Albert West
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Biography
Albert West was born on September 2, 1949 as Albertus Petrus Enricus Gerardus Westelaken in 's-Hertogenbosch in the Dutch province of North Brabant. He is a pop singer and music producer. From the age of 14, he sang in the band The Shuffles. The Shuffles' international breakthrough came with the song "Cha La La, I Need You" (1969). The song reached number 2 in the Dutch charts. The German cover version "Sha La La I Love You" becomes a success for the Flippers in 1970. Further hits for the band follow: "Bitter Tears", "Without You" and "The Way Music Goes" (all 1970). In 1972, Albert West leaves The Shuffles and starts a solo career. His first debut album, First Album, was released by Embassy in 1974. He immediately achieved international success with the cover single "Ginny Come Lately " - originally by Brian Hyland (1962) - reaching number 4 in the Netherlands, number 13 in Germany and number 1 in Austria for three months. The follow-up singles "Tell Laura I Love Her" (originally by Ray Peterson, 1960) and "Sheila" also reached the top of the Austrian charts in 1974. Between 1973 and 1977, Albert West placed twelve singles in the Dutch Top 30, followed by the albums My Dear Rose (1976), Memory of Life (1977) and 20 Greatest Hits (1978). In the mid-1980s, Albert West successfully produced the BB Band. In 1986, the album Hammond & West was released together with the British singer-songwriter Albert Hammond. The joint single "Give a Little Love" reaches number 6 in the Netherlands. The album West and Friends (1988), on which Albert West re-recorded his old hits together with the original artists Helen Shapiro, Tony Christie and Brian Hyland, was awarded gold. In 1993, the album Cha la la is released by CNR. In 2005, Albert West makes a late comeback with the song "Amarillo " - a re-recording of the Tony Christie hit - which reaches number 13 in the Dutch charts following the release of a commercial for the Dutch beer Bavaria. In the same year, Albert West travels to Afghanistan to perform for Dutch soldiers. In 2009, he celebrates his 45th anniversary as an artist with a theater tour. In addition to his music career, he is also active as a television and radio presenter in the Netherlands, including in the TV series Sterrenslag. In 2012, Albert West suffers a spinal cord infarction from which he does not fully recover. He died on June 4, 2015 in Tilburg as a result of a bicycle accident. He is 65 years old.
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Albums
Top Tracks
- Track Popularity
- Hand In Hand (Pt. 1)
- Morning Sun
- Nine Short Years
- Hey, Hey What Do You Say
- Four Years Later
- Wheels Turn Pictures
- Broken White Line
- I Think I'm Gonna Love You Again
- Hand In Hand (Pt. 2)
- Racing Cars
- Hey There Little Girl
- Wishing
- Give a Little Love by Albert West
- Put Your Head on My Shoulder
