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Members
5 Male
Origin
Leiden
Genre
Comedy
Style
Satire
Mood
Fun
Active
1978 to 
1983
Cutout
5 Male
Origin
LeidenGenre
ComedyStyle
Satire
Mood
Fun
Active
1978 to 1983Cutout
Most Loved TracksNo loved tracks found...
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Rubberen Robbie: A Dutch Satirical Music Group
Rubberen Robbie was a Dutch music group that achieved a series of hits between 1978 and 1983 with medleys of parodies of well-known Dutch-language songs.
The group consisted of Aart Mol, Geertjan Hessing, Erwin van Prehn, Cees Bergman, and Elmer Veerhoff, and emerged from the bands Catapult and The Monotones from Leiden/Katwijk.
Cat Music: The Launchpad to Success
Rubberen Robbie's early days are closely linked to the Leiden/Katwijk-based production company Cat Music. Willem van Kooten, then director of Cat Music, heard some demos of songs the group had written. He recognized the hit potential of the songs but felt they weren't suitable for Catapult's style. He advised the group to write for other artists. As a result, Cat Music produced hits for artists such as Lia Velasco, The Liberation of Man, The Internationals, Snoopy, Fantastique, The Surfers, and Patricia Paay.
Cat Music's greatest successes came when André Hazes scored a series of hits with songs written and produced by the group, such as "Het is koud zonder jou" (It's cold without you) (1980), "Een beetje verliefd" (A little bit in love) (1981), "Diep in mijn hart" (Deep in my heart) (1982), and "Kleine Jongen" (Little boy) (1990). Hazes recorded about 40 songs from Cat Music in total. Additionally, the Leiden-based rock group Tower reached 11th place with "See You Tonight" in early 1982.
In 1991, Cat Music collaborated with entertainer Hans Versnel to record the song "Lekker swingen met die hap" (Nice swinging with the gang), a song in the style of the old Rubberen Robbie classics: parodies of well-known Dutch songs. Several songs were produced with Versnel, including some football hits such as "We gaan met z'n allen naar Amerika" (We're all going to America), which was later covered by Tinus Tulp.
The "Hut van Ome Henne": A Cult Pub
The group lived in a commune in an apartment on the Arendshorst in Leiden. In the car on the way to the studio to record a punk record, the song "Zuipen" (Drinking) was created as a joke in 1978. Originally intended as a B-side, but after Hugo van Gelderen from the TROS radio station started playing the song, it became the A-side. The original A-side was "Geef mij maar drank" (Give me alcohol) to the tune of "Ça plane pour moi" by Plastic Bertrand. Rubberen Robbie was chosen as a parody of that name. "Zuipen" became a minor hit in the Netherlands.
"Zuipen" mentions the "Hut van Ome Henne" (Uncle Henne's Hut). The group's friend and pub owner Willem Ankone was asked in 1978 if he would name his newly opened pub in Leiden's Sint Aagtenstraat "De Hut van Ome Henne" for a month to celebrate the group's birthday. Ankone decided to name his pub, which didn't yet have a name, after the song, not for a month, but permanently. The official opening was performed by Rubberen Robbie himself. Rubberen Robbie's first performance also took place in the "Hut van Ome Henne" on April 30, 1980. The pub has always kept its name and has become a household name in Leiden.
Hits and Less Successful Tracks
Initially, Rubberen Robbie's songs had little success in the charts. "De ambulance" (The ambulance) (a cover version of "De postkoets" (The stagecoach) by De Selvera's, 1979), "Nee, je moet het je broer laten doen" (No, you have to let your brother do it) (1980), and "Twee mobiele ogen die keken de kraker aan" (Two mobile eyes staring at the squatter) (to the tune of "Twee reebruine ogen" (Two roe-brown eyes) (1980), a song about squatters and the riot police) all flopped.
In 1981, the group scored a number 1 hit with "De Nederlandse sterre die strale overal" (The Dutch star that shines everywhere). This song was a parody of "Stars on 45", incidentally a production by Catapult's former producer, Jaap Eggermont. The group sang carnival songs in the Leiden dialect, three of which became hits. In 1982, the group released the song "There's a Ghost in my House" under the name The Lunatix, but it flopped.
After "Nee, Je Moet Op Vakantie Gaan" (No, You Have to Go on Holiday) in 1982 and "Een beetje verziekt" (A bit spoiled) (a parody of "Een beetje verliefd" by André Hazes) in 1983, Rubberen Robbie's series of records came to an end.
Spin-offs and Other Projects
In addition to singing, the group members were also active as composers, writers, and producers for other Dutch acts, see above at Cat Music. If a previously used group name was not suitable, a "ghost name" was chosen. For example, the hit "Mono" (1980) was performed under the name The Monotones. The song was intended to parody "Video killed the radio star" (1979, Buggles) and "Popmuzik" (1979, M).
From 1983 onwards, Rubberen Robbie scored no more hits. However, some singles were released under other names (Master Genius (Let's break and Let's break into the 80's), Video Kids (Woodpeckers from space and Do the rap), and Question Mark).
The production company Cat Music produced the CDs, DVDs, and comics of Ome Henk from 1991 onwards.
Rubberen Henkie: The Tribute Band
Rubberen Robbie remains well-known. Since 2012, the Leiden-based tribute band Rubberen Henkie has been performing the old Rubberen Robbie repertoire. Rubberen Henkie emerged from the punk band Maximum Overdrive.
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