04 02 1950
RJ was born in The Hague,father came home with a grand piano
1958
First piano lessons (Yoli Buriks)
1959
first public appearance at the van Heutz elementary school, playing accordion.
1960
Played the piano on the yearly ‘Farewell Evening Show’ at elementary school.Parents divorced
1961
Accompanied the complete ‘F. E. Show’ at his old school 1961 and won the cultural contest at (Thorbecke) high school. Saw the first (school)band ever at the same cultural contest.
1962
Moved house, changed school (Grotius Lyceum).—- for more details > long & super long version —
1963/4
Making a necessarily habit of winning the yearly cultural contest, to rebalance his further mediocre results at school (dreamer).
1964:
Was invited by Marco Vrolijk to come and play with school band ‘the Blubs’,
When they rehearsed (on Sundays) ) RJ played the piano and sang. Most places, however, where they performed, there was no piano at all, so mostly Robert Jan was front man singer, playing tambourine and mouthharp when not climbing into the curtains…
who later changed their name to :1965/6
’The Q-Provocation’, later to ‘Provocation’
playing in different line ups with all members from the same (Grotius – later Segbroek) high school.In the same period he was playing the piano for a chlidren ballet/operette company called ‘Morgenstond’, earning his first organ.The Provocation playing more and more frequently now with Ron van Eck on bass.
1966
A unique performance with the Provocation (and the children ballet) was the one in the garden of palace Soestdijk, celebrating Queen’s Juliana’s birthday It was breaking news in national and international press: BEAT MUSIC IN PALACE !!
1967
Sacha van Geest joins the band on flute, the band getting under influence of the alternative and hippie movement in the person of Rob Douw.Following the time spirit, they started to do research into new directions, playing underground and alternative music, performing together with lightshows, action painters, poets and dancers.
changed the band’s name into :SUPERSISTER 1968 – 1974 /1999 – 20001968/9Sacha van Geest,
Ron van Eck,
Marco Vrolijk and
Robert Jan Stips.
RJ left school to go study (classical) piano with piano professor Simon Admiraal at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague. —- for more details > long & super long version —-
1970
As one of the few Dutch groups Supersister played on the main stage at the Kralingen Pop Festival, Rotterdam, First single ‘She was Naked’ became a big summer hit, created by heavy rotation on Radio Veronica. First album: ‘Present from Nancy’ on Blossom label, Polydor, also produced by Hans van Oosterhout.
1971
Supersister now really ‘hot’, sharing the nr.1 place in polls with Golden Earring and playing Germany, France, England and Italy.
Second album: ‘To The Highest Bidder’. Single ‘A Girl Named You’ (top 20),
1972
Third Supersister album: ‘Pudding and Gisteren’
single ‘Radio’ reached top twenty, while the title track was written as ballet music for the Nederlands Dans Theater.
For this album Supersister received the Edison Award ‘73 out of the hands of Mr.Willem (O) Duys.
1973
The band was nearing a natural ending.
a new line up was formed:
Charlie Mariano – altsax, bass clarinet,
nathusvaran
Herman van Boeijen – drums and percussion
Ron van Eck – bass
Robert Jan Stips – keys & vocals
The new band took off for England (Manor Studio’s) to record the fourth Supersister album: ‘Iskander’, produced by Georgio Gomelsky.
Later Elton Dean replaced Charlie Mariano.
—- for more details > medium & long version —-
1974/5 Golden Earring
RJ joined Golden Earring surprising friend and fiend. First as an ‘extra’ musician, later as a member of the group. Touring the USA, coast to coast, Europe and UK. Records posthumous Supersister album: ‘Spiral Staircase’ with Sacha van Geest.
Records first solo album: ‘Nevergreens’
receives the Dutch Export Award and a gold copy of Golden Earring compilation album.
And meanwhile in Amsterdam a group called ‘the Nits’ is founded
1976 / 1978
SWEET d’BUSTER
while on tour with Golden Earring in the USA, RJ met Bertus Borgers (again) after Golden Earring they formed ‘Sweet d’Buster’, after Bertus’solo-album.
