkey, Lebanon, Iceland, and toured through Egypt. Although the band never cracked England, they did feature on the 23rd June 1983 edition of "Top of the Pops" when they were interviewed by the DJ John Peel whilst on location in Amsterdam.

At the peak of their success in 1984 the Dolly Dots had their own TV series, Barbie dolls, wallpaper, and a #1 hit, "Love Me Just a Little Bit More (Totally Hooked On You)". At the end of the next year, Anita Heilker left the group to have a daughter. She later became the Dutch voice of Donald Duck. The rest of the band continued as a five-piece.

Heilker had already launched her own career. In 1986 she released four solo singles ("You've Got Me Keyed Up", "Into The Night", "Dancing On The Moon" and "Don't Treat Me Like This"), as well as a solo album (The Girl In Black).

Since the TV series' success in 1984, there had been plans to record a Hollywood movie. In the summer of 1986 the 5 remaining Dolly Dots finally went to the US to work with an unfinished script and made a movie called Dutch Treat, which was released later that year. The movie (starring Lorin Dreyfuss and David Landsberg) and its soundtrack were modest successes in The Netherlands but were not released in the US due to poor reviews. The group broke up in 1988. Their last single was an attempt to break into the UK market. The Dolly Dots teamed up with hit producers and released the song "What a Night". It reached number 18 in the Dutch charts, but was not successful in the UK.