Johnny Hoes - Och was ik maar...

Portrait of Johnny Hoes, the uncrowned king of the torch song, in the year he turns ninety. Hoes proved infallible in recognising the viability of the Dutch sentimental song. After scoring many hits himself (the best-known of which is Och was ik maar bij moeder thuis gebleven), Hoes conquered the market as a record industry bigwig, with torch songs and later with Dutch pop and rock tracks. Doe Maar, Normaal and Toontje Lager are only a few of the groups that released their first records through him. Hoes had a great nose for the musicality of his artists, but he was also a hard-boiled businessman: 'As an artist, you simply felt: We are here for commercial purposes.' The old man is also unapproachable in the lawsuits his grandchildren started against him. Hoes talks about this in front of the camera, as do his sons and artists who used to have contracts with him. Obviously, a portrait of Johnny Hoes is incomplete without some delightful recordings from yesteryear.