Lee Towers

Leendert "Leen" Huijzer OON (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈleːndərt leːn ˈɦœyzər]; born 23 March 1946), better known by his stage name Lee Towers, is a multi-award-winning Dutch singer. He remains one of the best-selling artist of the Netherlands and holds a record for performing the most concerts for a single artist at the Rotterdam Ahoy making him one of the best-selling artists of all time.[1]

Lee Towers OON
Lee Towers (2017)
Born
Leendert Huijzer

(1946-03-23) 23 March 1946
Bolnes, Netherlands
NationalityDutch
Other namesThe Voice Of Rotterdam, Mr. You'll Never Walk Alone
OccupationSinger
Years active1975–present
Spouse(s)Laura
WebsiteLeeTowers.nl

Career

His performing range has included pop, show tunes, country, soul and gospel.

He was discovered in 1975 as "The Singing Crane Mechanic", while laboring as a dockworker in Rotterdam. His music has charted in the Netherlands' music charts very successfully from the early 1970s up until the present day.[2]

He is well known in the Netherlands for bringing large theatrical performances to his fans in the style of Las Vegas shows. He holds a record in the Netherlands for performing the most concerts for a single artist at one single venue. Since the 1980s, Lee has held 50 gala performances at Rotterdam Ahoy, a multi-purpose arena, which now hosts a bronze bust of him at the entrance. Lee Towers was initially part of the show orchestra Len Hauser & The Drifting Five and broke through in 1975 when he was presented by Willem Duys as the singing crane operator from Rotterdam (however he worked as a maintenance bank worker at the Boele shipyard in Bolnes). [2] He made his first single ( Louisa , with nobody on the back ) under the name Leen Huizer. Later, around 1971, there was the Dutch single Nina Nina Nina , which he released under the name Len Hauser. Willem Duys released the first singleperformed under the name Lee Towers in the radio program Music Mosaic . It was It's raining in my heart , a song composed by the lead singer of The Outsiders , Wally Tax . It's raining in my heart made it to the charts . The next single, You'll never walk alone (released as You never walk alone ), became Towers' biggest hit and was in the top 10 for weeks.

Lee Towers gave his first major concert in De Doelen in Rotterdam in 1980, a unique achievement for the time. In 1981 a concert followed in a sold out venue. Then he took the step to Ahoy in 1984 where he produced a sold out show twice.

In later years many concerts and shows followed in Ahoy, where he also sang duets with Anita Meyer and others.

In 2003 Towers starred in the Dutch youth 'film Sinterklaas and the Danger in the Valley' by director Martijn van Nellestijn .

Towers is known as a great Feyenoord supporter. His songs Mijn Feyenoord and You never walk alone are played a lot in De Kuip and have become real club songs. If Feyenoord has won an important prize, Lee Towers will never sing You walk alone during the ceremony on the Coolsingel.

On January 27, 2013, the documentary Lee Towers: The Voice Of Rotterdam premiered during the Rotterdam Film Festival . Filmmaker Hans Heijnen followed Towers for the project with the camera for a year.

Lee Towers with Glennis Grace, is the only one who has performed at three different Toppers in Concert editions (2007, 2014 and 2016). At the end of 2016, De Toppers released a Christmas single: A very happy Christmas. Lee plays an extra role in the accompanying video clip.

In 2018 he participated in the television program Best Singers. He performed a cover of 'What about us' by Pink and recorded as a single soon after.

His best-known hits are "You'll Never Walk Alone" (which is also a favourite on the terraces of Feyenoord's De Kuip), Olympic Games (which he recorded for the "Let The Games Begin" LP which was to coincide with the 1992 Summer Olympics) and "I Can See Clearly Now".

On 1 November 2011 Towers returned to "Ahoy" for "One Night Only", a special concert commemorating his 35 years in the entertainment business, as well as his 51st Vegas-style concert in the venue, in front of 12,000 fans. Towers had performed in many places around the world over his 40 years.

Awards

The city of Rotterdam awarded him the Erasmus pin in 1990 and the Wolfert van Borselen medal in 2000.

In 2017 he received the Edison Oeuvre Prize for his enormous oeuvre and extraordinary achievements for Dutch music.

On November 13, 2019, Lee Towers opened the residential towers in Rotterdam named after him.

