Artist Name

Wally Tax

(0 users)

Logo

Artist Image

Functions

Data Complete 60%

15%

Album Thumbs refresh

view

The Entertainer (2002)

Springtime In Amsterdam (1989)

Tax Tonight (1975)

Members
1 Male

Origin
origin flag

Amsterdam

Genre
flag

Psychedelic Rock

Style
Blues

Mood
Troubled

Born

1948

Active
1960 to 2005

Cutout
transparent

Most Loved Tracks
No loved tracks found...

Music Video Links
No Music Videos Found...

Artist Biography
Available in:

Wladimir (Wally) Tax (Amsterdam, February 14, 1948 – Amsterdam, April 10, 2005) was a Dutch singer and composer.

Biography

Wally Tax (Dutch pronunciation: ˈʋlaːdimir ˈʋɑli ˈtɑks) was born in Amsterdam to a Dutch father and a Ukrainian mother who had met in a German labor camp during World War II. At the age of 12, he founded the Amsterdam band The Outsiders and took on the role of lead singer. In 1965, the band released their first single, "You Mistreat Me." The original lineup included Tax, Ronnie Splinter (lead guitar), Tom Krabbendam (rhythm guitar), Appie Rammers (bass), and Leendert Busch (drums).

The Outsiders’ big break came in March 1966 when they opened for The Rolling Stones. Shortly after, they signed a record deal with Willem Duys’ label, Relax, resulting in several hits. "Lying All The Time," "Keep On Trying," and "Touch" all reached the top 10. In 1967, the band continued their success with hits like "Monkey On Your Back" and "Summer Is Here," which also made it to the top 10.

In the same year, Wally Tax achieved two solo hits: "I Sat And Thought And Wondered Why" and "Let's Forget What I Said." These songs stood out due to their melodic nature and rich orchestration, contrasting significantly with The Outsiders' repertoire.

Most of The Outsiders' hits were sung in a unique Amsterdam-English dialect, known as "Mokum-English." In 1968, the band's success began to wane. Due to differing musical opinions, the members decided to part ways in 1969.

After the breakup of The Outsiders, Tax and Leendert Busch formed the band Taxfree. In September 1970, they had the chance to record an album at the famous Electric Lady Studios of Jimi Hendrix in New York. Before the album was even available in the Netherlands, Tax decided to continue solo. The album "Taxfree," an example of Dutch melodic soft rock, sold only a few hundred copies and is now a coveted collector's item.

In 1973, Tax launched his definitive solo career. In 1974, he had four hits, including "Miss Wonderful" and "It Ain't No Use," and received the Silver Harp award. His last hit as a performing musician was "Let's Dance" in 1977. Afterwards, Tax focused on writing songs for other artists such as Lee Towers ("It's Raining In My Heart") and the band Champagne ("Rock 'n' Roll Star," "Oh Me Oh My Goodbye," and "Valentino").

From 1978, Tax was the partner of writer Laurie Langenbach, who died of cervical cancer in 1984. In her later years, Langenbach was a follower of the macrobiotic guru Adelbert Nelissen, director of the Kushi Institute. After Roel van Duijn filed a criminal complaint against Nelissen for allegedly keeping Van Duijn's ex-wife away from conventional medicine, Tax also filed a complaint against Nelissen in 1998. Nelissen was fined in 2006, but Langenbach's name was not mentioned in the judge’s ruling.

After Langenbach's death, Tax’s life went downhill. He struggled with personal problems and addictions. In the 1990s, the former members of The Outsiders became estranged from one another. A project to write a biography briefly reunited the band members, leading to an unsuccessful reunion tour in 1997.

On his 50th birthday, February 14, 1998, Tax published his autobiography "Tot hier en dan verder," portraying a romanticized view of his life. According to biographer Rutger Vahl, there is no evidence for many of the stories Tax told in his autobiography, and some anecdotes are provably false.

In late 1998, the documentary "Wally Tax - Outsider" was made and screened at the IDFA. In 2002, Tax released his final album, "The Entertainer," with a band that included Jack of Hearts bassist George Oostdijk. The album flopped, and Tax returned to his addictions.

Wally Tax died at the age of 57 in his Amsterdam home. He was buried at De Nieuwe Ooster cemetery. After his death, a fundraising campaign was held to erect a monument at his grave. The monument, consisting of a stone block with a cross made of guitar necks, was unveiled a year after his death.

In April 2015, the biography "Leven en lijden van een outsider," written by Rutger Vahl, was published.

Discography (albums)

1967 - Love In
1971 - Tax Free (as Tax Free)
1973 - On My Own (same tracks as the album Love In from 1967)
1974 - Wally Tax
1975 - Tax Tonight
1989 - Springtime in Amsterdam (with The Music)
2002 - The Entertainer
2013 - Bridges Are Burning (Compilation album)
2015 - The Golden Years of Dutch Pop Music (A&B Sides and More) (Compilation album)
2017 - Cloudburst - Complete Album Collection (with The Outsiders)