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Artist
The Cousins
12+ albums
popsurf rockbritpoprock60s
about
The Cousins were a Belgian rock & roll group of the late fifties and early sixties who were among the first to successfully export "rock & roll" music from Belgium. They played Shadows-like music and also had a stage act which resembled that of The Shadows. Started off at the end of the fifties as "La Jeune Equipe", their main occupation was playing at the birthday parties of the rich and noble. They changed their name to "Les Cousins" when they were asked to perform in a club with the same name on the 14th of July (French fête nationale). It's there that the group gets a record contract with Jean Klüger. The cheerful song "Kili Watch" of 1960 becomes an instant and huge hit. In a few months 50.000 copies are sold, an enormous amount for the Belgian record market at that point. The song is an adaptation of an Indian warsong that bass-player Derese had picked up during his years as a boy-scout. A fight over the royalties for "Kili-Watch" had Derese leaving the group. He formed "The Kili-Jacks" but failed to make an impact. The group managed to extend their popularity for more than 5 years. In "Wit-lof from Belgium" it says : "They were clean boys, always smiling and in clean suits that knew where to get their inspiration. Listen to the newest dance craze abroad, add a bit of folklore and a spiceless Shadows-sauce and bingo!. Titles like "When the Cousins come twistin' in" and "The Limbo Rock" speak for themselves." They also had the press behind them, as they were the fir
