Ben Cramer | |
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 Ben Cramer in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ben Kramer |
| Born | 17 February 1947 |
| Origin | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Genres | Pop, musical theatre |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Website | Ben Cramer |
Ben Cramer (born Bernardus Kramer; 17 February 1947) is a Dutch singer who represented the Netherlands in the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest.
Cramer was born in Amsterdam. He made his television debut in 1966 with his backing group the Spaklings, and was spotted by singer Annie de Reuver, who helped him obtain a record deal. In 1967, his first single, "Zai zai zai", became a hit, reaching No. 7 on the Dutch chart. The follow-up "Dans met mij" also peaked at No. 7, and he would have a string of successful records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. His most fondly-remembered record is "De Clown" from 1971. [1]
In 1970, Cramer took part in the Dutch Eurovision selection with the song "Julia", which came fourth. [2] He returned in 1973, this time singing all four songs, from which "De oude muzikant" ("The Old Musician") was chosen as the Dutch entry for the 18th Eurovision Song Contest, held on 7 April in Luxembourg City. [3] "De oude muzikant" was seen as a rather old-fashioned song, and finished the evening in 14th place of 17 entries. [4]
Cramer returned to Eurovision in 1981 with two songs, "Marianne" and "Retour", in the Dutch selection, but both finished well down the field. [5]
Cramer was associated with the 1988 Contest providing radio commentary for Dutch listeners.
Cramer continued to enjoy periodic chart success through the 1970s; his last charting single was "Alles is anders" in 1980. The 1980s were relatively quiet. In 1989, he starred as Juan Perón in the musical Evita , and went on to appear in many Dutch-language stage productions, such as Chicago and The Phantom of the Opera . He has since appeared in TV programmes such as the drama series Westenwind and the Dutch Celebrity Big Brother , and continues his stage career. [1]
Cramer was one of the artists who recorded the song Shalom from Holland (written by Simon Hammelburg and Ron Klipstein) as a token of solidarity to the Israeli people, threatened by missiles from Iraq, during the first Gulf War in 1991.
In 2009, along with a number of other Dutch Eurovision veterans, Cramer was a special guest at that year's televised Eurovision selection.
The United Kingdom held a national pre-selection to choose the song that would go to the Eurovision Song Contest 1974.
The Netherlands has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 64 times since making its debut as one of the seven countries at the first contest in 1956. The country has missed only four contests, twice because the dates coincided with Remembrance of the Dead, and twice because of being relegated due to poor results the previous year. It has missed the final despite qualifying once, in 2024, due to the personal conduct of its entrant which led to disqualification. The Netherlands has hosted the contest five times: in Hilversum (1958), Amsterdam (1970), The Hague, and Rotterdam (2021).
"Boom Bang-a-Bang" is a song recorded by Scottish singer Lulu, with music composed by Alan Moorhouse and lyrics by Peter Warne. It represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1969, held in Madrid, and became one of the four winning songs. It made No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart and was a major hit throughout Europe.
"De troubadour", is a song recorded by Dutch singer Lenny Kuhr, with music composed by David Hartsema and lyrics by Kuhr herself. It represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 1969, held in Madrid, and became one of the four winning songs.
Lily Castel is a Belgian singer, best known for her participation with Jacques Raymond in the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest.
Annie Palmen was a Dutch singer, best known for her participation in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest.
Anita Spanner, known mononymously as Anita, is an Austrian singer, best known for her participation in the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest.
Saskia & Serge are a Dutch vocal duo consisting of singer Trudy van den Berg and singer-guitarist Ruud Schaap. They are known for their participation in the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest, and have enjoyed a long and successful career in their native Netherlands, where they were awarded the title of Knights of the Order of Orange-Nassau in 2004.
Humphrey Campbell was a Dutch singer and record producer of Surinamese descent, known for his participation in the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest.
Wyn Hoop is a German singer, birth name Winfried Lüssenhop, best known for his participation in the 1960 Eurovision Song Contest.
Ellen Winther Lembourn was a Danish opera singer, best known internationally for her participation in the 1962 Eurovision Song Contest.
Eduardo Nascimento was an Angolan singer, best known for his participation on behalf of Portugal in the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest.
Marcha, also known as Marga Bult, is a Dutch singer and television presenter, who has been a member of the groups Tulip, Babe and Dutch Divas and is also known for her participation in the 1987 Eurovision Song Contest.
Piera Martell is a Swiss singer, best known for her participation in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.
Jürgen Marcus was a German schlager singer who was most successful during the 1970s, when he had 14 chart hits in Germany. He is also known for his participation on behalf of Luxembourg in the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest.
Blue Café are a Polish musical group with jazz, soul and Latin influences. The band was formed in Łódź in 1998 and had three consecutive hit singles in Poland in 2002-03. They were nominated in the category Best Polish Act at the 2003 MTV Europe Awards, and are also known internationally for representing Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004.
Belgium was represented by Lisa del Bo with the song "Liefde is een kaartspel" at the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest.
The Netherlands was represented by Marcha, with the song "Rechtop in de wind", at the 1987 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Brussels on 9 April. The song was the winner of the Dutch national final for the contest, held on 25 March.
The Netherlands was represented by Ben Cramer, with the song "De oude muzikant", at the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 7 April in Luxembourg City. Cramer was selected internally by broadcaster NOS to be the Dutch representative and the song was chosen at the national final on 28 February.
Tony Servi is a pop singer from Belgium who has been recording and performing from the early 1980s until the present. He also has had several hits in his own country.
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