The BEST Indonesian Rock n' roll band EVER!!!

Ternyata jauh sebelum Elvis Presley, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, dll mendominasi musik rock taun '60 an, sebuah group ROCK N ROLL asal Indonesia sudah lebih dulu populer & jadi salah satu pionir Rock n' roll DUNIA.

Konon Jimi Henfix, Beatles, Rolling Stones, bahkan Elvis Presley pun terinspirasi untuk mengikuti gaya mereka.

Ga perlu disangkal... ga bisa dipungkiri... This is the best Indonesian rock n' roll band ever.

The Tielman Brothers
Mereka ini asli orang2 Indonesia, cuma pada akhir tahun '50 an, saat Soekarno gencar meneriakan anti barat, mereka terpaksa "hijrah" ke Belanda dan menetap di sana. Akhirnya orang lebih mengenal mereka sebagai group asal Belanda.

The Tielman Family  in Surabaya, Indonesia 1947
l/r: Jane, Reggy, Ponthon, Andy, Loulou, Mother Flora Lorine Hess, Father Herman Tielman

(Father) Herman Dirk Tielman (Menado 1904 - † The Hague 1979)
(Mother) Flora Laurentine Hess (Madiun 1901 - † Purworedjo 1991) (German ancestors)
- she was married before with Uchtmann (3 children Ralph, Jack and a girl were born).

Reggy (Reginald)- born the 20^th May 1933 in Surabaya, Indonesia (he got the surname Uchtmann)
Ponthon - born the 4^th August 1934; deceased the 29^th April 2000 in Jemper, Indonesia
Andy - born the 30^th May 1936 in Makassar, Celebes, Indonesia
Loulou (Herman Lawrence) - born the 30^th October 1938 in Surabaya, Indonesia, deceased the 4^th August 1994 in Cairus, Australia
Jane (Janette Loraine )- born the 17^th August 940; deceased the 25^th June 1993

THE TIMOR RHYTM BROTHERS( Indonesia 1945-1957)

Andy Tielman (guitar, vocals)
Reggy Tielman (banjo,guitar,vocals)
Ponthon Tielman † (double bass, guitar, vocals), left in 1956 for Bussum, the Netherlands
Loulou( Herman Lawrence) Tielman † (drums, vocals)
Jane (Janette Loraine) Tielman † (Vocals)
(Father) Herman Tielman † (manager, guitar)
(Mother) Flora Lorine Hess † (presentation)

The Timor Rhythm Brothers in Surabaya 1947
l/r: Ponthon, Reggy, Loulou, Jane, Andy Tielman

The story of THE TIELMAN BROTHERS begin in Surabaya, where the 4 little brothers Tielman and little sister Jane started performing together in 1945 folk songs and traditional dances. Father Herman a captain and later quartermaster in the KNIL (Royal Dutch Indonesian Army) and he had stayed in a Japanese concentration camp. He owned a house in Surabaya and started to play music together with his friends. Herman Tielman was a gifted all round musician and he was the one that supplied Reggy, Ponthon, Andy, Loulou and Jane with their rich musical luggage. From the started Ponthon wanted to play the big double bass. Reggy wanted to play banjo and little Loulou was fond of the drums. Andy learned to play lead guitar. During their first performance during a house party they surprised their fathers friends with difficult numbers like Tiger Rag and 12^th Street Rag.

Gigs followed at several private parties in Soerbaya. It went fast and within half a year they went on tour as THE TIMOR RHYTHN BROTHERS -Timor is the island, where the Tielman family inherited from - along the camps of the Dutch soldiers. There after they received offers from the NIWIM (National  Effort Welfare Indonesia) and together with famous Dutch artists like De Wama’s, the Ramblers and the Skymasters they toured along the major cities of Indonesia. Their shows consisted of music and dances from all over the Indonesian islands including corresponding costumes and ritual attributes like war spears and swords. During these shows father Herman Tielman joined in on guitar mother Flora took care for the general presentation.

On the 29^th December 1949 the official  independence proclamation of Indonesia took place. The Tielman family now performed for the Indonesians. They even performed in the palace of president Soekarno in Djakarta. When they grew older they started to cover the top hits in perfect close harmony. In 1951 they were introduced to Guitar Boogie of Arthur Smith. Andy later told in an interview: ‘this was the first song which my brothers and I converted into rock ‘n roll by adding drums to it’. Later they started playing number of Les Paul, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Bill Haley, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and Gene Vincent. Andy also played together with Dolf de Vries in the band THE STARLIGHTS in Djakarta. Also on Sumatra he played without his brothers in the Hawaiian band of Freddy Wehner.