Herman Deinum bass
Hans Lafaille drums
Paul Smeenk guitar, vocals
Bertus Borgers sax, vocals
Broer Boogaert = percussion and co-writing, didn’t join the band.
Herman Brood scored a hit with his version of their ‘Still Believe’ their most successful album was ‘Gigs’,
1976/7
producing GRUPPO SPORTIVO
When still playing in Sweet d’Buster, RJ takes over the production of Gruppo Sportivo from Barry Hay. The group became immensely popular, big hit successes with singles (Rock & Roll, Hey Girl, Disco Really Made It) as well as albums: ‘Ten Mistakes’, (over 50.000 copies) went gold, ‘Back to ’78‘(over 100.000:) platinum.
later RJ produced ‘Pop Goes the Brain’, ‘Rhythmisaconstantbeat’ and ‘The Opposite’, but the real magic did not reappear.
1978
TRANSISTER 1979/80
Huba de Graaff – violin, keybrds, vocals
Henk Wijtman – drums, percussion
Dick Schulte –Nordholt – bass
Robert Jan Stips – vocals and keyboards
RJ gets his own group together, In an amazing short period the new group recorded ‘Zig Zag’ and toured in Holland for a year.
RJ ‘s production work kept on growing, in the summer of 1979 three recording sessions in a row were realized : Transisters ‘Zig Zag’, Hans Vandenburgs ‘Buddy Odor’ and…
THE NITS 1979 / 1996 / 2003 / …
Alex Roelofs – bas
Michiel Peters – vocals, guitar
Henk Hofstede – vocals, keyboards,guitar
Rob Kloet – drums, percussion
In this first session 4 songs were recorded, The Young Reporter, Harrow’s Accident, Umbrella and Tutti Ragazzi
Aad Link and RJ founded a new agency in the Hague ‘Rock in Waterland’ and contacted the Nits for a recording contract with CBS.
Tutti Ragazzi – with RJ as producer – was their first hit single, followed by their first (CBS) album ‘Tent’ – produced by the Nits.
1980
Second NITS album ‘New Flat’, co-produced by RJ
singles : New Flat , Holiday on Ice, Bobby Solo
1981
RJ contributes to the live tour of Danny Lademacher’s Innersleeve
RJ’s second solo album : ‘U.P.’ Recorded at the Arnold Muhren Studio in Volendam. Engineered by Aad Link
RJ produces Gruppo Sportivo album ‘Pop Goes the Brain’
1982
RJ joins the Nits, at first replacing bass player Alex Roelofs who left just before their second German tour.
1983
RJ now full Nits member.
Third NITS album: ‘Omsk’,
Hit single : ‘Nescio’
both album and single Dutch top 10.
Later that same year mini album ‘Kilo’.
single : ‘Sketches of Spain’.(top 20)
album : Adieu Sweet Bahnhof
(top 30)
touring Europe more frequently, Michiel Peters leaves the group.
1985
Founding new agency and studio with Aad Link: Buro GeluidsManipulatie – BGM .
Bought first sampler (PPG) and directed a cartoon synch/translating project ‘Ferdy de Mier’ for the new BGM studio.
Radio Freedom Gala, Carré A’dam. First encounter on stage with Freek de Jonge.
1986
NITS trio (Rob, Henk & RJ) album: ‘HENK’.
1987
‘In The Dutch Mountains’ (recorded on two track) album & single top 10, European break through.
Joke Geraets –bass and Petra Lugtenburg – vocals join the group.
1988
Petra leaves the group.
hit single ‘J.O.S. Days’
Henk, Rob, Joke and RJ record the succesfull mini album ‘the Hat’ (top 11) with two hit singles ‘The Dream’ and ‘The Train’.
