Robbie van Leeuwen
Robbie van Leeuwen, born on October 29, 1944, in The Hague, Netherlands, is a renowned Dutch musician, guitarist, and songwriter. He began his musical career in the early 1960s with The Atmospheres and The Ricochets, which evolved into The Motions. As a member of The Motions from 1964 to 1967, van Leeuwen contributed to their success with hits like "It's Gone" and "Wasted Words."
In 1967, he founded Shocking Blue, a band that achieved international fame with the hit single "Venus," written by van Leeuwen. The song reached No. 1 in the US and UK, marking the first Dutch band to top the American charts. Shocking Blue enjoyed further success with songs like "Mighty Joe" and "Never Marry a Railroad Man," all penned by van Leeuwen. However, the pressures of touring and being the primary songwriter led him to leave the band in 1973.
Following his departure from Shocking Blue, van Leeuwen formed Galaxy-Lin, a folk-jazz group, and later the studio outfit Mistral, which saw moderate success in the late 1970s. He also produced solo projects for former Shocking Blue vocalist Mariska Veres.
After a brief retirement in Luxembourg, van Leeuwen returned to the Netherlands in 1996. He received the Buma Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013 and remains a celebrated figure in Dutch music history. As of 2023, he is the only surviving member of Shocking Blue's most famous lineup.
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