Mariska Veres, born 1 October 1947 and died 2 December 2006 in Amsterdam. She was the lead singer of Shocking Blue. Her striking appearance was almost as notable as her eccentric and accented vocals. She wore kohl cosmetic-lined eyelashes, long jet black hair, and high cheekbones. Veres was born at The Hague. Her father was Lajos Veres, a Hungarian Romani violinist. Her mother was born in Germany to Russian and French parents. Ilonka, her older sister, accompanied her father at the piano. Irene, her youngest sister, didn’t pursue a career as a musician. Veres started her singing career in 1963 as a member of the guitar band Les Mysteres. This band released an EP in 1964 (GTB-label – 10 copies only). Mariska is performing on side 1: Summertime (solo) or Someone (a duo). This EP was re-released in 2010 by Platenclub Utrecht, (PLUT009). On www.platenclubutrecht.nl you can see the sleeve and listen to a part of Summertime. She joined the Bumble Bees in 1965, Danny and his Favourites, the Blue Fighters in 1966 and then the General Four in 1966. Later, she joined the Motowns in 1966. In the last band, she also played organ. She was asked to join Shocking Blue in 1968 to replace Fred de Wilde, who had to enlist in the army. Shocking Blue’s hit song “Venus” gained them worldwide fame in 1969/1970. Earl Wilson, a gossip columnist in the United States, described Veres as a beautiful and busty girl within the month of their arrival. [3] But she was clear that she did not want to be in a romantic relationship when she joined Shocking Blue. [2] Shocking Blue ended their relationship on June 1, 1974. Veres went on a solo career, until the band reunited in 1984. The group’s comeback was successful. Robbie van Leeuwen (one of the original members) resigned from the group after he moved to Luxembourg and also due to the success of Bananarama covering “Venus”. Mariska Veres founded the jazz group The Shocking Jazz Quintet, in 1993. They recorded an album, ‘Shocking You,’ which featured pop songs from the 60s, 70s, and now a jazz version. She performed from 1993 to 2006. She recorded the songs “Body and Soul” and “Angel”, both of which were produced by Robbie van Leeuwen. In 2003, she also recorded an album called “Gipsy Heart”, with Andrei Serban, which reflects her Romani roots. In 2007, Dolf deVries, the pianist/bandleader, released a posthumous version of “Venus”, a few months after her passing. It was included on the album “Another Touch”. Mariska recorded “Venus” four times with Shocking Blue (1969), the Mariska Veres Shocking Jazz Quintet (93), Formula Diablos (1997/1997), and with Dolf De Vries (a lounge version, 2005/2006). From Wikipedia
