THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,566) Roek Williams and the Fighting Cats — “I’ll Cry”
Another lost Beatles ballad from ’65? Nope, just another uncanny and irresistible ‘65 replica, this time by the Dutch Buddy Holly. It reached #40 in the Netherlands.
Ondergewaardeerde Liedjes/Underrated Songs tells us (courtesy of Google Translate):
[Roek] Willemze . . . joined The Fighting Cats [in 1961]. The band attracts attention partly because of the bespectacled singer who therefore has strong similarities with Buddy Holly. The participation in a talent parade results in a radio debut and performances abroad. The first two singles flop, but with “I’ll Cry” they score a hit (one week at number 40 in the Top 40). . . .The successor is the Dutch-language “Kom Terug En Dans Met Mij” (“You’ll Never Walk Alone”) and a justified miss, despite the fact that the guitar work is nice. “Please Don’t Go Away” is a perfect example of Merseybeat, but the Netherlands does not warm to it. The boring and indolent “Take Your Time” becomes their biggest hit, but it does not reach higher than the 32nd place. On the advice of Veronica’s Rob Out, they change their name to Roek’s Family and score a big hit with “Get Yourself A Ticket”, which just misses the Top 10. The song is known for its groaning and the repetition of the melody (à la “Hey Jude”). A few more singles follow, but the band runs out of steam and splits up. Roek focuses on solo stuff and producing. The band (with Will Luikinga and Richard de Bois) continues as Ginger Ale with singer Koen Merkelbach (ex-Names And Faces, Dean Alan Set and George Cash). Only since then, they do score two big hits (“The Flood”, based on Bizet’s Pearl Fishers) and the bland “Scoobidab”). Roek then makes a single with ex-Masker Jaap de Groot as Mike & Michael. They make four singles in 1971 and 1972, but only “A Star” makes it into the charts (4 weeks with a top at #23).
https://ondergewaardeerdeliedjes.nl/2021/08/03/roek-williams-the-fighting-cats-ill-cry/
Last DoDo adds that:
[The] Amsterdam band [was] founded by the brothers Rick and Frans Beekman. Active between 1961 and 1968. Initially, the sister of the Beekman brothers acts as a singer, but she is soon replaced by singer Roek Williams, known as the Dutch Buddy Holly because of his striking glasses. The first performance with Williams is in the summer of 1961 at a Talent Parade of the Amsterdam Minerva Pavilion. The band plays for the first time on the radio with the popular program De Wigwam. After performances in the Netherlands, Italy, France and Germany, the first single “You Walked Away” is released in 1963, a song that is influenced by the Merseybeat. The Fighting Cats provide the support act for the Dutch tour of the British Tornados. The Dutch single “Kom Back En Dans Met Mij” is released on Polydor, a translation of “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. The single did not become a hit and the band made a few more singles for the Delta label with more accessible repertoire. [T]here is still no success, the name is changed to Roek’s Family in 1968. When . . . Roek Willemze leaves Ginger Ale becomes the new band name. . . . Band members: Rook Willemze: vocals, Ronny Bühre: bass, Richard De Bois: drums, Rick Beekman: guitar.
https://www.lastdodo.com/en/areas/362113-roek-williams-the-fighting-cats
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