In 2006, he was awarded a Society Award along with Bridget Maasland.[3] He was awarded the title "Ambassador of Rotterdam Port" as well as becoming "Ambassador for Feyenoord Football Club 2005.".[4] He has received many other awards for his charity work and music achievements

Albums
Album titleRelease dateCharting in the Dutch Album Top 100Comments
Date of entryHighestWeeks
It's raining in my heart197612-06-1976318
A Christmas song for you197601-01-1977373
Special request197721-05-19771610
Still loves you197808-07-1978279
Definitelee197926-05-19792712
Simply the best198015-11-19801115Verzamelalbum
Absolutelee198124-10-19811117
New York198211-09-1982623
In concert198314-05-19831617Livealbum
I believe in music198317-09-19831414
Gala of the year198401-12-1984815Livealbum
You and me198514-09-19852110
The merry Christmas198521-12-1985314
Run to me198615-03-1986522met Anita Meyer
Say hello198606-12-1986429
Live at Ahoy198706-06-1987357Livealbum
The story of Lee Towers198724-10-1987585Verzamelalbum
In harmony198815-10-19883517
Listen to my heart199028-04-1990307
The Hollywood album199109-11-1991614
Jubilee199511-11-1995769
Country roads199925-09-1999525m.m.v. "South Mountain"
Het mooiste & het beste200019-02-2000971Verzamelalbum
Members only200028-10-20003110
The jubilee collection201105-11-2011211Verzamelalbum
Top 10016-12-201124-12-2011921met Anita Meyer / Verzamelalbum
Memories2012---
Sweet memories201320-04-201382

Singles
Single titleRelease dateCharting in the Dutch Top 40Comments
Date of entryHighestWeeks
It's raining in my heart197610-01-1976247No. 14 in the Single Top 100
You never walk alone197626-06-197657No. 1 in the Single Top 100 / Alarmschijf
Everyday197609-10-1976top 20-
Frankie197824-06-1978185No. 23 in the Single Top 100
Song of joy1979-No. 41 in the Single Top 100
Bless you197926-05-1979305No. 22 in the Single Top 100
Happy birthday baby<24-12-197917-05-1980305No. 38 in the Single Top 100
Love potion number nine198131-10-1981236No. 30 in the Single Top 100
I can see clearly now198209-10-1982107No. 19 in the Single Top 100
Love is all198211-12-1982top 7-No. 43 in the Single Top 100
I believe in music198324-09-1983tip6-No. 40 in the Single Top 100
If you know what I mean198407-01-1984tip14-
Let's get the world singing again198406-10-1984tip17-
Run to me198611-01-198698met Anita Meyer /
No. 3 in the Single Top 100
We've got tonight198619-04-1986313met Anita Meyer /
No. 35 in the Single Top 100
Golden lady198622-11-1986tip17-
Highway to freedom198817-09-1988tip13-No. 79 in the Single Top 100
Lady199021-04-1990tip11-No. 58 in the Single Top 100
Ik wou dat ik voor één keertje in m'n leven199207-03-1992226met Bart de Graaff /
No. 22 in the Single Top 100
The drinking song199502-12-1995tip13-
I can see clearly now - Walking on sunshine199728-06-1997283met Exposure /
No. 44 in thr Single Top 100
Mijn Feyenoord199826-12-1998top 2-No. 40 in the Single Top 100
Feyenoord voor altijd2008-No. 22 in the Single Top 100
Wereldwijd orkest201103-12-2011124Als onderdeel van Diverse artiesten /
met Het Metropole Orkest & Vince Mendoza /
No. 1 in the Single Top 100
Ga door2012-met Johnny Gold /
No. 67 in the Single Top 100
Koningslied19-04-201327-04-201324als onderdeel van Nationaal Comité Inhuldiging /
No. 1 in the Single Top 100
Kerstmis vier je samen201413-12-2014tip25-als onderdeel van Eenmaal Voor Allen /
No. 68 in the Single Top 100

Dvd's
Dvd's met hitnoteringen in de Nederlandse Music Top 30Datum van
verschijnen		Datum van
binnenkomst		 Hoogste 
positie		 Aantal 
weken		 Opmerkingen 
Live in concert201113-08-201177
One Night Only - Live in Ahoy201124-12-2011810

Live Albums

Lee Towers in Concert 1983

Gala of the Year 1984

Live at Ahoy 1987

Gala of the year- Live with guests 1990

Compilation Albums

The Best of Lee Towers 1979

Simply the Best 1980

One Hour of Golden Songs 1984

Greatest Hits 1986

The Story of Lee Towers 1987

gollark: I mean, if you have some neuron which happens to randomly flick on and off nondeterministically, does that add free will now?
gollark: I don't particularly *like* this way of considering it, but it *is* one.
gollark: https://eldraeverse.com/2016/03/10/on-free-will-and-noetic-architecture/
gollark: In this universe, apparently some weird nondeterminism in the algorithms sophont thinking uses.
gollark: I expect with enough time the spare capacity would end up retasked for something important, though.

References
  1. Gelder, Arno, 10 January 2007, De crooner komt er aan!, AD.
  2. Lee Towers Archived 27 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  3. 18 December 2006, Maasland en Towers onderscheiden, AD.
  4. 5 August 2005, Lee Towers ziet niets in reallifesoap, De Telegraaf.
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