Biography
Short chronologically as musician/bartender/booking-agent:
1976-1977 highschool-band Creature with a.o. Wally Zeylmaker
and Jan(tje) Koster (later to be famous hardrocker
withthe band Sleezebeez)
1977 Cabaret Obscura with a.o. Erik van Muiswinkel
1984-1988 GRIN
1985 verrukkullukke 15 radio hit “You Need A Gun”
1986 LP “A View From The Valley”
1985-2000 bartender and manager cafë Studio/Haarlem
Creator and 10 years organiser of the infamous “Het 1 Januari-festival”
5 years X-Mix, 15 Years programmer live muziek
1988 band “Van Kampen En De Leeuw”
1988 support Steve Harley en Cockney Rebel in Paradiso- Amsterdam
1998-2003 cooperation with Danny Guinan
1998 CD “Red” – Danny Guinan & Red
1999 CD “A Pint Of Guinan’s” – Danny Guinan & Red
2002 CD” Best Foot Forward”- Noel Shannon
2002 optreden in Gernmany with the legendary Shane McGowan
2003-heden booker famous Irish musician Freddie White
2003 CD “ If I Was Wise” – Danny Guinan & Red
2004 CD “Live” – Danny Guinan & Red
2005 organisation big show of Christie Moore in Bergen op Zoom
2004-2011 cooperation with Herman Pouderoyen
2004 until now : cooperation with Arthur Ebeling
2004 until now : cooperation with Stooom!
2005 until now : cooperation with Boyd Small
2005 CD “Gebakken Lucht”- Herman Pouderoyen
2007 until now: booker Albert Niland
2009 CD “Niet In De Winkel Verkrijgbaar”- Herman Pouderoyen
2009 CD Double Bass on a few songs "You Handsome Devil"- Arthur Ebeling
2009 until now: cooperation with The Busquito’s
2009 CD “Wicky-Wacky-Woo” – The Busquito’s
2010 CD “Wicky-Wacky- Too” – The Busquito’s
Nominated as best Blues-bass-player in the Netherlands!
2011 CD “Wicky-Wacky-Tree” – The Busquito’s
2012 Toun with the American “Honker”, saxophone-legend
Big Jay McNeely in Switserland and France.
2013 CD “Tacky-Telly-Tunes”- The Busquito’s
2011 tot heden , tuesdays barkeeping for fun in café De Lift/Haarlem
2012 until now : cooperation with Crazy Acoustics
2012 until now : cooperation with Goeie Gasten
2012 until now : cooperation with Jopen Huisband
2013 until now : cooperation with Dr. Funkofiets
2013 rcorded CD “Meer Mokum” with Goeie Gasten Accordion=player
Jaap Somsen with orginal Amsterdam style songs.
2013 With the Busquito’s first price National Dutch Radio as
best streetmusicians of Holland!
2014 Bassguitar and backing vocals on the album
'More Love And Trouble' by Boyd Small
2015 backing vocals on the album '7th'by Ben Reel.
2018 double bass, bassguitaar en background vocals on CD 'Wolken" by Rob Wtenweerde.
2018: show with PeeWee Ellis in the UK
2018: show with Fay Lovski
2018: recording new CD The Busquitos
2018: end of the band Stooom, sadly because singer/guitarist Ruud Mohlmann passed away.
2018 Debut as German schlager-singer with the fun band Also-Also
(very) long Biography:
Once upon a time…
Heemstede 1967.
As required in that day and age, Ronald started piano lessons at the age of seven.
When he was fourteen, after one year of guitar lessons – in a moment of temporary insanity- he used his pocket money to buy his first bass guitar.
Once at home, he discovered very quickly that such an instrument doesn’t produce much sound without amplification. The Philips turntable solved the problem and did so for many years to come (They don’t make things like that anymore!).
By tricks and devices, without any inhibition regarding the mediocre level of his playing, Ronald managed to get involved in various school bands. Everything started with the band ‘Centrum’, with singer Alexandra van Marken(!). Next was the band ‘Creature’, the first serious step to the stage, well, two or three gigs, getting Ronald hooked on music! Together with his brother Gerard and Wally Zeijlmaker on guitar and Jantje Koster (later famous with the hard rock band “Sleezbeez”) on drums, he played/practised both his own songs (with euphonic titles as ‘Get on with the race’) as well as covers from Wishbone Ash en various other rock bands.
Early '80's He started to play with GRIN. a band that did verey well and got 8 weeks of serious airplay with the song "You Need A Gun" . But that band fell apart after the LP flopped a year later.
Three beers and a bass please!
Highly disappointed, Ronald decided to start a career in the bar business.
But the urge to play music remained and from time to time he would still secretly play his guitar and write and record a few original songs: Ego, So Long, Diapers recorded mid '80's ft Martijn Bosman(drums), Ro Krom (rap), Dick van der Giessen (keys) and Rene Snoeks (Guitar) and Ronakld on vocals and bass.
