Golden Earring
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Golden Earring is a rock group from the Netherlands, founded in 1961 in The Hague. The band has had over 40 hits in the Dutch charts and made over 30 albums, all of which turned gold or platinum. International smash hits were "Radar Love" in 1973 and 1974 and "Twilight Zone" in 1982, followed by "When the Lady Smiles" in 1984. Golden Earring is the longest existing rock band of the world but does not like to be called "the oldest rock band" because the four members are all younger than the Rolling Stones, who were founded in 1962.
Golden Earring was the first major European rock band to tour the United States, in 1969 where they had coast to coast success with their over 40 minutes live version of The Byrds classic "Eight Miles High". The band was started by George Kooymans when he was 13 years old, and with his neighboor Rinus Garrison who was then 15 year old. The year was 1961, so Golden Earring is the longest existing rock band in the world. The Rolling Stones started just one year later, in 1962. Since 1970 Golden Earring has had the same four members, also something that no other band has ever achieved nor ever will be likely to achieve.
Golden Earring enjoyed brief superstar status in the early Seventies when they bacame world famous with their 1973 hit song "Radar Love", a worldwide smash hit and now an all-time rock classic and ultimate car song, which even has an own website Golden Earring was curiously unable to create another smash hit, which only followed in 1982 with the hypnotizing beats of early disco in "Twilight Zone", which had one of the first videoclips. In 1984 further success followed with "When The Lady Smiles" their third international hit. This was the last year the Golden Earring did a tour of the United States, which lasted three months and took them to over 40 states, even to Hawaii. In 2006 the band celebrates its 45th birthday and therefore a book is made of them, containing than 384 pages with more than 900 photos and articles. The band have given permission to use all their private archives so it will be very interesting.
Golden Earring plays over 150 concerts a year in The Netherlands where they sell out and make CD's and DVD's. If you want to listen to their songs or see and hear some live played music from concerts of this oldest rock band of the world, surf to the official Golden Earring website and listen to their music and find out all about these four real friends and talented musicians. Another useful source of information on Golden Earring and their music is the virtual Golden Earring Museum Of course there is also a fanclub[1]
