Jordaan in Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands — Northwestern Europe
Johnny Jordaan
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, March 18, 2024
1. Johnny Jordaan Marker
Johnny Jordaan (1925-1989) werd bekend met zijn liederen over de Jordaan. Al op jonge leeftijd zong hij, samen met zijn neef Carel Verbrugge (Willy Alberti), op straat en in cafés. Zo verdiende hij gela orn bij te dragen aan het levensonderhoud van zijn familie. De naam Johnny Jordaan gebruikte hij vanaf zijn 14e. toen hij in zijn vrije tijd in cafés bleef zingen. Johnny timmerde aan de weg. Na de Tweede Wereldoorlog kreeg hij een baan als zingende kelner in hel Amsterdamse café De Kuil.
In 1955 nam zijn bekendheid een grote vlucht, toen hij een wedstrijd won waarin de beste stemmen van de Jordaan werden gezocht. Hij bracht zijn eerste single uit, De Parel van de Jordaan met op de B-kant het lied Bij ons in de Jordaan. De laatste werd een grote hit.
Zijn carrière kende ups en downs. Door slecht financieel beheer kwam hij in de jaren zestig op zwart zaad te zitten. Een in 1962 door hem geopend café moest uiteindelijk wegens belastingschulden sluiten. Een kort zakelijk avontuur in Antwerpen bracht ook geen soelaas. In 1968 zorgde zijn goede vriendin Tante Leen ervoor
this page online
In de jaren zeventig kreeg Johnny steeds meer last van zijn gezondheid. Na een lichte hersenbloeding en een aantal hartinfarcten nam hij in 1972 afscheid van het publiek inel een televisieshow met Tante Leen, Willy Alberli, Ramses Shaffy, Zwarte Riek, Harry de Groot en tekstschrijver Pi Veriss. Op 8 januari 1989 overleed Johnny Jordaan op 64-jarige leeftijd. Hij werd begraven op de begraafplaats Vredenhof.
Beeldhouwer: Kees Verkade 1990
Johnny Jordaan (1925-1989) became known with his songs about the Jordaan. At an early age he sang, together with his cousin Carel Verbrugge (Willy Alberti), on the street and in cafes. In this way he earned Gela Orn to contribute to the livelihood of his family. He used the name Johnny Jordaan from the age of 14, when he continued to sing in cafes in his spare time. Johnny was working hard. After the Second World War he got a job as a singing waiter in the Amsterdam café De Kuil
. His fame soared in 1955 when he won a competition seeking the best voices in the Jordaan. He released his first single, De Parel van de Jordaan (“The Pearl of the Jordaan”), with the song Bij ons in de Jordaan (“Among us in the Jordaan”) on the
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, March 18, 2024
2. Johnny Jordaan Marker - wide view
Johnny Jordaan’s statue and marker is the middle of the five visible here.
His career had its ups and downs. Through poor financial management in the 1960s he went through some hard times. A café he opened in 1962 eventually had to close due to tax debts. A short business adventure in Antwerp also brought no relief. In 1968 his good friend Tante Leen took care of him, making sure sure he could come back to Amsterdam. He again experienced great triumphs with the song ’n Picketanussie.
In the 1970s, Johnny's health increasingly suffered. After a mild cerebral hemorrhage and a number of heart attacks, he said goodbye to the public in 1972 in a television show with Tante Leen, Willy Alberti, Ramses Shaffy, Zwarte Riek, Harry de Groot and lyricist Pi Veriss. Johnny Jordaan died on January 8, 1989 at the age of 64. He was buried at the Vredenhof cemetery.
Sculptor: Kees Verkade 1990
Erected 1991.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. A significant historical date for this entry is January 8, 1989.
Location. 52° 22.209′ N, 4° 52.935′ E. Marker is in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland (North Holland). It is in Jordaan. Marker is at the intersection of Elandsgracht and Prinsengracht, in the median on Elandsgracht. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Elandsgracht 2a, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland 1016 TV, Netherlands. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers.
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, March 18, 2024
3. Johnny Jordaan statue
Also see . . .
1. Johnny Jordaan (Wikipedia).
Overview: Johnny Jordaan was the pseudonym for Johannes Hendricus van Musscher (7 February 1924 – 8 January 1989), a Dutch singer of popular music, in particular the genre known as levenslied, a Dutch variety of the French chanson. He was well known for his songs about the city of Amsterdam, especially the Jordaan district (the genre dedicated to the neighborhood is known as the Jordaanlied), which he sang in a typical "hiccuping Mokum vibrato", "Mokum" being the Hebrew-derived nickname for the Amsterdam inner city area. In the 1950s, Johnny Jordaan rose almost instantly to the level of national celebrity and became the "uncrowned king of the Jordaanlied", and his hit song "Geef mij maar Amsterdam" is one of the songs(Submitted on May 12, 2024.)Amsterdammers identify with most.Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, March 18, 20244. Statues of (L to R): Manke Nelis, Tante Leen, Johnny Jordaan, Johnny Meijer, and Duo Jan & MienJohnny took his name from the neighborhood, the Jordaan, so the neighborhood returned the favor and named the square (Plein) after him. The square was dedicated in 1991 and functions as a sort of local musical hall of fame.
2. Johnny Jordaan - Bij Ons In De Jordaan (Amsterdam in muziek) • TopPop (3:29). B/W performance clip mixed with shots of the Jordaan from a bygone era.
“His first single contained two Noiret compositions, "De Parel van de Jordaan" and "Bij ons in de Jordaan". After being played on an AVRO radio program the single was an instant hit record, propelling Johnny and his Jordaan to national fame—the entire neighborhood, which had been poor and deprived since the 19th century, suddenly became popular due to the success of Johnny Jordaan and others. Cabaret artist and historian Jacques Klöters referred to 1955 as "the year of Johnny Jordaan": he sold hundreds of thousands of records within months, got to perform in the Concertgebouw with Tante Leen, and helped popularize the ‘uncivilized’ Jordaan dialect”. - Wikipedia (Submitted on May 12, 2024.)
3. Johnny Jordaan - Geef mij maar Amsterdam. (YouTube, 3:28). More Johnny Jordaan, set to a parade of weird or whimsical bits of art in Amsterdam.
‘…"Geef mij maar Amsterdam" ("I prefer Amsterdam"), written by Pi Vèriss, which praises the city as preferable over any other, including Paris: "Liever in Mokum zonder poen dan in Parijs met een miljoen" ("I'd rather be penniless in Mokum than a millionaire in Paris").
His songs, especially "Geef mij maar Amsterdam", stand for the city in an emblematic way, and continue to be played at Amsterdam festivities—such as the 2013 championship of Ajax. For some, Amsterdam means Johnny Jordaan.’ - Wikipedia (Submitted on May 12, 2024.)
Credits. This page was last revised on May 12, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 12, 2024, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 43 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 12, 2024, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