 

THE TIMOR RHYTHM BROTHERS –THE FOUR TIELMAN BROTHER-THE 4 T’s (Breda 1957-1959)

Andy Tielman (lead guitar, vocals)
Reggy Tielman (2^nd lead guitar, vocals)
Ponthon Tielman † (double bass, vocals)
Loulou Tielman † (drums, vocals).

The 4 T's showing their brandnew Miller and Wilson guitars. (Breda 1957)

 

At a certain moment they were offered an extensive tour throughout Indonesia, but only on condition that they should change their Dutch nationality into Indonesian. In the opinion of Herman Tielman his children would have a better future in the Netherlands and in 1957 the family repatriated to Holland by boat. Ponthon was already repatriated  one year earlier and lived with his wife in Bussum.

After arrival in Holland they were settled in Breda in boarding house Smulders at the Baronielaan. They possessed only of a small suitcase with thin tropical cloths and they were confrontated with the cold Dutch winter. Luckily the DMZ (Military Affairs Service) supplied them with warm clothings. Edu Schalk - later singer with the Poetiray Brothers from Oosterhout- was their first Indonesian friend in Breda. The brothers went to the music shop Spronk in Breda and after they had convinced the owner of their great talents with their version of Bye Bye Love by The Everly Brothers, they were allowed to buy the most expensive guitars from the shop at instalment purchase. That became the legendary big white Miller guitars and a sunburst Wilson guitar. These were products of the Egmond company from  Eindhoven (type ES 57). Later they also bought Egmond combo amplifiers to replace the old radio’s they were using. Their first appearances took place in Hotel De Schuur at the Catharinalaan in Breda. In the beginning they performed as the TIMOR RHYTM BROTHERS but soon they called themselves THE FOUR TIELMAN BROTHERS or THE 4 T’s. They soon went famous in Breda and started gigging other places in the province Brabant like Kamp Lunetten in Vught and dancing De Cosmopoliet in ‘s Hertogenbosch.

The Four Tielman Brothers on stage (Haagsche Dierentuin, The Hague ca.1957/1958)

The big aluminium balls of the Atomium in Brussels, Belgium still remember us of the world exebition Expo 58, which was held from the 17^th April until the 19^th October. At that time Hawaiian music was very popular in Europe and as a part of the Attraction Park a Hawaiian Village was created. With a decoration of palm trees, a blue sky and exotic plants and flowers Rudi Wairata (steel guitarist) and Mike Anoi (Guus 'broer' Arends) and their Hawaiian band played as main act. Several Dutch bands appeared and also THE FOUR TIELMAN BROTHERS were invited by Mr. Morisson from the organisation of the Hawaiian Village. They were allowed to fill a  break of 20 minutes. They gave a spectacular rock ‘n roll show as never in Europe performed before. Andy played guitar with his foot, the guitars were played reverse in the neck, his guitar was played with the drumsticks of Loulou, the double bass was handled in a sheer acrobatic way and guitars were tossed between the  brothers. The 20 minutes became almost 6 months.

THE TIELMAN BROTHERS (1963-1964)

Andy Tielman( lead guitar,vocals)
Alphonse Faverey (lead guitar) ex Strangers; to The Four Beat Breakers >The Time Breakers
Reggy Tielman (2^nd lead guitar, 6 string bass, vocals)
Franky Luyten (rhythm guitar, vocals) to the The Four Beat Breakers>The Time Breakers
Ponthon Tielman †(bass guitar, 6 string bass, vocals) to Tielman Royal ; afterwards back to Indonesia
Loulou Tielman † (drums, vocals)
Jane Tielman † (vocals)

The Tielman Brothers with sister Jane and Alphonse Faverey (left)(1963)

