Harry Muskee
June 10, 1941 – September 26, 2011
Harry “Cuby” Muskee was a Dutch blues singer who built a considerable following throughout the Netherlands during the ’60s and ’70s. Muskee was just 15 when he took up the guitar, and while he was in high school, he was turned on to jazz and Dixieland. He soon formed his first band, the Mixtures who played jazz primarily at school dances. Around that time, he began picking up the US Armed Forces Radio which was broadcasting to the American soldiers who were stationed in nearby Germany. It was on the radio that he began hearing American blues, and in particular, John Lee Hooker, who inspired him to devote the rest of his life to singing the blues. He formed Cuby & the Blizzards who in 1962, released their first album, Groeten Uit Grolloo to both critical and fan praise. A groundbreaking album at the time, it propelled the band (which also included Herman Brood and Eelco Gelling), to the top of Dutch music scene. They released several more albums and toured with likes of Fleetwood Mac and Van Morrison before breaking up in 1972. Muskee continued to perform in various configurations and record throughout the better part of the life, his most recent album being 2009’s Cats Lost. Harry Muskee died of cancer on September 26, 2011. He was 70.
Thanks to Henk de Bruin at 2+ Printing for the assist.
Herman Brood was a popular Dutch rock musician, TV host, and painter who was called by at least one critic, “the Netherlands’ greatest and only rock ‘n’ roll star.” He achieved his musical fame during the ’70s and ’80s and became equally revered for his art work later in life. After tooling around in a few different bands and spending some time in jail for drug dealing, Brood started his own group, Herman Brood & the Wild Romance. The year was 1976, and Brood was quickly becoming famous – and equally infamous – for his sexually charged and drug fueled lyrics, as well as his candid and eyebrow-raising comments on those same topics in the press. Meanwhile his hard drug use was becoming legendary throughout the Netherlands. His then-girlfriend, Nina Hagen even released a song entitled “Herrmann Hiess Er” (“Herrmann Is High”) , reportedly about him. In 1979, Brood enjoyed a small bump when he toured the U.S. with the Cars, the Kinks, and Foreigner. During the ’80s and early ’90s, he recorded several albums, but soon began devoting most of his energy to visual arts. His dynamic and sometimes graffitti-inspired prints became very popular throughout Europe, while many of his murals found homes on public walls throughout Amsterdam. By the summer of 1991, Brood was apparently depressed over his inability to kick drugs and how their abuse had impared his health. On July 11, 2001, Herman Brood leaped to his death from the roof of the Amsterdam Hilton. He was 56.
