The MotownHead Singers aka Hot, Spicy and Juicy!
Lead Vocal: Joyce Stevens
Joyce Stevens is a musical artist. She studied at the European School of Jazz Dance in Amsterdam, the conservatorium of Arnhem and at the Gus Giordano Dance Centre in Chicago, U.S.A. Joyce has been acting, dancing and singing in musicals/productions such as West Side Story, Cats, Chicago, Saturday Night Fever, Fame, Palazzo i.e. as well has her own easy listening jazz combo “Mijne Heeren”. Joyce is part of MotownHead since 2002.
Lead Vocal: Brandon Delagraentiss
Brandon Delagraentiss, an American born artist raised in Houston, Texas, is said to have come out of the womb singing rather than crying, and he has been singing, as well as acting and directing, ever since. He has performed all across the United States and came to Europe in 2005 by invitation of music producer David A. Tobin, located in Hannover, Germany. After touring Germany, he has branched out and is happy to call the Netherlands his home away from home and is very excited to be a lead singer with MotownHead.
Lead Vocal: Eddie Taylor
Eddie Taylor, born and raised in Guyana, South America, has gone professional since he was 16 years old. Supporting acts for The Mighty Sparrow, Sam & Dave, Ben E. King, King Floyd and then off to Europe, where he performed with big formations like: The Swinging Soul Machine, supporting acts for James Brown, The Tramps, The Three Degrees, and Tavares. Also doing background-vocals for Anita Meijer, Willeke Alberti, Lee Towers, BZN, a.o. as well advertisements for Bacardi, Killean Bier (Heineken), FBTO, NS. With Fantasyx on the National Song festival in 1992 and background-vocals in animation films like: The Lion King I and II, Ferngully. Eddie is part of MotownHead since 2007.
The MotownHead Rhythm Section aka Soul Shake
Drums: Johnny Lejeune
Johnny started at the age of 5 in a local marching band. In the 60’s he played in “The Black & White Birds”, “The Mustangs” and “The (Blues) Cooperation”. In the early 70’s he became a member of Holland’s finest international blues act “Living Blues” from Den Hague with which he scored 3 hit singles and recorded their best album. He has toured through whole Europe including support acts for Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple i.e. as well performed on television shows such as Beat Club and Rock Palace in Germany. Johnny currently plays in “De Schikband” and in MotownHead since 2003. Johnny is all about good moods & grooves and playing with balls!
Bass: Jos Vossen
Jos is one of the original founders of MotownHead early 1982. Before MotownHead Jos has been playing in numerous local bands and performed with “The Stupid Faces” illegally on the very first Pinkpop festival edition in the Netherlands, including a live cooking act on stage. He also is the proud witness of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue including the killing sexy Ikettes in ’69 on the Jazz Bilzen festival in Belgium and even managed to end up in the dressing room with them! In the 90’s he was also part of ‘The Legendary Eddy Ward’ rock ‘n’ roll show. Jos is a true SOUL-dino!
Guitar: Roger Heijster
Roger, partly autodidact, started playing drums on washing powder boxes at the age of 7, much later he studied guitar with Quito Monti in Buenos Aires and finally also piano. In the 80’s he played drums in several local funk bands among his own bands “Funky Spoon Eleven” and “Fort Knox”. Since 1992 he is part of MotownHead. During the 90’s he developed his songwriting skills and has played soul, funk, rock ‘n’ roll, reggae, and Brazilian music in several bands among “Bora Bora”, with which he toured on world and jazz festivals. Roger’s got a head full of soul resulting in MotownHead’s own “SoulHead” project. He digs James Brown, Sly Stone, KC, Al Green, Fela Kuti, Hendrix, Stax & Atlantic, Marley and Miles.
Keyboards: Thomas Dessing
As a true soul musician Thomas’ musical roots are to be found in the church. As a faithful young visitor of the beatmiss in the Geuzeveld Church in Amsterdam he got inspired by the gospel music performed during these services and of course by the encores “Hair”, “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Godspel”. Following the good example of these services he started playing soul to the bone too, though soon less sacred. In the 80’s Thomas played in “Dr. Pepper” followed by 5 years “More Trouble”. The music became increasingly more complex, the solo’s longer and technical skills took a prominent place in the whole; time to return to the roots of Gospel and Soul: “MotownHead!”
The MotownHead Brass Section aka the Soul Horns
Trumpet: Maurice Schmitz
Trumpeter Maurice Schmitz has been a member of the band since the very first edition of the MotownHead brass-section in the early 80’s. Before joining MotownHead he was playing in bands such as “The Booze Brothers Band”, “The Embryo’s” and “Sulchpoenk” in the late seventies and the early eighties. His musical roots are with brass band ‘Victoria’ in Rimburg. Maurice is a very active not-score-reader and is a true Soul Limbo in heart and soul.
Lead Trumpet: Hans van Houdt
Lead trumpet player Hans “Mr. Blow Finger” van Houdt has joined MotownHead in 2005. He has studied trumpet at the conservatorium of Arnhem. In the late eighties he has played with The Boston Tea Party for a couple of years. He also is one of the trumpet players of the Guus Tangelder Big Band. With this band he has played with a long list of national and international musicians like Bob Mintzer, Georgie Fame, Erik Vloeimans, Bart van Lier and Deobrah Brown. Since 2005 Hans is blowing a lot of soul in and with MotownHead!
Tenor Saxophone: Niek Ulrich
Since the late seventies Niek Ulrich has been playing with several bands in Amsterdam, Arnhem and Nijmegen, as a sideman as well as a leader. During about 25 years he found his way in jazz, soul, funk, zydeco, latin and tex-mex. In 1984 and 1985 he studied at the Conservatorium of Hilversum. In 1999 he toured in Switzerland and The Netherlands with “Flaco Jimenez”. Among his saxophone heroes are: Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Hank Mobley, King Curtis, Maceo Parker, Gato Barbieri and James Carter. Niek is too young to go steady and is part of MotownHead since 2005.
Baritone Sax: Harry van de Vorstenbosch
Baritone saxophonist “the Beast” Harry van de Vorstenbosch studied at the conservatorium of Arnhem. In the eighties he was a member of “Bik Bent Braam”, the famous jazz orchestra of Michiel Braam. He was also connected with the ‘Guus Tangelder Big Band’ and “The Lip”, a reed/brass quartet that sounded groovy and special. Nowadays he’s the leader of ‘Just Like That’, a jazz quartet. Harry is part of MotownHead since the 80’s and is giving the Soul Horns that extra deep soul bottom.
Trombone: Ton Janssen
Ton Janssen, partly autodidact, has been active in the Jazz and Soul music since the 70’s. He played in groups such as: “All That Jazz” (among concerts with Michiel Braam), “Jole Blonde”, “De Lip”, “The Groove”, “Mr. R&B and the Soul Shakers”, and in theatre productions i.e. with “Amai”: in “De Driegochenoper”. He has toured in Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain, Belgium and Egypt including Boulevard of Dreams, De Parade and support acts for B.B. King in Ahoy. He also wrote and writes music and arrangements for many groups of which some has been broadcasted by the N.O.S., V.P.R.O. and V.A.R.A. Ton is part of MotownHead since 1992.
