Telkamp, Mieke
Prego, Prego, Gondoliere
Mieke Telkamp was born on June 14, 1934, in Oldenzaal. In 1952, at a concert in Oldenzaal, the renowned orchestra conductor Gerard van Krevelen asked Mieke to sing a song for him. This led to her first recording contract, and at the age of 18, Mieke became a professional singer. Her first recordings were English songs and were very successful in the Netherlands. Mieke also wanted to record German songs. She was certain that her audience loved German songs as much as she did. And she was right; her songs "Wochenend Polka," "Morgen komm ich wieder," and "Die wilden Schwäne" were huge commercial successes. This success led to an exclusive contract with Philips Germany in 1956. With her first single, "Du bist mein erster Gedanken," produced specifically for Germany, she achieved great success. Many more hits followed in the coming years: "Tammy," "Tulips from Amsterdam," and especially "Prego, Prego Gondoliere," which sold nearly a million copies. In her home country, she also had her own TV shows, hosted weekly live radio programs, starred in the famous Schleswig Revue, and, with numerous hits such as "De 3 klokken," "Nooit op zondag," "Eb en vloed," and "Wonderland by Night," was one of the most successful singers in the Netherlands. In 1971, her song "Waarheen Waarvoor..." became her biggest hit, earning her a gold record. Many new records, TV shows, and performances at home and abroad followed. In the early 1990s, the singer finally retired from the stage and withdrew completely from public life. She appeared in front of the cameras only once more, when her good friend Anneke Grönloh presented her with a gold award for DVD sales in 2011. When Mieke Telkamp died on October 20, 2016, the Netherlands lost not only one of its greatest and most versatile singers, but also one of its most beloved stars.