Pussycat (Dutch pop group, key track “Mississippi”)

Pussycat was a Dutch country and pop group led by the three Veldpaus sisters: Toni (born 1953), Betty (1952–2024), and Marianne (born 1951). Other members of the band were guitarists Lou Willé (Toni's then-husband), Theo Wetzels, Theo Coumans, and John Theunissen. Their song "Mississippi" was a number one hit in most European countries, including the UK, in 1975/6. Prior to forming the band, the three sisters were telephone operators in Limburg, whilst Theunissen, Wetzels, and Coumans were in a group called Scum. Lou Willé played in a group called Ricky Rendall and His Centurions until he married Toni, and created the group Sweet Reaction that eventually became known as Pussycat. In 1975 they scored a big European hit with the song "Mississippi". However they had to wait a further year for the single to make the British charts when it climbed to number one in the UK Singles Chart in October 1976. Penned by Werner Theunissen, who had been the sisters' guitar teacher, it is estimated that "Mississippi" sold over five million copies worldwide. It was followed by "Smile" in 1976, and "Hey Joe" in 1978. Other hits were "If You Ever Come to Amsterdam", "Georgie", "Wet Day in September" and "My Broken Souvenirs". Their career in Europe spanned more than a decade and included some seventeen albums. By 1978 Hans Lutjens had replaced Coumans on drums, as the band continued to release albums and tour, travelling as far afield as South Africa. They made regular appearances on the West German TV series, Musikladen, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In the following years, the sisters did perform again, however, this time under the name Anycat. In 1999 they decided to make a comeback under their old name Pussycat. It was the same year in which Doe Maar also got back together for a short time, unrelated. Initially, the only intention was to perform, although for a while there were thoughts of releasing new material to be written by Werner Theunissen. However, new records were not released. They still performed as Pussycat through 2001. In 2001, 25 years after the success with "Mississippi", the compilation album 25 Years After Mississippi was released and reached the charts. It was listed in the Album Top 100 for seven weeks. This year saw several more reunion performances. In 2004, they released the box set, The Complete Collection, which consisted of three CDs and a DVD. In 2005, they recorded the single "Somewhere Someone" with the Dutch country band Major Dundee, which was also included on Major Dundee's album, Young Gods. In 2007, they gave their background vocals to the Dutch language reggae cover of "Mississippi" by Dennis Jones. In June 2023, there was an album released with previous unreleased song demos of the band from the year 1983, with the title Unreleased Demos 1983. On 28 June 2024, Betty Veldpaus died at the age of 72. Toni Veldpaus (married Willé) – lead vocals (1975–1985) Betty Veldpaus (married Dragstra) – singer (1975–1985; died 2024) Marianne Veldpaus (married Hensen) – singer (1975–1985) Lou "Loulou" Willé (Toni's then husband) – guitar (1975–1985) John Theunissen – guitar (1975–1980) Ferd Berger – guitar (1981–1982) Kees Buenen – keyboards (1981–1982) Theo Wetzels – bass guitar (1975–1980) Theo Coumans – drums (1975–1978) Hans Lutjens – drums (1978–1980) Frans Meijer – drums (1981–1982) List of performers on Top of the Pops List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart List of country music performers List of bands from the Netherlands "Biography by Amy Henson". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 April 2009. Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 178. ISBN 0-85112-250-7. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 443. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. Muziekencyclopedie, Pussycat De Volkskrant, Marianne Veldpaus, 10 maart 2001 Het belang van Limburg, Pussycat miauwt weer, 17 November 1999 Leidsch Dagblad, Pussycat maakt haar rentree, 23 November 1999 Muziekweb, Young gods "Heerlenaar Norbert Schmidt brengt album uit met onbekende de..." Limburger.nl. 25 July 2023. Hover, Henk (1 July 2024). "Pussycat-zangeres Betty Dragstra overleden". L1nieuws.nl (in Dutch). "PUSSYCAT IN DUTCH CHARTS". Dutch Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 January 2014. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 242. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. "PUSSYCAT". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 January 2014. "PUSSYCAT IN NORWEGIAN CHARTS". Norwegian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 January 2014. "PUSSYCAT IN SWEDISH CHARTS". Swedish Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 January 2014. "PUSSYCAT IN NEW ZEALAND CHARTS". Charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 January 2014. "PUSSYCAT IN DER ÖSTERREICHISCHEN HITPARADE". Austrian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 January 2014. "PUSSYCAT". Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 January 2014. "PUSSYCAT". Officialcharts.com. 28 August 1976. "PUSSYCAT IN SOUTH AFRICAN CHARTS". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 8 March 2018. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pussycat. Official website Pussycat / Toni Willé Pussycat biography by Amy Hanson, discography and album reviews, credits & releases at AllMusic Pussycat discography, album releases & credits at Discogs Pussycat at IMDb Pussycat albums to be listened as stream on Spotify