RJ mixes Gruppo Sportivo single ‘Mexican Radio’
1989
Nits double live album ‘Urk’ (platinum), (single Adieu , Sweet Bahnhof)
The Nits receive the Gouden Harp and also the BV Popprijs.
RJ produced, arranged and mixed Gruppo Sportivo’s ‘Sucker of the Century’
1990
Joke Geraets decides to leave the Nits, mainly because of a muscle-problem-disease MS
new album: Giant Normal Dwarf, recorded by the trio Henk, Rob, and Robert Jan.
video ‘Urk’
live single : ‘Home Before Dark’
1991
Monique Olivier and Robert Jan get married
1992
Hjuvi – A Rhapsody in Time
A project with the Radio Symphony Orchestra
1993
NITS album Ting + touring
1994/5
NITS CD + tour : ‘dAdAdA’
After 14 years Robert Jan took the (hard) decision to leave NITS.
The final concert was half a year later at the Uitmarkt on the Dam in Amsterdam, broadcasted by national television.
RJ’s founds his new group ‘STIPS’.
and re-recorded several songs from his several pasts for the CD ‘Egotrip’.
1996
NITS, STIPS,
FREEK de JONGE & STIPS
NITS – jan : Luxemburg, D – Karlsruhe, Austria – Vienna
feb march may : NL
may : TV special item about RJ in NOVA (Tonko Dop)
RJ writes the strings arrangements for Golden Earring album ‘LoveSweat’
june: first rehearsals ‘STIPS’ trio,
Martin Bakker – bass,
Roy Bakker – drums,
RJS – keys & vocals,
NITS play Thessaloniki, Greece
july: NITS play Canada, Reading and Bern
august 25 : Last NITS concert with Robert Jan, Martin Bakker and Peter Meuris also leave the Nits. This concert took place on the Dam-square in Amsterdam and was broadcasted on television nationwide.
‘STIPS’ played the 2 Meter-Session with
radio DJ Jan Douwe Kroeske and Leo Blokhuis, and the most popular TV Program ‘Spijkers met Koppen’
a program of and with former radio DJ Jack Spijkerman.
Gemeengoed: Freek de Jonge with Stips, a vast Dutch tour and CD, from which the single ‘Leven na de Dood’ reached the top position in the Dutch charts: RJ’s first No 1 !
1997/8
Rapsodia – live in Paradiso, Amsterdam with Freek de Jonge.
1998/9
RJ’s solo CD : Greyhound, on tour with Mark Boon – guitar and Judith Sijp – violoncello.
1999
de Grens : 10 different (TV & theatre) shows in one year with Freek de Jonge.
2000
first child of Monique and Robert Jan, lovely daughter Floyd is born
RJ was asked to contribute the ‘live’ music for the alternative Rembrandt exhibition in The Hague, resulting in the CD ‘Rembrandt 2000.
Supersister reunion in Los Angeles!
2000/1
recording ‘ De Geheelontkenners ‘
|with Bart Chabot and Ardy B.
2001
great news again : their second child, beautiful sun Nomee is born
More Supersister concerts in Tilburg (013), Groningen (Oosterpoort), the live recording at the Paradiso in Amsterdam, the last concerts in The Hague (Kon. Schouwburg).
Release of live album ‘Supersisterious’.
Sacha van Geest all of a sudden dies of an hart attack while on holidays on Malta.
(see Sacha special in Supersister Tower – Stips City)
2002
*under construction*
2003
NITS ‘1974’ CD & TOUR
RJ joins in with a Nits 30-years anniversary tour. it was decided to record a complete new CD:‘1974’,
Nits went on a vast tour from Oct.’03 till Aug. ’04
new NITS line up:
Henk Hofstede vocals, guitar, banjo
Rob Kloet drums, samples &
percussion
Laetitia van Krieken keyboards, violin,
vocals
Robert Jan Stips keyboards, vocals
2004
NITS appear at Vrienden van Amstel’ as special guest with Di-rect.
RJ also playing the opening piano act, accompanying Willeke Alberti.
