Wouter Bessels from Hoogeveen typifies George Kooymans, who died yesterday, as a man who lived for the music. “A very enthusiastic musician who had been working on music since his childhood. And who realized his dream: come as far as possible worldwide with the songs he made with his friends.”
Bessels is a music journalist and band-archivist van Golden Earring. He has known George Kooymans for years. He often spoke with him, also in his last phase of life. Kooymans died yesterday at the age of 77 from the effects of muscle disease ALS.
In the beginning was Golden Earring A coming and going from band members says Bessels, but in 1970 the fixed formation, with Kooymans, Barry Hay, Cesar Zuiderwijk and Rinus Gerritsen. From then on, the band was a fixed value for almost sixty years.
“And Kooymans is one of the two founders of that. And that was his life. He was then the writing partner of Barry Hay, for the hits that meant their breakthrough, among other things: Radar Love and Back Home. Ten years later, the band made a big comeback worldwide with the song Twilight Zonethat Kooymans wrote on his own. “
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