No style was too strange: from jazz over funk to soul and blues rock! Together with his friends Bart Edel, Bert Heemskerk and drummer Martijn Bosman (“Gotcha”, “Kane”), he formed the rock bands “Common Bert”, and Steal with drummer Kees Wassenaar: which were quite successful in Haarlem and it’s surroundings.
Listen to 4 recordings from Steal in the late 80's here: Bad News, She Said, Brown Eyed Girl, Their Way
He even played loads of live concerts with an acoustic singing trio and many chords were stricken in the orchestra pit at the Dreigrosschenoper.
With the band “Van Kampen en de Leeuw”, with leen Korenhof, Andreas Pielage (‘Hakim’) and Mark Kamstra he played his first real big stage. Paradiso in Amsterdam as a support to Steve Harley en Cockney Rebel.
It was during this period that Ronald started organising the ‘X-miXX’ for café Studio in Haarlem, still a big event on the Sunday prior to Christmas. The illustrious bass player is also the founder of the ‘January 1st festival’ in that same café, still an event that will be sold out months in advance, where he performed with renowned Dutch artists such as Peter Schön, Leon Klaasse (Powerplay, Pilgrims, Freek de Jonge), Wil Maas (Borsato), Paulette Willems (‘Miss Einstein’), Xander Hubrecht (Idolsband) and Arnold Smits (‘Gotcha!’, ‘Raggende Manne’). Marcel Schmidt, (‘Raggende Manne’) Roland Brunt (‘De Dijk’), Arend Bouweester and Ro Krom (Gotcha!).
Between times he played with (and not as a support to!) Shane MacGowan (Pogues/ Popes) in Germany during the presentation of his CD ”The Crock of Gold’.
The Irish intermezzo…
In 1997 Ronald met the Irish Danny Guinan, who was new to Haarlem and looking for musicians for his band. Ronald wouldn’t be Ronald if he didn’t grab this opportunity with both hands and presented himself as an obliging bass player. Ronald drummed up all his friends, convincing them to join the band and all at once, he saw the light…
He kissed his bar career goodbye and chose the life of a fulltime musician.
Ronald got the chance to do so much more that playing the bass: he co wrote, co produced and co arranged the band’s songs, resulting in four well received CD’s. But he also took care of most of the practical matters: Ronald took care of promotions and bookings, bought a van to drive the band around the Netherlands (and beyond)…In short, he was always working for Danny Guinan & Red, both on and off the stage.
All this hard work resulted in approx. 900 gigs in Holland and abroad (e.g. Ireland, Germany, Finland and Belgium). Ronald performed on famous stages such as Paradiso, Melkweg, in a number of theatres, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and during renowned festivals such as Dranouter in Belgium, The Irish Festival in Finland and Folkwoods in Eindhoven. They also were support to a.o. Luka Bloom, and An emotional Fish.
In the summer of 2003 Danny Guinan decided unilaterally to end the collaboration. A disillusioned Ronald saw years of hard work and the investment of time and talent going down the drain. But he had nothing to fear, as the infamous ‘black hole’ had no time to appear!
Ronald ‘Multitasker’ de Jong today:
Guinan’s words were not yet cold, as several offers came Ronald’s way!
A number of artists and bands were looking for a professional bass player and the news that Ronald de Jong was available travelled fast. The experiences he gained with his last band, as a bass player but also as a promoter, secretary, agent, driver, accountant and roadie made him a much wanted multi functional band member.
Nowadays Ronald is playing with several bands, to spread the risks after the Guinan dip….
In the mean time he played with Major stars as Bif jay McNeely and star blues guitarist Ruben Hoeke a.o.
Mowadays He stil plays about 180-200 gigs a year in Holland and all over the world with lots of very good musicians!
Anything for that Pop Star Sensation!
With The Busquito’s , the Funny, brilliant and very succesful fun-swing-jazz-quartet!
With Ben Reel, a few tours a year with one of Ireland’s finest singer-songwriters.
With Arthur Ebeling, Holland’s best kept Rhythm and Happy Blues secret.
With Boyd Small Four + One, the best blues-singer/drummer you ever heard.
With Stooom!, covers by The Police, U2, INXS, Romantics, Kane…
With Paul Martin, Very good interpreter of the Irish and Amercan traditional songs.
With Dr. Funkofiets, rocking funk-soul coverband.
With the Jopen Huisband regular gigs at the Jopen Brouwerij with star guitarist Genn Schwarzer and drummer Paul van Schaik.
With these musicians they accompany Ben Reel on his tours through Europe as "The Harlem Boys"
And as' The Harlem Hook' they formed a magnificent cover band with singer Joel de Tombe.
With de Goeie Gasten (The Good Guys), The Crazy Acoustics and a lot more small acoustic live commercial projects.
And very active as promotor, booking agent of Freddy White, Albert Niland, and collaborating with several big international festivals and venues in Europe
GRIN 1985
With Danny Guinan Patronaat 2002
Ronald de Jong
The Good The Fat And The Ugly 1990
With Shane McGowan Hannover 2002
With Herman Pouderoyen
2008