Mariska Veres

Biography

Maria Elisabeth Ender, better known as Mariska Veres (; 1 October 1947 – 2 December 2006), was a Dutch musician who was the lead vocalist of the rock group Shocking Blue. She was known for her sultry voice, eccentric performances, and her striking appearance which featured kohl-rimmed eyes, and high and long jet-black hair, which was actually a wig.

Early life

Mariska Veres was born Maria Elisabeth Ender ('Mariska' is the Hungarian dimunitive form of 'Maria'). in The Hague, in the Netherlands. Her father, Lajos Veres (1912–1981), was a Hungarian violinist of Roma descent. Her German-born mother, Maria Antonia Ender (1912–1986), was of French and Russian heritage. The elder Veres had emigrated to the Netherlands from Hungary in 1939, settling in Rotterdam. Several of his family members were killed in The Holocaust.
Mariska had two siblings, both of whom were also musicians, and Mariska began taking singing and piano lessons from an early age. She cited British pop singers Cliff Richard and Helen Shapiro as influences.

Early career (1963–1967)

Veres began her career as a singer in 1963 with the guitar band Les Mystères. In 1964 the band recorded an EP (GTB-label, 10 copies only) with Veres singing on side 1: "Summertime" (solo) and "Someone" (a duet). In 2010 the EP was re-released by record club Platenclub Utrecht (PLUT 009). In 1965, she sang with the Bumble Bees, and then with the Blue Fighters, Danny and his Favourites and General Four. Later in 1966 she sang with the Motowns with whom she also played organ.

Shocking Blue (1968–1992)

In 1968, she was invited to join Shocking Blue to replace lead singer Fred de Wilde, who had to join the army. In 1969/1970 Shocking Blue gained worldwide fame with the hit single "Venus". The month of their arrival in the United States gossip columnist Earl Wilson referred to Veres as a "beautiful busty girl'".
When Shocking Blue split up on 1 June 1974, Veres continued in a solo career. Her singles "Take Me High" (1975) and "Lovin' You" (1976) were popular mainly in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. She also released the singles "Tell It Like It Is" (1975), a cover version of Dusty Springfield's "Little By Little" (1976), and "Too Young" (1978).
Shocking Blue reunited in 1984. This comeback turned out to be successful, but one of the other original members, Robbie van Leeuwen, stepped back from the group, partly because he had moved to Luxembourg.

Late career (1993–2006)

Veres started the jazz group the Shocking Jazz Quintet in 1993, and recorded an album (Shocking You×Shocking You1993 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1He's Not There3:552You Really Got Me3:543Shocking You!3:094Radar Love4:275Try A Little Tenderness5:086Venus3:237I Feel The Earth Move8Never Marry A Railroad Man3:369Somebody To Love3:3610A Lot Of Living To Do3:0811All By Myself3:1412Rockin' Good Way4:16) with pop songs from the 1960s and 1970s, but in a jazz version. From 1993 to 2006 she performed in yet another reincarnation of Shocking Blue (who recorded the songs "Body and Soul" and "Angel", both produced by former member Robbie van Leeuwen), and also recorded an album with Andrei Serban in 2003, named Gipsy Heart×Gipsy Heart2003 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Családi Civódás3:202Dzselem Dzselem4:543Waltz. Pt. Dragul Meu Gio4:054Hazamegyek Budapestre3:095Veled Vagyok Még Gondolatban3:256Suitå Pt. Dragul Meu Giorgio4:447Tavasz És Tél4:208Ni Sirdis3:409Louisa3:3710Milyen Szép Az Élet4:4211Sanie Cu Zurgålåii3:0212Doїna Din Banat2:2513Niko Niko3:5914Aj Jaj Jai2:08, going back to her Romani roots.
A version of "Venus" was posthumously released in 2007, a few months after her death, recorded with pianist/bandleader Dolf de Vries (on the album Another Touch). Veres recorded "Venus" four times: with Shocking Blue (1969), with the Mariska Veres Shocking Jazz Quintet (1993), with Formula Diablo (in English/Spanish, 1997), and with Dolf de Vries (a lounge version of "Venus", 2005–2006).

Personal life

Veres had a long-term relationship with guitarist André van Geldorp, but never married or had children. Reminiscing to the Belgian magazine Flair, she remarked about her early fame: "I was just a painted doll (back in those days), nobody could ever reach me. Nowadays, I am more open to people."

Death

Veres died of gallbladder cancer on December 2, 2006 at age 59, just three weeks after the disease had been detected.

Solo singles

1975 "Take Me High" / "I Am Loving You" (Pink Elephant, Polydor, Decca)
1976 "Tell It Like It Is" / "Wait Till' I Get Back to You" (Pink Elephant, Polydor)
1976 "Loving You" / "You Showed Me How" (Pink Elephant)
1977 "Little by Little" / "Help the Country" (Pink Elephant)
1978 "Too Young" / "You Don't Have to Know" (Seramble)
1978 "Bye Bye to Romance" / "It's a Long Hard Road" (CNR)
1980 "Looking Out for Number One" / "So Sad Without You" (CNR)
1982 "Wake Up City" / "In the Name of Love" (EMI Records)

Albums

1993 Shocking You (Red Bullet), album by Mariska Veres Shocking Jazz Quintet
2003 Gipsy Heart (Red Bullet), album by Mariska Veres & Ensemble Andrei Serban