Mariska Veres(1 October 1947 – 2 December 2006) Shocking Blue
Mariska Veres(1 October 1947 – 2 December 2006) was a Dutch singer who was best known as the lead singer of the rock group Shocking Blue. Veres began her career as a singer in 1963 with the guitar band Les Mysteres. In 1964 the band recorded an EP (GTB-label, 10 copies 
only) with Veres singing on side 1: Summertime (solo) and Someone (a duet). In 2010 the EP was re-released by record club Platenclub Utrecht (PLUT 009). In 1965 she sang with the Bumble Bees,[1] and then with the Blue Fighters, Danny and his Favourites and General Four. Later in 1966 she sang with the Motowns with whom she also played organ. In 1968 she was invited to join Shocking Blue to replace lead singer Fred de Wilde who had to join the army. In 1969/1970 Shocking Blue gained worldwide fame with the hit single "Venus". The month of their arrival in the United States gossip columnist Earl Wilson referred to Veres as a 'beautiful busty girl.' However, when she joined Shocking Blue she made it clear to the other band members that romantic relationships were not going to happen.
When Shocking Blue split up, on 1 June 1974, Veres continued in a solo career until the band was reunited in 1984. This comeback turned out to be successful, but one of the other original members, Robbie van Leeuwen, stepped back from the group, partly because he had moved to Luxembourg but also because of the success of Bananarama's cover of "Venus".
Mariska Veres died of cancer on 2 December 2006, aged 59. Despite her long-term relationship with guitarist André van Geldorp, she did not marry and had no children. Reminiscing to the Belgian magazine Flair, she remarked about her early fame, "I was just a painted doll (back in those days), nobody could ever reach me. Nowadays, I am more open to people."
Mariska Veres
Born: October 1, 1947, The Hague, Netherlands
Died: December 2, 2006, The Hague, Netherlands
Music group: Shocking Blue (1968 – 1974)
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