Pussycat (band)
Pussycat was a Dutch country and pop group led by the three Kowalczyk sisters: Toni, Betty and Marianne.[1] Other members of the band were guitarists Lou Willé (Toni's then-husband), Theo Wetzels, Theo Coumans, and John Theunissen. Their song "Mississippi" was a #1 hit in most European countries, including the UK, in 1975/76.
Pussycat | |
|---|---|
 Pussycat band in 1975 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Brunssum, Netherlands |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1973–1985, 2004–2005 |
| Labels | Telstar, Parlophone, Capitol, Bovema, EMI-Odeon, Odeon, Swan, Columbia Records (AUS). |
| Associated acts | Zingende Zusjes (Singing Sisters),The BGs from Holland, Sweet Reaction |
| Website | Official website www.Pussy-Cat.nl (Archived) |
Career
Prior to forming the band, the three sisters were telephone operators in Limburg, whilst Theunissen, Wetzles and Coumans were in a group called Scum.[2] Lou Willé played in a group called Ricky Rendall and His Centurions until he married Toni, and created the group Sweet Reaction that eventually became known as Pussycat.[1]
In 1975 they scored a big European hit with the song "Mississippi". However they had to wait a further year for the single to make the British charts when it climbed to number one in the UK Singles Chart in October 1976.[3] Penned by Werner Theunissen, who had been the sisters' guitar teacher, it is estimated that "Mississippi" sold over five million copies worldwide. It was followed by "Smile" in 1976, and "Hey Joe" in 1978. Other hits were "If You Ever Come to Amsterdam", "Georgie", "Wet Day in September" and "My Broken Souvenirs". Their career in Europe spanned more than a decade and included some seventeen albums.[1] By 1978 Hans Lutjens had replaced Coumans on drums, as the band continued to release albums and tour, travelling as far afield as South Africa.[1] They made regular appearances on the West German TV series, Musikladen, in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Band members
- Toni Kowalczyk (married Willé) – lead vocals (1975-85)
- Betty Kowalczyk (married Dragstra) – singing (1975-85)
- Marianne Kowalczyk (married Hensen, then Veldpaus) – singing (1975-85)
- Lou "Loulou" Willé (Toni's then husband) – guitar (1975-85)
- John Theunissen – guitar (1975-80)
- Ferd Berger – guitar (1981-82)
- Kees Buenen – keyboards (1981-82)
- Theo Wetzels – bass guitar (1975-80)
- Theo Coumans – drums (1975-78)
- Hans Lutjens – drums (1978-80)
- Frans Meijer – drums (1981-82)
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NDL [4] |
AUS [5] |
BEL [6] |
GER [7] |
NOR [8] |
SWE [9] |
NZ [10] | ||||||
| 1976 | First of All |
|
4 | 29 | — | 10 | 2 | 26 | 16 | |||
| 1977 | Souvenirs |
|
6 | 71 | 28 | — | 9 | — | 1 | |||
| 1978 | Wet Day in September |
|
16 | — | — | — | 15 | — | — | |||
| 1979 | Simply to be with You |
|
— | — | — | — | 38 | — | — | |||
| 1979 | The Best of Pussycat |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1981 | Blue Lights |
|
10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1983 | After All |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1994 | The Collection & More |
|
60 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2001 | 25 jaar na Mississippi |
|
26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NDL [4] |
AUS [5] |
BEL [6] |
GER [7] |
AUT [11] |
SWI [12] |
NOR [8] |
SWE [9] |
UK [13] |
NZ [10] |
SA [14] | |||
| 1975 | "Mississippi" / "Do It" | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | First of All |
| "Mississippi" (German version) / "Lieb Mich" | — | — | — | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| 1976 | "Georgie" / "Take Me" | 1 | 74 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 14 | 2 | First of All |
| "Smile" / "What Did They Do to the People" | 2 | 34 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 8 | — | — | 24 | 3 | 1 | ||
| 1977 | "Ein Altes Lied" / "Pasadena" (German) | — | — | — | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| 1977 | "My Broken Souvenirs" / "Nothing to Hide" | 2 | 95 | 2 | 22 | 12 | 7 | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | Souvenirs |
| "I'll Be Your Woman" / "Just a Woman" | 12 | — | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "If You Ever Come to Amsterdam" / "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | Wet Day in September | |
| 1978 | "Same Old Song" / "Stupid Cupid" | 8 | 76 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Wet Day in September" / "I Remember Springtime" | 17 | — | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979 | "Hey Joe" / "Love in September" | 17 | — | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Daddy" / "Three Steps and Then ..." | 13 | — | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Simply to Be with You | |
| "Let Freedom Range" / "Don't Love Him" | 38 | — | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980 | "Doin' la Bamba" / "On the Corner of My Life" | 4 | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1981 | "Then the Music Stopped" / "Cha Cha Me Baby" | 10 | — | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Blue Lights |
| "Une Chambre Pour La Nuit" / "I Don't Wanna Rock and Roll" | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Teenage Queenie" / "Who's Gonna Love You" | 33 | — | — | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983 | "Lovers of a Kind" / "Closer to You" | 22 | — | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | After All |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
See also
References
- "Biography by Amy Henson". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
- Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 178. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 443. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- "PUSSYCAT IN DUTCH CHARTS". Dutch Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 242. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "PUSSYCAT". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- "Charterfolge von Pussycat". Charts.de. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- "PUSSYCAT IN NORWEGIAN CHARTS". Norwegian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- "PUSSYCAT IN SWEDISH CHARTS". Swedish Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- "PUSSYCAT IN NEW ZEALAND CHARTS". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- "PUSSYCAT IN DER ÖSTERREICHISCHEN HITPARADE". Austrian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- "PUSSYCAT". Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- "PUSSYCAT". The Official UK Charts Company. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- "PUSSYCAT IN SOUTH AFRICAN CHARTS". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pussycat. |
- Official website Toni Willé - The voice of Pussycat www.ToniWilleOnline.com
- Pussycat biography by Amy Hanson, discography and album reviews, credits & releases at AllMusic
- Pussycat discography, album releases & credits at Discogs
- Pussycat albums to be listened as stream on Spotify
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