Henk Hofstede and Robert Jan appear also as special guest at the (DVD recorded) Ahoy concert of BLØF.
’1974’-tour
touring Nits-territories like France, Belgium, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and (the French speaking part of) Canada, new places like Barcelona and Winnipeg, Canada, appeared on the Nits tour schedule, all organised by manger Aad Link.
A live DVD ‘1974’ had been recorded at the end of the Dutch tour in May ’04 at the Paradiso, Amsterdam, released fall ’04.
De Vergrijzing
At the end of August 2004 an immense Freek de Jonge project started, called ‘de Vergrijzing’, a theatre/television marathon contending 15 weekly new 55-minutes complete theatre shows, each one freshly created and performed live in the week before the – VPRO – broadcasting weekly on Sunday. RJ provided the leader and live music for each episode,
2005
RJ arranged some songs from de Vergrijzing for the project Freek de Jonge & the Metropole Orchestra at the Concert Gebouw planned February 4th.
March 2005
RJ and Freek were given the Annie M G Schmidt Prijs for their song ‘Vergeet Mij Niet’.
New recordings with the basic Rob-Henk-RJ NITS trio, Mixed by Paul Telman, a new NITS highlight was born: the album ‘Les Nuits’. Released in the autumn of 2005
In September ‘05 Jelle de Jonge, sun of, produced a television series called ‘Kortgehouden’ for and with FreekRJ delivered the leader music and the music for the short movies.
2006
NITS Les Nuits tour
2007
RJSOLO mini tour in Feb/March
FREEK de JONGE ‘de TOESCHOUWER’ TOUR
first leg
recording new NITS album
FREEK de JONGE ”de TOESCHOUWER’ TOUR
2nd leg
RELEASE FREEK de JONGE ‘de TOEHOORDER’
RJSOLO tour in Nov/ Dec
2008
RELEASE new NITS album – Doing the Dishes + touring
NITS Doing The Dishes Tour 1st LEG
– under construction
RJSOLO tour in Sept / Dec
2009
RELEASE RJSOLO CD/ DVD ‘ROND’
NITS Doing The Dishes Tour 2nd LEG
– under construction
May / June – recording new NITS album: Strawberry Wood
– under construction
June/ July – RJ writes 8 songs for VPRO documentary.
– under construction
Oct / Dec – NITS Strawberry Wood release and tour, 1st leg : Dutch theatres, Helsinki, Paris.
– under construction
2010
RJSOLO tour in Jan/Feb/March
NITS STRAWBERRY WOOD TOUR, 2nd leg
At PARKPOP 2010 RJ organizes a big event,
celebrating the festival’s 30st anniversary :
a 3 Simultaneous Stages Performance !
– under construction –
SUPERSISTER and NITS both plays on DUTCH TV – Nacht van de Nederpop.
2011
RJSOLO tour in jan, feb, march.
NITS rcording new album [ > Malpensa]
in A’dam, Utrecht (Kytopia) and Piemonte, Italy
– under construction –
2012
RJSOLO tour in Jan/Feb/March
RELEASE new NITS CD MALPENSA
RJ misses first leg of MALPENSA tour, due to an operation on his left hand ( bacterial infection).
summer : NITS play festivals in Switzerland and Holland.
RJ rejoins NITS MALPENSA THEATRE TOUR , mainly in Holland + European trips – oct/nov/dec.
– under construction –
2013
RJSOLO tour in jan /feb
NITS – MALPENSA THEATER TOUR ctd. – march/april/may/
2014
the year in which NITS celebrated its 40 years anniversary. first they played material from their first 10 years up in the small concert place upstairs at the Paradiso A’dam, where they played 40 years before as well, there first gig at the Paradiso, 1974. a few weeks later followed by a big concert down in the big Paradiso concert hall with a collection of songs from the ‘rest’ of the 40 years, a memorable night, also because between concert and encores the major of Amsterdam van der Laan appeared on stage and held a speech in which he declared that his Majesty the King had decided to give the 3 NITS members the medals of being Knights in the order of Orange – Nassau !
