Willy Alberti
Encyclopedia
Willy Alberti born Carel Verbrugge, was a Dutch
singer, who sang in Dutch and Italian. He was also an actor and a radio and TV personality.
Alberti was born in Amsterdam
, the third of the eight children of William James Verbrugge and Sophia Jacoba van Musscher. He sang with family members at a very young age.
He began recording professionally in the early 1940s. He was married in 1944 to Ria Kuiper, and his daughter Willeke Alberti
, later to become a successful Dutch vocalist herself, was born in 1945. After the war Alberti established himself in the Netherlands with Italian songs; he became increasingly popular in the 1950s, when he had a string of hits beginning with Nel blu dipinto di blu in 1958. In the 1960s, he began to act alongside his daughter Willeke; as a duo, they also scored hits on the Dutch charts. From 1965 father and daughter presented a popular monthly television show at the AVRO
. Alberti won two Edison Awards in the 1960s.
In the 1970s Alberti's fame began to decline, though he did score a few hits. In 1984 Alberti was diagnosed with liver cancer
, and died in Amsterdam on February 18 of the following year. He was cremated at the Westgaarde Crematorium in Amsterdam.
In 1998, a Willy Alberti museum was established; it quickly closed due to lack of interest.
Top 40
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
singer, who sang in Dutch and Italian. He was also an actor and a radio and TV personality.
Alberti was born in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, the third of the eight children of William James Verbrugge and Sophia Jacoba van Musscher. He sang with family members at a very young age.
He began recording professionally in the early 1940s. He was married in 1944 to Ria Kuiper, and his daughter Willeke Alberti
Willeke Alberti
Willeke Alberti is a Dutch singer and actress, the daughter of entertainer and singer Willy Alberti.-Biography:...
, later to become a successful Dutch vocalist herself, was born in 1945. After the war Alberti established himself in the Netherlands with Italian songs; he became increasingly popular in the 1950s, when he had a string of hits beginning with Nel blu dipinto di blu in 1958. In the 1960s, he began to act alongside his daughter Willeke; as a duo, they also scored hits on the Dutch charts. From 1965 father and daughter presented a popular monthly television show at the AVRO
Avro
Avro was a British aircraft manufacturer, with numerous landmark designs such as the Avro 504 trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the delta wing Avro Vulcan, a stalwart of the Cold War.-Early history:One of the world's...
. Alberti won two Edison Awards in the 1960s.
In the 1970s Alberti's fame began to decline, though he did score a few hits. In 1984 Alberti was diagnosed with liver cancer
Hepatocellular carcinoma
Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of liver cancer. Most cases of HCC are secondary to either a viral hepatitide infection or cirrhosis .Compared to other cancers, HCC is quite a rare tumor in the United States...
, and died in Amsterdam on February 18 of the following year. He was cremated at the Westgaarde Crematorium in Amsterdam.
In 1998, a Willy Alberti museum was established; it quickly closed due to lack of interest.
Dutch singles
Pre-Top 40- Ik zing dit lied voor jou alleen 1946
- Veel mooier dan het mooiste schilderij 1946
- Droomland 1950 with Ans Heidendaal
- Ci-ciu-ci 1955
- Mijn sprookjesboek 1955
- Vivere 1955
- Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare) 1958 #4
- Come prima 1958 #2
- Piove 1959 #1
- Una marcia infa 1959 #3
- Marina 1959 #1
- Romantica 1960 #14
- Quando quando quando 1962 #11
- Sei rimasta sola 1963 #8 with Willeke Alberti
- Sabato sera 1964 #44 with Willeke Alberti
Top 40
- Dat afgezaagde zinnetje 1967 #2 with Willeke Alberti
- Mooi Amsterdam 1968 with Wim SonneveldWim SonneveldWillem 'Wim' Sonneveld was a Dutch cabaret artist and singer. Together with Toon Hermans and Wim Kan, he is considered to be one of the 'Great Three' of Dutch cabaret. Sonneveld is generally viewed as a Dutch cultural icon for his work and legacy in theatre, musicals and music...
- De glimlach van een kind 1968 #26
- Ajax olé olé olé (je bent mijn glorie) 1969
- Chi-ri-bi-ri-bin pom pom pom 1969 with Willeke Alberti
- Een reisje langs de Rijn 1969 with Willeke Alberti
- We gaan naar Londen 1971 #17
- Juliana bedankt 1980 #18
- Niemand laat z'n eigen kind alleen 1983 #5 with Willeke Alberti
- Liefde 1987 #38
- De glimlach van een kind (new version) 1995 #34 with Willeke Alberti
- Jij bent het leven voor mij 1997 #32 with André HazesAndré HazesAndré Gerardus Hazes was a Dutch singer in a genre called levenslied which is a form of emotional folk music about everyday life sung in the Dutch language. André Hazes was one of the most successful singers in this genre...