Jack Jersey


Jack de Nijs, artist name Jack Jersey, was a Dutch singer, composer, arranger, lyricist and record producer of light music who worked for national and international artists. He had his own production company, J.R. which means "Creation" / "Creational world" in Hebrew. He discovered artists such as André Moss, Nick MacKenzie and Frank & Mirella.
During his life, Jack de Nijs and the artists he represented were good for selling more than twenty million records.

Biography

The first years

Jack de Nijs was born in 1941 at Tjimahi in West Java, Indonesia. At the age of seven he received a Ukulele as a present, and was soon allowed to play in the local village band. At a young age he showed talent as a musician and composer. In 1951 the family moved to the Netherlands, where he came into contact with a different life and music style. During high school he started his first band, named The Dixie Stampers, with jazz and dixieland music.
After leaving high school, he went to a college for Higher Hotel Management in Maastricht. Here he formed his second band, a quartet known as The Four Sweeters and afterwards he continued in Jack & Woody. All together they released more than ten records. According to the record company Bovema/EMI the song called Paulette of Jack & Woody climbed to the top in the charts of Singapore and also in Peru. The Four Sweeters with the song I'll be lonely became a success in Belgium.
After Jack & Woody he became the lead singer of The Losers, from 1964 to 1967. They were signed by CNR that promoted them and some other bands as Beat from Holland. In 1965 their first single Since You're Gone / Mexico was released. Only the first, however, is a beat song. The second is a cover version of Elvis Presley from his film Fun in Acapulco. It was written by the Peruvian composer Francis Lopez. Over there, in Peru, this song became a number No. 1 hit.
After receiving his diploma for Higher Hotel Management, Jersey gave up his aspiration to make a success of the music business. In the meantime he married Ella and started to work for a multinational.

Return

Music was much too appealing and he decided to give it a try again. He changed his approach and started working as a producer and composer for a record company. After teaming up with Henk Voorheijen he got a contract with Polydor Records for 500 Dutch Guilders a month. His first hit Oh...Antoinette was released by Leo den Hop. One of the following hits was Gina Lollobrigida. He released Sofia Loren on a single. Both songs were recorded by the singer Ray Miller as well who had two hits with them in Germany.
In 1971, De Nijs recorded Blame It on the Summersun under the artist name Ruby Nash. This was his first English language recording. He started his own production company, and Henk Voorheijen participated for business matters. Meanwhile, he was father of a son and a daughter who he, however, hardly saw.

Jack Jersey

A couple of singles later he changed his name to Jack Jersey and continued singing in English. Jersey refers to the British island near France. It heralded a successful period in his music career, with some international hits.
His first English single I'm Calling was declared Alarm Disc at Radio Veronica and became his first major hit in the Netherlands and Belgium. Hits that followed were In The Still of the Night, Papa Was A Poor Man and Blue Brown Eyed Lady. His biggest hit was Sri-Lanka... My Shangri-La that charted in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
In 1973 he was member of the group Brabants Bont, with artists like Yvonne de Nijs, Leo den Hop, Jan Boezeroen en Wil de Bras. In 1974 his album In The Still of the Night peaked at No. 3 in the album top of Radio Hilversum 3.

Nashville

Invited by Capitol Records he recorded a live-album in 12 hours in Nashville with The Jordanaires, the group that had accompanied Elvis Presley for many years. For the European market it was released as I Wonder and for the American market as Honky Tonk Man.
In the meantime he wrote, composed and produced many songs for many other artists, like Nick MacKenzie, André Moss, Jan Boezeroen, Ria Valk and Frank en Mirella. He wrote the Dutch lyrics and produced the song Comment ça va of The Shorts. They had international hits with songs of Jack de Nijs. His songs were recorded by, among others, Zangeres Zonder Naam, Andy Tielman and the Tielman Brothers and the American singer Donna Lynton.
During his life, Jack de Nijs and the artists he represented were good for selling more than twenty million records.

Radio Veronica Jingle

was the first radio station in the Netherlands to introduce jingles. Of the thousands of jingles used by Veronica, 100 jingles were selected and they were released on an LP record in 1977. Jack Jersey also appeared on a jingle on this elpee/LP.
This jingle His latest flame is sung in Dutch, better said, spoken, like several jingles on this elpee/LP: 8 januari is Elvis dag op 538. The compilation of this elpee/LP was made by two well known Dutch disc-jockeys, Lex Harding and Adje Bouman.