from there on a small international tour was played to celebrate the 40 years in Germany, Austria, England and last but not least Switzerland, where a wonderful initiative of Swiss hard core fans resulted in a wonderful 3 double CD full of highly original and well performed NITS covers by somewhat 50 Swiss, German, French and English artists, entitled ISN’T NITS !
in the meantime RJ was invited by theatre ‘De Wegwijzer’ in Zeeland to be the musical ‘chief’ for ‘O die zee’ , a high reaching and risky enterprise in order to realise a unique music-theatre-spectacle near the Westerschelde in the summer of 2014. Huub van der Lubbe (singer/author of ‘de Dijk’) writing the song-lyrics, Tom de Ket (ao de Verleiders) writing the script and directing, RJ inviting Dutch pop-composers of all ranges to write the music for one song, arranging, organising and playing them with the band, for which he invited ‘Ocobar’.
Resulting in a stunning multi-discipline 20 very successful and sold out musical and theatre performances, ‘O die zee’ was also the start of the theatre band ‘FABELHAFTt’ , touring in 2017 (!) with ‘O Die Zee – In Concert‘…
later that year RJ writes and records 10 special pieces after 10 paintings that are part of the special exposition of his brother, painter Wouter Stips entitled ‘Kind van 70’ (‘Child aged 70’) from September 21st at the Singer Museum in Laren, Holland.
( listen/download )
2015
jan/feb RJSolo
Nits tour – Holland Finland Switzerland
solotour including the ‘three grand piano concert’ in the Beauforthuis – resulting in the release of “Present tot the Highest RJS plays Supersister
summer: Music for ‘new TV Channel ‘ONS’
october ” Frits (Freek & Nits)
2016
jan/feb/march/may – RJSolo
june / first performances with NITS and Scapino
sept / october / TING!
18 performanceses in Rotterdam : with SCAPINO, NITS & CODARTS
music for NTR docu series about the dutch connection with South Africa ‘Goede Hoop’
nov/dec / RJSolo and NITS
2017
jan / feb / FABELHAFT theater tour
O Die Zee – in concert
release CD ‘O die zee – 11 songs’
apr / may / RJSolo
june / july / NITS recording CD ‘angst’
aug / sept / release CD ‘angst’,
first try outs
oct – december : NITS ‘angst’ NL theater tour (first leg)
2018
jan / feb / RJSolo
+ first performance of ‘Stips in het Kwadraat’ – with Wouter Stips (paintings and poetry) and Marieke Brokamp (violin)
march /NITS ‘angst’ NL theater tour
( 2nd leg )
april / may / NITS ‘angst’ Europe :
Austria, Switzerland,France, Belgium, Finland, Germany
summer : NITS Festivals and RJSolo
sept / october / Reprise TING! in Carré – A’dam and de Nieuwe Luxor – R’dam
october / recording NTR documentary about RJS
2019
– under construction –
jan / feb / march RJSolo
feb / documentary on Dutch Television:
‘De Tovenaar van de Nederpop’
april / SUPERSISTER PROJEKT 2019
release CD /LP ‘RETSIS REPUS’
XXL concerts The Hague & Amsterdam
June / July concerts
RJSolo and Stips&Brokamp
october / SUPERSISTER PROJEKT 2019
club tour
november / release NITS CD ‘Knot’
nov&dec / NITS ‘Knot’ tour
2020
jan – feb / RJSolo
new TV Leader “Andere Tijden”
icw Marieke Brokamp
march / NITS KNOT tour
… c o r o n a …
may / Requests On Line
June/ The Festival (Was On) – remembering The Holland Pop Festival of 1970
+ playing solo live stream concerts
dec:
release of the Supersister Biography:
‘ Looking Back, Naked’
and its audio-illustrative CD
rjs – hilversum, helsinki, rennes, münchen, nantes, hamburg, the hague, chappes, quebec, beaufort, delft , lenk
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