60 Seconds with Dutch singer Jacques Herb

Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen

Jacques Herb is a Dutch singer who had a huge hit with “Manuela” in 1971. It was number 1 in Holland and Belgium for many weeks. He has a new album out and this time it is in English. The title is “Reset”. Go check it out on various streaming platforms.

KB: Did you always want to be a singer? What age did you start?

As a little boy, maybe around 8 years, my mother took me to cafes, and I sang children’s songs on the billiards table. On my 13th birthday I bought a guitar and taught myself how to play the chords from a book.

KB: I read that you worked on ships from age 15?

You had to be 15 years old to work on seagoing vessels. 1 month before my 15th birthday I already left with my first tanker SS Statue of Liberty. I started as a kettle binkie and then later as a steward in the officers’ mess. I did that for almost 3 years.

KB: Who discovered you as a singer?

In 1970 I won a talent contest in the Kurhaus in Scheveningen. This was broadcast on TV and Pierre Karner (Vader Abraham) saw me win this talent show with, among other things, the song “The Toreador” which I wrote myself. The song was translated into Dutch and released as the first single by Dureco with Pierre Kartner as producer. It achieved a modest hit rating.

KB: Your biggest hit in Holland and Belgium was in 1971: Manuela. Tell me more.

Manuela was an original German song for which Pierre Kartner made the Dutch version. It was number 1 in the various hit lists for several weeks and more than 250,000 singles were sold. So far even half a million. I received a gold and a platinum record. Of course, I never expected such a success. And still after 52 years I still have to sing it during performances.

KB: What kind of music do you like?

I am a fan of popular classical music. Singer Mario Lanza inspired me to start singing popular classical songs as well. I have therefore followed 2 years of classical singing training in, among others, Antwerp in Belgium. You can also find some clips of it on YouTube. I also liked to hear Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Paul Anka. The first record I bought was “Only the Lonely” by Roy Orbison. So, I only prefer that genre of music.

KB: Are there any artists you would love to collaborate with?

I prefer to work solo. I released a single with Ben Cramer a few years ago. But that was a one-off. So no, it’s not for me.

KB: You have a new album coming out. In English. Tell me more about it.

It was around 1965 that I started writing English songs in addition to Dutch. One of them was the song “The Toreador” with which I won a talent show in 1970 in the Kurzaal in Scheveningen that was broadcast on TV via AVRO. The title “Reset” therefore stands for “back in time”! The image was made during one of my performances around 1966 in a café in The Hague. Unfortunately, those images are no longer available in the archive. In addition, there were other English songs that were translated into Dutch and released on vinyl when I got a recording contract with Dureco and Pierre Kartner became my producer. Still, I wanted to put those English versions on an album together with a few other songs I made with various songwriters. The production and album design is my own. The album appears on various download sites and streaming sites such as Spotify.

Find him on Twitter: HERE

Find him on Instagram: HERE

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