the tielman brothers: rock´n ´roll that came out of the jungle
The sailor's sons
The Tielman Brothers' story starts in Surabaya. Around 1945, Herman Tielman, a captain in the Royal Dutch Indonesian Army, was released from a Japanese concentration camp and went back home to Surabaya. And there he started passing on his enthusiasm for music to his five children (Reggy, Ponthon, Andy, Loulou eta Jane). They learnt Indonesian folk songs and dances and put them on at their father's supper parties. But Herman liked more than Indonesian folk, he also loved new, happy sounds. Sailor as he was, he knew how to look around ports for merchandise and quickly found instruments imported from abroad. He gave each of his children an instrument: a double bass for his son Ponthon, a banjo for Reggy, drums for little Loulou and a guitar for Andy. Jane, the only girl, had to make do with her beautiful voice. They quickly started playing at their father's parties. Shortly after that, they started traveling to other towns to play. They used the name The Timor Rhythm Brothers at many places on the island and, when they went to the Netherlands, they played with De Wanna´s, The Ramblers and The Skymasters .
On the 29th of December, 1949, Indonesia became independent. The Tielman family was successful throughout Indonesia and they even played for President Sukarno in Djakarta. They began to grow as musicians and started playing more daring music. In 1951 they started doing Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Bill Haley, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and Gene Vincent cover versions. The government offered them a tour of the whole of Indonesia, but with one condition: they would have to give up their Netherlands nationality and become Indonesian. Herman Tielman didn't accept the condition and, along with his whole family, returned to his country of birth in 1957.
Conquering the Netherlands
When they reached the Netherlands, their only baggage was small suitcases full of tropical clothes and their musical instruments. Thanks to their father being a war hero, the military gave them winter clothes. The Tielman family's first home was a barge on the canal that goes through Breda. Jane left the group and started working and studying. The dark-skinned brothers, however, started playing music as soon as they arrived. Using the names The Tielman Brothers and The 4 T´s the travelled all over the provinces to dance halls and pubs with their exotic, lively rock 'n' roll. They wrote their own songs and also developed their own style. Andy, the guitarist, met a girl in Brussels and they got married. The Tielman Brothers provided the sound track for the wedding banquet, but afterwards a fire destroyed all their equipment. Andy's wife's father bought them new instruments in the States, including a Gibson guitar, and gave them an amplifier and a sound system. All of a sudden, like a phoenix out of the flames, the Tielman brothers rose up again and became hugely successful. They were so successful that German television called them and invited them to appear on "Paprika" in 1958. That year they also recorded their first single. Two of their songs became among the most successful in the history of Netherlands pop: ¨Record Hop¨ with its dance rhythm and, with ¨Swing it up ¨, their vocal and guitar skills gave them international success. Netherlands television called them to play live and they didn't let the opportunity pass. They astonished the cold, serious Netherlands spectators with the rock'n'roll party they put on. They received a lot of criticism for the wild show they had brought from the jungle. Parents associations said that they were a bad influence on their children ... and that was exactly what made these four dark-haired boys the youth's idols. In 1963 Jane joined her brothers again. By that time Andy was very well-known because of his striking way of playing the guitar. He played Gibson and Fender guitars until he got a special Vox guitar in 1966. That special guitar's sound was a revolution in the Tielman Brothers' music. They incorporated new garage sounds to their rockabilly. In the new decade, with the arrival of the hippies, and dance halls and live music venues disappearing, the group's fortunes waned. They stopped playing live. They kept on getting together from time to time, but the group we really care about stopped playing in 1971.
The Tielman Brothers' story starts in Surabaya. Around 1945, Herman Tielman, a captain in the Royal Dutch Indonesian Army, was released from a Japanese concentration camp and went back home to Surabaya. And there he started passing on his enthusiasm for music to his five children (Reggy, Ponthon, Andy, Loulou eta Jane). They learnt Indonesian folk songs and dances and put them on at their father's supper parties. But Herman liked more than Indonesian folk, he also loved new, happy sounds. Sailor as he was, he knew how to look around ports for merchandise and quickly found instruments imported from abroad. He gave each of his children an instrument: a double bass for his son Ponthon, a banjo for Reggy, drums for little Loulou and a guitar for Andy. Jane, the only girl, had to make do with her beautiful voice. They quickly started playing at their father's parties. Shortly after that, they started traveling to other towns to play. They used the name The Timor Rhythm Brothers at many places on the island and, when they went to the Netherlands, they played with De Wanna´s, The Ramblers and The Skymasters .
On the 29th of December, 1949, Indonesia became independent. The Tielman family was successful throughout Indonesia and they even played for President Sukarno in Djakarta. They began to grow as musicians and started playing more daring music. In 1951 they started doing Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Bill Haley, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and Gene Vincent cover versions. The government offered them a tour of the whole of Indonesia, but with one condition: they would have to give up their Netherlands nationality and become Indonesian. Herman Tielman didn't accept the condition and, along with his whole family, returned to his country of birth in 1957.
Conquering the Netherlands
When they reached the Netherlands, their only baggage was small suitcases full of tropical clothes and their musical instruments. Thanks to their father being a war hero, the military gave them winter clothes. The Tielman family's first home was a barge on the canal that goes through Breda. Jane left the group and started working and studying. The dark-skinned brothers, however, started playing music as soon as they arrived. Using the names The Tielman Brothers and The 4 T´s the travelled all over the provinces to dance halls and pubs with their exotic, lively rock 'n' roll. They wrote their own songs and also developed their own style. Andy, the guitarist, met a girl in Brussels and they got married. The Tielman Brothers provided the sound track for the wedding banquet, but afterwards a fire destroyed all their equipment. Andy's wife's father bought them new instruments in the States, including a Gibson guitar, and gave them an amplifier and a sound system. All of a sudden, like a phoenix out of the flames, the Tielman brothers rose up again and became hugely successful. They were so successful that German television called them and invited them to appear on "Paprika" in 1958. That year they also recorded their first single. Two of their songs became among the most successful in the history of Netherlands pop: ¨Record Hop¨ with its dance rhythm and, with ¨Swing it up ¨, their vocal and guitar skills gave them international success. Netherlands television called them to play live and they didn't let the opportunity pass. They astonished the cold, serious Netherlands spectators with the rock'n'roll party they put on. They received a lot of criticism for the wild show they had brought from the jungle. Parents associations said that they were a bad influence on their children ... and that was exactly what made these four dark-haired boys the youth's idols. In 1963 Jane joined her brothers again. By that time Andy was very well-known because of his striking way of playing the guitar. He played Gibson and Fender guitars until he got a special Vox guitar in 1966. That special guitar's sound was a revolution in the Tielman Brothers' music. They incorporated new garage sounds to their rockabilly. In the new decade, with the arrival of the hippies, and dance halls and live music venues disappearing, the group's fortunes waned. They stopped playing live. They kept on getting together from time to time, but the group we really care about stopped playing in 1971.
