Ewald Krolis | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ewald Harold Krolis |
| Born | 16 May 1947 Paramaribo, Suriname |
| Died | 22 September 2006 (aged 59) Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Genres | Kaseko |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, percussionist |
Ewald Harold Krolis (16 May 1947 – 22 September 2006) was a Surinamese kaseko-singer and percussionist.
Biography
Krolis started singing at a young age; he formed The Rhythm Makers with Bertje Tjin A Kwie, André Stekkel and producer-to-be Stan Lokhin. Their repertoire of kaseko, calypso, soul, merengue and reggae earned Krolis a residency at the local Torarica Hotel's Saramacca-bar.[1]
In November 1975, he moved to the Netherlands after Surinam became an independent state. Krolis settled in Rotterdam where he formed Caribbean Combo;[2] the other members were his brother Robby, John Kembel, Ricardo Tjon A Kon, Lesley Leeflang, and August Cabenda.[3] They were often joined by Ramon Laparra who went on to lead his own band Master Blaster.[4] Caribbean Combo signed to Unice Records, an independent niche-label, and released their first two singles (Merie Mie and Mie Ne Meri Deng;[1] packed in near-identical sleeveworks) in 1977. A debut-album followed in 1979; Switie Bamaro consisted of ten new recordings[2] including cover-versions of The Blues Busters' Wide Awake In A Dream (translated in Surinamese) and Eddy Grant's Say I Love You.
Throughout the first half of the 1980s, Krolis released 12-inch singles such as 1984's Mie Lobi which came out on Mirza Records; its B-side Mi Kanto Ma Mi De Ete (Fallen But Not Defeated) became one of Krolis' best-known songs. Pop radio-station 3FM took notice by 1985 and invited Caribbean Combo for a live-concert.[1]
In 1986, Krolis got involved in a car crash that left him disabled and practically deaf; he secluded but managed to record one more album; Biegie Famier' Mang, produced by Lesley Leeflang and released in 1995 to positive reviews. Plans for a follow-up album never materialised; Krolis died on 22 September 2006, in a hospital in Rotterdam.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Ewald Krolis". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- 1 2 "Surinaamse artiesten brengen swingend eerbetoon aan Ewald Krolis". Waterkant (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ↑ "Kaseko-formatie Caribbean Combo bestaat 35 jaar". Waterkant (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ↑ "Master Blaster". Muziek Encyclopedie (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 February 2022.
Further reading
- "Ewald Krolis Surinaamse Kaseko Zanger". Muzikale Ontdekkingen (in Dutch).
- "Surinaamse artiesten brengen swingend eerbetoon aan Ewald Krolis". Waterkant (in Dutch). 26 July 2018.
- Weltak, Marcel (25 February 1986). "Zanger Ewald Krolis maakt zijn faam waar". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). p. 14.
- Weltak, Marcel (2009). "Van goden en vrouwen in de Surinaamse muziek". In Meijer, Maaike; Buikema, Rosemarie (eds.). Cultuur en migratie in Nederland: Kunsten in beweging 1980–2000 (in Dutch). Sdu. p. 83.