Honour

In May 1982, he had a hit with Puerto de Llansa in the Netherlands. Just a couple of months later he was appointed Honorary citizen for it by the Mayor of Llançà, a fishing village on the Costa Brava in Spain.

Tour de France

1978: Certificate signed by Frie Thijs and Rini Wagtmans on behalf of the organizing committee, as a token of gratitude, because Jack Jersey's cooperation has made it possible to realize the Tour de France arrival in St. Willebrord.

Illness

In 1985, and again in 1986, polyps were observed on his vocal folds. A couple of years later, in 1988, he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his pharynx and larynx.
He underwent surgery and radiation treatments several times. After these heavy treatments, he lived on a daily regimen of significant medication, including analgesics, but he never recovered completely. Nine years later, on 26 May 1997, he died of the complications of his disease in the arms of his wife at 55 years old.
Although already severely ill, in February 1997 he agreed with Ton van Beusekom of EMI to release a double-cd, entitled Thanks For All The Years. He knew that this album would probably be his last. He chose songs about countries he had visited. He included the song My Father's House which he wrote especially about his parental home in which he was born, some songs as a tribute/an ode to Elvis Presley and further hits such as I'm Calling, In The Still of the Night, Gone Girl, Papa Was A Poor Man and Sri Lanka... my Shangri-La.
After he died, his music was still recorded by various artists, such as Frans Bauer and Marianne Weber: Wat ik zou willen and René Schuurmans, but also internationally, by Frank Michael.

Posthumous (tribute)

In early 2007 EMI released his collection Asian Dreams and Greatest Hits. In addition to two CDs, it includes a DVD containing, among other things, the musical voyage report he made for the Dutch AVRO Television in 1977 by his native Indonesia directed by Theo Ordeman, a well-known Dutch television director. In addition, there are TV clips from historical television programs, such as from TopPop and Musikladen .
On 24 May 2009, a Jack Jersey Festival was held for the first time in the center of his hometown of Roosendaal, on the Oude Markt and in the Raatskelder. Various artists performed in his honor, including his discoveries Frank & Mirella and Nick MacKenzie. The Raatskelder has a historical connection with the singer-songwriter, because he had a music studio there in the attic in the sixties.
In May and August 2017, at the ceiling of the museum Tongerlohuys in his hometown, an exhibition was sent to numerous well-known Roosendaal icons, as well as to him. During this tribute, 26 May was also the day he died 20 years ago.
On 10 March 2018, on the occasion of the celebration of 750 years Roosendaal under the motto:The DNA of Roosendaal a portrait of Jack was also made by 15 professional graffiti-artists.
In 2020, his own song Una Noche Mexicana appeared in Soulmates broadcast by AMC.
In 2023 appears the song Rub It In of Jack Jersey and The Jordanaires in Sex Education season 4 which will be broadcast by Netflix.

Music Awards

as a singer and or songwriter and or music producer:

1969

  • Gold for Oh Antoinette by Leo den Hop for more than 50.000 sold copies in The Netherlands.
  • Platinum for Ray Miller in Germany with also the song Oh Antoinette for more than 600.000 sold copies.

    1970

  • Gold for the song Sophia Loren by Ray Miller in Germany for more than 300.000 sold copies.
  • Platinum for the song Gina Lollobrigida by Tony Bass for more than 132.000 sold copies in The Netherlands.
  • Platinum and Gold for the song Gina lollobrigida by Ray Miller for more than 900.000 sold copies in Germany.
  • Gold for the song Zuster o zuster by Sjakie Schram for more than 46.000 sold copies in The Netherlands.
  • Platinum for the song De Fles by Jan Boezeroen for more than 96.000 sold copies in The Netherlands.

    1971

  • Platinum for the song Mira by Cock van der Palm, for more than 75.000 sold copies.
  • Platinum for the song Oei, oei by Jan Boezeroen, for more than 90.000 sold copies.

    1972

  • Gold ballpoint pen and Gold fillet pencil.
  • Awarded, rated for quality, artistic value and popularity within the Netherlands by Conamus *for the song Ze zeggen... by Jan Boezeroen, for more than 90.000 sales.