Golden Earring was a Dutch rock band, founded in 1961 as "The Golden Earrings". In 1967, the word "The" was dropped and 2 years later, the "s" letter at the end of the band name was dropped. They achieved worldwide fame with their international hit song "Radar Love" in 1973, "Twilight Zone" in 1982 and "When the Lady Smiles" in 1984.
The band's lineup consisted of co-founders Rinus Gerritsen (bass and keyboards) and George Kooymans (vocals and guitar), along with Barry Hay (vocals, guitar, flute and saxophone), and Cesar Zuiderwijk (drums and percussion). All musicians in the last lineup of the band have been continuous members of the band since 1970, although other musicians have joined and left the band during the intervening years.
The band announced on February 5, 2021 that it had disestablished after founding band member George Kooymans was diagnosed with ALS.
Members[]
| Name | Occupation(s) | Year(s) active |
|---|---|---|
| Rinus Gerritsen | Bass, keyboards, guitar, harmonica | 1961-2021 |
| George Kooymans | Guitar, vocal | 1961-2021 |
| Hans van Herwerden | Guitar | 1962-1963 |
| Fred van der Hilst | Drums, percussion | 1962-1965 |
| Peter de Ronde | Guitar | 1963-1966 |
| Frans Krassenburg | Vocal | 1964-1967 |
| Jaap Eggermont | Drums, percussion | 1965-1969 |
| Barry Hay | Vocals, guitar, flute, saxophone | 1967-2021 |
| Sieb Warner | Drums, percussion | 1969-1970 |
| Cesar Zuiderwijk | Drums, percussion | 1970-2021 |
| Bertus Borgers | Saxophone | 1973-1976 |
| Eelco Gelling | Guitar | 1973-1975, 1976-1978 |
| Robert Jan Stips | Keyboards, synthesizers | 1974-1976, 1977-1978, 1980, 1982, 1986 |
| John Lagrand | Harmonica | 1979 |