Teach-In (band)
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1967 in Enschede, Netherlands |
| Defunct | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Enschede , Netherlands |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Teach-In was a musical group from the Netherlands that operated between 1967 and 1980. After achieving several top 20 hits domestically during the early 1970s, they attained global fame by winning the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest with their track "Ding-a-dong". Throughout their existence, the band experienced numerous personnel changes.
History
Established in 1967 in Enschede, the founding members were Hilda Felix (vocals), Henk Westendorp (vocals), John Snuverink (vocals, guitar), Frans Schaddelee (bass), the bandleader Koos Versteeg (vocals and keyboards), and Rudi Nijhuis (drums).
By 1971, only Koos Versteeg and Rudi Nijhuis remained from the initial lineup. The group welcomed new members including Getty Kaspers (vocals), John Gaasbeek (bass), Chris De Wolde (guitar), and Ard Weeink. They secured a contract with CNR Records, collaborating with producer and co-writer Eddy Ouwens.
Their debut single, "Spoke the Lord Creator"—originally performed by Focus—was released in 1972 but failed to enter the charts. In 1974, Teach-In achieved three Dutch top 15 singles: "Fly Away," "In the Summernight" (which reached number 5 on South African charts), and "Tennessee Town."
In March 1975, Teach-In captured victory at the Eurovision Song Contest 1975 with "Ding-a-dong," penned by Will Luikinga and Eddy Ouwens. Remarkably, they won despite performing first on stage—a rare accomplishment only matched twice since then. The song charted throughout Europe, climbed to number 22 on the US Easy Listening chart, and peaked at number 3 in the Netherlands. Later that year, "Goodbye Love" entered the Dutch top 10, followed by "Rose Valley," which reached the top 20 in early 1976.
After an extensive touring period, Getty Kaspers departed to focus on a solo career; John Gaasbeek and Ard Weeink also exited. New additions included Hans Nijland (bass, later replaced by Nick de Vos), Betty Vermeulen (vocals), and Marianne Wolsink (vocals). Their single "Upside Down" attained number 2 on Dutch charts.
The rise of disco in 1978 posed challenges to Teach-In’s success, leading them to adopt a fresh musical approach that resulted in the top 10 hit "Dear John." In 1979, their theme song for a Dutch television charity campaign supporting Greenpeace also reached the top 10. The final single before disbandment was "Regrets," released in 1980.
In 1997, the original ensemble featuring Getty Kaspers reunited to re-record their hits and planned a tour. That same year, former members Getty Kaspers and John Gaasbeek formed a trio named Balloon alongside Wilma van Diepen. Getty also embarked on solo endeavors, including releasing the Getty Album, which showcased songs in Dutch as well as collaborations with artists such as Rick van der Linden.
Teach-In came together once more to perform "Ding-a-Dong" at an event in Maastricht on 31 August 2007 and later appeared as an interval act during the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021.
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| NL | |||
| 1974 | Roll Along |
|
— |
| 1975 | Festival |
|
8 |
| 1976 | Get On Board |
|
— |
| 1977 | See the Sun |
|
— |
| 1979 | Teach In |
|
— |
| 1980 | Room 115 |
|
— |
| "—" indicates albums that did not enter the charts. | |||
Compilation albums
| Year | Title | Information |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Our Sings |
|
| 1991 | Ding-A-Dong |
|
| 1991 | The Original Teach In Hit Collection |
|
| 1992 | The Very Best Of |
|
| 2005 | Teach In |
|
| 2010 | Best of Teach In |
|
Singles
| Year | Single Title | Highest Chart Positions Achieved | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL 40 | NL 100 | BE (FLA) | BE (WA) | FRA | GER | IRE | NOR | SPA | SA | SWE | SWI | UK | US AC | ZIM | ||
| 1971 | "Spoke the Lord Creator (Chorale St. Anthony's)" | —[lower-alpha 1] | — | |||||||||||||
| "Can't Be So Bad" | ||||||||||||||||
| 1972 | "So Easy to Sing (Cord di Schiavi Ebrei)" | |||||||||||||||
| 1974 | "Fly Away" | 5 | 6 | 8 | 49 | 1 | ||||||||||
| "In the Summernight" | 5 | 3 | 3 | 44 | 5 | 19 | ||||||||||
| "Tennessee Town" | 13 | 9 | 22 | |||||||||||||
| "Ding-A-Dong" | (Eurovision-winning track)
3||3||2||7||4||9||8||1||3|||4||1||13||22||13|| | |||||||||||||||
| "Goodbye Love"
5||5||18||48|||||||||||||| | ||||||||||||||||
| "Rose Valley"
17||19||13|||||||||||||| | ||||||||||||||||
| "Upside Down"
2||3||1||24|||||||||||||| | ||||||||||||||||
| "A Ride in the Night"
31[lower-alpha 2] |||||||||||||||| | ||||||||||||||||
| "See the Sun"
26||26|||||||||||||| | ||||||||||||||||
| "My Rock and Roll Song"
—[lower-alpha 3] |||||||||||||||| | ||||||||||||||||
| "Dear John"
5||5||2||||22||||20|||||| | ||||||||||||||||
| "The Robot"
20||16||18|||||||||||||| | ||||||||||||||||
| "Greenpeace"
10||5||30|||||||||||||| | ||||||||||||||||
| "Regrets"
—[lower-alpha 4] ||31|||||||||||||| | ||||||||||||||||
| "Bad Day" | ||||||||||||||||
External links
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