ArtistInfo

Helen Shepherd

voc,
Singer of World and Pop
A.k.a. Lenie Schaap

Helen Shepherd, the stage name of Helena Cornelia (Lenie) Schaap ( IJmuiden, 23 November 1939 - IJmuiden, 10 September 2018 ) was a Dutch singer. She made name as solo artist and as a member of the trio The Shepherds, along with her brothers Nico Schaap (double bass) and Jan Schaap (guitar). The latter would change his name to John. Helen completed a classical vocal training of five years under a.o. singing teacher Coby Riemersma. But she preferred so-called 'light' music. From 1963 onwards she performed with her brothers Nico and John - and the orchestra of Ted Powder - with whom they toured across Europe. Ted Powder usually announced them as The Shepherds. Helen also performed as a solo artist. On 5 February 1966 she sang the song 'Wereld' during the national final of the Eurovision Song Contest . She finished third, being defeated by Milly Scott whom went on to represent The Netherlands at the 1966 Eurovision Song Contest. The Shepherds bexame known for the semi-religious song 'Dank U', which sold thousands of singles. This was their debut record on the His Masters Voice label, for the Dutch division of EMI, located in Heemstede, NL. After 5 years with EMI, The Shepherds were awarded a golden ring, engraved with His master's Voice logo, the famous dog with the gramophone. The Shepherds had more to offer. They added traditional Dutch folk songs to their international repertoire , which they arranged and modernised, among them titles such as 'Merck toch hoe sterck' and 'In naam van Oranje doe open de poort'.. Their LP 'Komt Vrienden In Den Ronde' was a hype. They appeared on television almost every week and also performed in live TV programs to celebrate the engagement of Princess Margriet (1965), the wedding of (then) Crown Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus (1966) and the birth of Prince Willem-Alexander (1967). And more LPs followed. In 1965 show producer René Sleeswijk invited them to join his production the 'Snip En Snap Revue', at the Carré Theater in Amsterdam. They stayed for two triumphant seasons. They were also well-known in France, England, Japan and the United States. But in October 1975 The Shepherds disbanded. However, alongside Willy Walden, Piet Muyselaar and Louis Dusée of the 'Snip En Snap Revue', Helen had proven to have theater blood running through her veins. It enabled her to start a solo career in the 'Sleeswijk Revue'. She performed regularly in KRO program 'Kom Eens Langs' and she released the album 'This is my song'. She also worked as a singer-hostess on big cruise ships, which made her the most experienced 'singing sailor' of Netherlands. From 1976 until the end of 90s, Helen and John worked together again as 'The New Shepherds', with bass player Onno de Jong replacing brother Nico, who had dropped out. He got down on his luck and eventually died on 20 July 1999, aged 67 years. In 1992 Helen was forced to take it easier, although she still lend her voice to the songs on the Dutch version of the audio book of Walt Disney 's Bambi, narrated by Dutch actor Piet Ekel In 2001, after a period of rest, Helen and John start performing again as a duo through the Peacock Foundation . They mainly targeted care and nursing homes in the Dutch province of Noord-Holland, where their hometown of IJmuiden is located. In 2003 they released a Christmas album, named "Kerstboom Kaarsjes', which featured recordings of The Shepherds' 60s Christmas album 'Eens Werd Geboren', plus a number of bonus tracks. That same year, Helen and John received the honorary citizenship of their home town IJmuiden, part of Velsen town council, from mayor Cammaert. Every Thursday Helen also presented a radio show for regional radiostation Seaport FM, called 'Koffie Radio'. On Monday 12th of August 2008 Helen suffered a stroke. The brain haemorrhage specifically struck the the part where speech is located. She could still talk but was constantly searching for words. Therefore her radio program was taken over by singer and colleague Astrid Nijgh. Helen would never sing again. Brother John died 18 November 2016 in Haarlem (NL), suffering from Alzheimer's disease Lenie Schaap died on the 10th of September 2018 at the age of 78 at care home Velserduin in IJmuiden.

Genres

• World
• Pop
• Folk
• Children's Music

Plays With