George Jan Kooymans (born 11 March 1948) is a Dutch guitarist and vocalist. He is best known for his work with the Dutch group Golden Earring.[1] Kooymans wrote "Twilight Zone", the group's only top 10 entry on the US Billboard Hot 100, which hit No. 1 on the BillboardTop Album Tracks chart.[2]
In 2021, George retired not only his own career, but also the Golden Earring band after he revealed that he had ALS.
In 1961, Kooymans and his neighbour Rinus Gerritsen formed a rock duo.[3] They originally called themselves "The Tornados", but changed their name to "The Golden Earrings" when they learnt of The Tornados, a UK instrumental group who had just had a hit with "Telstar".[4] The name "the Golden Earrings" was taken from an instrumental called "Golden Earrings" performed by the British group the Hunters,[5] for whom they served as opening and closing act. Initially a pop-rock band with Frans Krassenburg on lead vocals and Jaap Eggermont on drums, the Golden Earrings had a hit with their debut single "Please Go", recorded in 1965.[4][6] After two albums, Barry Hay joined on lead vocals permanently, and by 1970, Sieb Warner had been replaced by Cesar Zuiderwijk, and the principal lineup (that would last for 50 years) was finalised.
Kooymans in 1971
They achieved worldwide fame with their international hit songs "Radar Love" in 1973, which went to number one on the Dutch chart, reached the top ten in the United Kingdom, and went to number 13 on the United States chart,[6][7] "Twilight Zone" in 1982, and "When the Lady Smiles" in 1984.[6] During their career they had nearly 30 top ten singles on the Dutch charts and released 25 studio albums.
Kooymans also wrote and produced for other artists. In 2017 and 2018 he released two albums as a member of Vreemde Kostgangers (Strange Boarders), a Dutch-language supergroup he formed with Henny Vrienten (bass player of the band Doe Maar) and singer-songwriter Boudewijn de Groot.
Kooymans is married to Melanie Gerritsen, the younger sister of Golden Earring bassist Rinus Gerritsen.
In February, 2021, Kooymans announced that he was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and would retire. Shortly afterward, Golden Earring announced they would disband.[8]
^US-Singles: Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–2006. Billboard Books, New York 2007, ISBN0-89820-172-1 / US-Alben: The Billboard Albums von Joel Whitburn, 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN0-89820-166-7
