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George Kooymans was born George Jan Kooymans on 11th March 1948 in The Hague, Netherlands, and spent his formative years in the nearby town of Rijswijk. His father, Jan Kooymans, worked as a sales representative, while his mother, Adriana, was a homemaker with a love of popular music that she passed on to her children.
George received a standard secondary education but showed a strong affinity for music from an early age. He taught himself guitar as a young boy and developed a fascination with American rock and roll, which he consumed avidly through records and the radio. His lack of formal musical education was counterbalanced by relentless practice and experimentation, and by the time he was a teenager, he was already writing original material and forming his first bands with friends from the neighborhood.
In 1961, still just thirteen years old, he co-founded a group called The Hague Indo-Rockers with his neighbor and close friend Rinus Gerritsen, which evolved into Golden Earrings and later became internationally known as Golden Earring. George played lead guitar, sang lead or co-lead vocals, and wrote or co-wrote many of the group’s songs. His flair for strong hooks, dramatic structure, and sharp guitar work soon came to define the band’s sound.
By the mid-1960s, they had become one of the Netherlands’ top rock acts, and in 1965, George wrote “Please Go,” their first charting single in the Dutch Top 40. His songwriting matured rapidly during the following years, and his compositions such as “That Day,” “Sound of the Screaming Day,” and “Just a Little Bit of Peace in My Heart” captured an increasingly ambitious and eclectic musical vision.
In 1970, Kooymans wrote and sang lead on “Back Home,” a thumping rock single that topped the Dutch charts and confirmed his status as one of the country's most accomplished songwriters. But it was “Radar Love,” released in 1973 and also written by George, that became the group’s most enduring international success. The song, driven by a propulsive bassline and Kooymans’ soaring guitar riff, broke into the American Top 20 and became a rock radio staple around the world. He followed it with other hits like “Instant Poetry,” “Twilight Zone,” and “When the Lady Smiles,” all of which showcased his skill at marrying compelling lyrical ideas with inventive musical frameworks.
Alongside his work with Golden Earring, Kooymans pursued solo projects as a performer and songwriter. He released his first solo album, Jojo, in 1971, revealing a more personal, introspective side to his writing. In later decades, he collaborated with Dutch artists such as Frank Boeijen and Henny Vrienten, and was involved in a trio called Vreemde Kostgangers. His lyrics, often reflective and laced with irony, explored both social themes and emotional tensions, while his compositions retained a sharp melodic edge.
Kooymans remained a central creative force in Golden Earring for nearly six decades, steering the band through shifts in sound and fashion without ever losing their distinctive identity. He continued to tour and record until 2021, when he revealed that he had been diagnosed with ALS, forcing his retirement and the disbanding of Golden Earring.
Widely respected for his integrity, versatility, and prolific output, George Kooymans left an indelible mark on Dutch and international rock, not only as a charismatic performer but as a songwriter of real originality and depth.
George Kooymans died on 22nd July 2025, in Rijkevorsel, Belgium, at the age of 77. of complications brought on by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
The above is just one of the many profiles of leading songwriters, singers, musicians and music industry personnel, published by the International Songwriters Association and "Songwriter Magazine". Please click HERE for more.
© Jim Liddane
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