In 1963 Andy and Reggy Tielman were involved with a severe car accident and came under a freight truck. Reggy recovered after 2 weeks, but Andy was for 4 days in coma and his arm was broken at 8 spots. His arm was put in plaster and his recovery lasted many months. As replacement Alfons Faverey joined THE TIELMAN BROTHERS. His band THE STRANGERS had split and he would remain with the band after the return of Andy. The guitar playing  was less good and Andy concentrated even more on his vocals. Nevertheless Andy created a real innovation in the guitar world. He put 4 extra banjo strings on his Jazzmaster and with this 10 string guitar he could achieve very special effects and a  big sound. The rumour goes that an employee of Fender  came to the Sputnik to watch Andy’s unique guitar. Framus and Vox  made prototypes of a 9 string guitar, probable influenced by Andy and almost all Indo- Rock bands in Germany followed Andy’s conversion of their lead guitars, Fender Jazzmasters of course. Together with Alfons they did a tour in Israel. Unfortunately no records were made during they stay of Alfons in the band.  During 1964 Franky Luyten and Alfons Faverey were drafted for the Dutch military service. Because of  disagreements Ponthon left THE TIELMAN BROTHERS  played for some time with hs own band TIELMAN ROYAL and after that he went back to Indonesia where he stayed until his decease in April 2000.

THE TIELMAN BROTHERS( 1964-1969)

Andy Tielman( lead guitar,vocals)
Reggy Tielman( 2^nd lead guitar, 6 string bass, vocals)
Hans Bax( rhythm guitar, vocals)
Rob Latuperisa( bass guitar, 6 string bass)
Loulou Tielman †( drums, vocals)
Jane Tielman †( vocals)

  The Tielman Brothers with Hans Bax(left) and Rob Latuperisa (right)

 

Together with Hans Bax and Rob Latuperisa coming from the broken up  legendary Indo-Rock group THE JAVALINS started touring again in Germany again under the name THE TIELMAN BROTHERS, despite the fact that Andy himself had problems with this name. He would have preferred to continue as THE TIELMAN BAND. In this formation they recorded end of 1964 a live LP as well as a number of singes of which Hello Caterina was one of the better own compositions. This  LP contained mainly covers because the repertoire  had to be adapted more and more to due the pending trend of that period.

In 1965 they were invited to perform in the best known dancing of the Netherlands the posh Palais de Danse in Scheveningen( the seaside village of The Hague). Although they hadn’t played in Holland for years their fans came from all over the country and had to cue for the entrance well in advance, watching the sharp dressed band members arriving in their big limousines. They appeared with big success during July and August and their opening acts were the well known ZZ EN DE MASKERS and ANDY STARR & THE STRIPES. Jos Van Vliet, earlier president for THE CRAZY ROCKERS fan club and now Press Manager with Negram/Delta records invited them to the studio and the result was the beautiful album ‘East & West’, on which Andy excelled in 5 wonderful ballads like Unchained Melody, Maria and Danny Boy. Jane sang lead in Bring It On Home To Me. Reggy was the lead singer in a number of traditional Indonesian songs like Ole Sio and Kekasih Ku. The number Maria( West Side Story) was released as a single and reached with number 20 in the Dutch Top Forty its highest position in 1965. The self penned impressive instrumental Marabunta was also released in the U.S.A. on the Scepter label.

Andy was as far as we know the only famous lead guitarist who used the meanwhile very rare Vox Guitar Organ on stage in 1966. This instrument could reproduce organ- and guitar sounds. With its multiple controls and knobs it was not easy to play. More over this organ guitar could only be played with an electronic plectrum which was connected with the PC boards of the guitar. This organ guitar soon disappeared from the market, but once again Andy Tielman proofed to be a true innovator in guitar sound.

Until 1967 they recorded  for the German Ariola label, but the typical Tielman style was most of the times far gone. In 1967 they had totally unexpected their biggest hit in their career. Little Bird was recorded in 1967 in the Netherlands and reached the number 7 in the Dutch Top Fourty. The record was released in the U.S.A. on the Ranwood label.

There after followed a period of constantly changing formations and they appeared as ANDY TIELMAN & THE TIELMAN BROTHERS. The typical Tielman sound even further disappeared and only in 1979 Andy would show something of his old glory. Especially the instrumental Sarinandé made quite an impact  and it was very remarkable tot see at last a LP with 4 instrumental numbers, after all these were the real roots of the Tielman Brothers.

  Andy Tielman & The Tielman Brothers in de 70's
Andy with Vox Mando-Guitar (12-string elec. mandolin). Behind him a Vox AC 100 De Luxe and Fender XII