Liesbeth List (78) – Dutch Chansonniere – was born in Bandoeng, Indonesia on December 12, 1941 from Dutch parents who were separated by the Japanese invasion and put in work camps. The circumstances in which she and her mother lived in the camp were very hard on her mother, who developed depression. When the Japanese capitulated at the end of WWII, she and her mother were set free. They were reunited with their father and husband, but a few weeks afterwards, Liesbeth’s mother committed suicide: a victim of depression.
Liesbeth and her father returned to the Netherlands, where her father remarried. His new wife, however, frequently clashed with Liesbeth. At the age of seven, children’s services took Liesbeth away. It was thought her father was deceased, and she was placed in an orphanage. After it was discovered that her father was still alive, she was placed back with her father and stepmother.
In that same year of 1948, during a trip to the Dutch island of Vlieland, Liesbeth’s stepmother was told that the owner of a hotel/lighthouse on the island and his wife were seeking to adopt a child. Liesbeth was subsequently given up by her father and adopted by this couple, whose surname was List.
As a teenager fresh out of high school, List was very interested in culture and music. At age 18, in 1959 she moved to Amsterdam, where she studied fashion and had a job as a secretary. She appeared in the AVRO TV talent show “Nieuwe Oogst” (New Harvest), after which she was signed to collaborate with legendary Dutch singer Ramses Shaffy in the theatre show Shaffy Chantant. They first started this show, in which they performed well-known chansons, in 1964. In 1965, the duo was awarded the Europe Cup for Best Singing Performance in Knokke, Belgium. A secretary in an architectural firm, this early success caused List to focus on a musical career and she released her debut album in 1966. In 1967, Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis asked her to collaborate on an LP of his Mauthausen Ballad, describing the persecution of Jews during the Second World War in dramatic chansons. The LP was a critical and commercial success. Then List was successful with an album containing cover versions of songs by Jacques Brel: the album became certified gold.
In 1969, List was awarded a press prize at a television festival in Montreux. The prize was awarded to her for her contribution in a television series. Because of this foreign acclaim, List focused more on international success. She started recording more cover versions of well-known artists, such as Gilbert Bécaud. List’s success continued with the release of more LPs and a continued acting career in television, film, and stage. It was no secret that her success lay largely in the way “she understood every word she sang”.
In 1972 she recorded and album with American singer, songwriter Rod McKuen: ‘Two against the morning’. In 1973 she recorded the album ‘Meet lovely Liesbeth List’ in England. Her album: ‘Liesbeth List sings Jacques Brel’ was released in 1972 in the USA. In 1976 she recorded an album with songs of Charles Aznavour ‘Charles Aznavour presents: Liesbeth List’. She sang with him the duet: ‘Don’t say a word.’
List took a short break when she became pregnant with her first child; she and husband Robert Braaksma had a daughter, Elisah, in 1983, when List was 41. List ceased her activities for six years to care for her child. In 1988, List made her return to the public eye, starring in a theatre programme titled “List NU”. In 1990, she started on a similar show, but it gained neither critical nor commercial success, therefore List accepted that her career had ended.
But in the 90s popular Dutch singer, songwriter and producer Frank Boeijen revived List’s career. She recorded two albums with him: in 1994 List and in 1996 Noach. In 1995 she received an Edison for the first, which is one of the highest musical honors awarded in The Netherlands. In 1999 she released Vergezicht which contains the song Heb Het Leven Lief (Love life) which she sang in 2007 at the memorial celebration for Jos Brink, with whom she had performed in a musical Het Hemelbed to great acclaim. She was also approached by TV host Albert Verlinde to star in his musical about Edith Piaf‘s life. She started performing this musical in 1999 and did 170 shows of Piaf, de Musical. Because of its success, and the many requests to bring the musical back, she reprised the role during 2008 and 2009. In 2000 and in 2009, she won the coveted John Kraaijkamp Musical Award for this role. In 2009 she released a new CD called Verloren & Gewonnen. In 2015, she released what would be her last album, a tribute album to Ramses Shaffy titled Echo, which contained covers of songs by Shaffy.
In 2017, List decided to retire from music because she was developing dementia due to brain damage she had sustained in a 1963 car accident. She died in her sleep on March 25, 2020, after spending the last years of her life in an assisted-living facility.
