CLEE'S FIVE

One of the better dance-bands of the late sixties.

The band was founded on the remains of the fifties bebop-jazz orchestra "The Flamingo's" and "The Croonies", recruited by the brothers Stevens from the best musicians of a number of high-school bands. Leader of the gang became Clement van Herzele, rebaptized to Clee. This band came about in 1962 and slowly but surely built a good reputation for itself in the region of Zottegem.

In 1966 Griet de Bock joined the band (much later, Humo would write "the very first female rock-and-roll singer in Flanders", best known as "Kate") which gave the band new possibilities. They recorded an album for Philips, live in dancing "De Truweel" in Sint-Lievens-Esse, with nothing but well-known songs from those days (e.g. "Hey Joe", "The Beat goes on", "Happy Together" ...).

In 1967 they scored a small hit with the song "No Other Man", an original composition, and a wink at Jefferson Airplane.

A year later a second album followed, again a live recording of cover versions in "de Truweel", but then the band broke into pieces.

Clee and Guido vanden Hauwe joined forced to record two singles together as Light Fire ("My baby is sweet", "Love is Outside" on the Pink Elephant label in 1970). Later we recover the trail of Clee van Herzeele as the composer/musician for the Ghent-based folk-monument Walter de Buck.
Kate (Griet de Bock) and her companion/husband Dré Baeckelandt founded Kate's Kennel, a band that would cause a bit of a stir and scandal at Canzonissima.

Band members :
- Griet De Bock (vocals)
- Dré Baeckelandt (drums, guitar)
- Herman "Toots" De Vos (bass)
- Guido Vanden Hauwe (piano)
- Clee van Herzele (guitar)

Albums :
- Jerk with Clee's Five (Philips, 1967)
- Hit Parade 1968 (Fontana, 1969)

Websites :
- none found.

Forum :
- Read the messages/questions about Clee's Five
- Add your message, question, cd- or concertreview ... about Clee's Five