Heddy Lester is a Dutch

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 and actress, best known outside the Netherlands for her participation in the 1977 Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision Song Contest

The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...

.

Early career

Lester's professional career started with Gert Balke as the duo April Shower, who had a minor hit with "Railroad Song" in 1971. Her father ran a restaurant in Amsterdam, where she met singer Ramses Shaffy

Ramses Shaffy

Ramses Shaffy was a Dutch singer and actor. He became popular during the 1960s. His most famous songs include Zing, vecht, huil, bid, lach, werk en bewonder , We zullen doorgaan , Pastorale, Sammy and Laat me...

, with whom she started touring. Lester launched her solo career in 1974.

Eurovision Song Contest

In 1977, Lester's song "De mallemolen

De Mallemolen

"De mallemolen" was the Dutch entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977, performed in Dutch by Heddy Lester. The song was composed by Lester's brother Frank Affolter, with lyrics by Wim Hogenkamp....

" ("The Merry-Go-Round"), with music written by her brother Frank, was chosen by a celebrity panel as the winner in the Dutch Eurovision selection. Lester went forward to take part in the 22nd Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision Song Contest 1977

The Eurovision Song Contest 1977 was the 22nd edition series, and was held on 7 May 1977 in London. With Angela Rippon as the presenter, the contest was won by Marie Myriam who represented France, with her song "L'oiseau et l'enfant" . This was France's fifth victory, a record, which was equalled...

, held in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 on 7 May. Although "De mallemolen" had been considered a strong contender prior to the contest, it could only manage a disappointing 12th place finish of 18 entries.

Later career

Since her Eurovision appearance, Lester has worked steadily in a variety of both musical and dramatic stage roles, including works by Lorca

Federico García Lorca

Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca was a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. He is believed to be one of thousands who were summarily shot by anti-communist death squads...

 (Blood wedding), Euripedes (The Trojan Women

The Trojan Women

The Trojan Women is a tragedy by the Greek playwright Euripides. Produced during the Peloponnesian War, it is often considered a commentary on the capture of the Aegean island of Melos and the subsequent slaughter and subjugation of its populace by the Athenians earlier in 415 BC , the same year...

) and Joshua Sobol (Ghetto).

In 2009, Lester, along with several other former Dutch Eurovision contestants, was a special guest on that year's Eurovision selection television programme.

Discography

Singles



April Shower

• 1971: "Mama Look Upon Me"
• 1971: "Railroad Song" (#30)
• 1972: "It's So Funny"
• 1973: "Danny's Song"

Solo

• 1974: "Friend of Mine"
• 1977: "De mallemolen" (#28)
• 1977: "Words Keep Turning"
• 1978: "Samen"

Album

• 1977: Deel van m'n bestaan

External links

• 1977 page at Dingadong.nl (Dutch)