Liesbeth List
| Liesbeth List | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Elisabeth Dorothea Driessen |
| Born |
12 December 1941 Bandoeng, Dutch East Indies |
| Origin | Netherlands |
| Genres | Chanson, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actress |
| Years active | 1962-present |
| Associated acts | Jacques Brel |
Elisabeth Dorathea List, generally known as Liesbeth List (born December 12, 1941) is a Dutch singer, stage actress and television personality. She became popular during the 1960s and frequently collaborated with Ramses Shaffy. She also sang Jacques Brel's chansons in Dutch translation.
She was born in Bandoeng, Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia), as Elisabeth "Elly" Dorothea Driessen. Her parents were separated in 1942, when during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, her father was forced to work in coal mines. List and her mother were sent to one of the many camps set up exclusively to contain Dutch occupants of Indonesia; such camps were known under the Dutch nickname "jappenkamp" (Jap-Camp). The circumstances in which List and her mother lived in the camp were very hard on her mother, who developed depression. Four years later, the Netherlands freed the East Indies of the Japanese occupation and List and her mother were set free. They were reunited with their father and husband, but a few weeks later, List's mother committed suicide. List and her father returned to the Netherlands, where her father remarried. His new wife, however, frequently clashed with List. At the age of seven, child's services took List away. It was thought List's father was deceased, and she was placed in an orphanage. After it was revealed List's father was still alive, she was placed back with her father and stepmother.
In 1948, during a trip to Dutch island Vlieland, List's stepmother was told that the owner of a hotel on Vlieland and his wife were seeking to adopt a child. Liesbeth List was subsequently given up by her father and adopted by this couple, whose surname was List.
As a teenager, List was very interested in culture and music. She moved to Amsterdam in 1959, aged 18, where she did a fashion study and had a job as a secretary. She appeared in AVRO talent show "Nieuwe Oogst", after which she was signed to collaborate with legendary Dutch singer Ramses Shaffy (1933–2009) in theatre show Shaffy Chantant. They first started this show, in which they performed well-known chansons, in 1964. In 1965, the duo was awarded the Europe Cup for Best Singing Performance in Knokke, Belgium. This caused List to focus on a musical career and to release her debut album in 1966. In 1967, Mikis Theodorakis asked her to collaborate on an LP of his Mauthausen Ballad, describing the persecution of Jews during the Second World War in dramatic chansons. The LP was a critical and commercial success. List was also successful with an LP containing cover versions of songs by Jacques Brel: the LP was certified gold.
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