Janette Loraine Tielman, born 17 Aug 1940 in Surabaya Jateng (East Java) Hindia Belandamap, was the only female sibling from the Dutch-Indonesian band the Tielman Brothers. Jane was the youngest of the family and the band was one of the pioneers of rock and roll in The Netherlands, and are credited with releasing the first Dutch rock and roll single, Rock Little Baby of Mine in 1958. The band became famous in Europe for playing a kind of rock and roll later called Indorock, a fusion of Indonesian and Western music with roots in Kroncong. At the height of their career, in the 1950s and early 1960s, the band was hailed as one of the greatest live-acts in Europe.
In 1956, The Tielman Brothers moved to The Netherlands, first to Breda, later to The Hague. Their performances were noted because of their spectacular stage act, which included guitar tossing. In 1958 the band were part of the Dutch pavilion at the Brussels World Fair. They were the relief band. While the Hawaiian band took a break, the Tielman brothers were supposed to be on for just 15 minutes but took advantage of the opportunity. While on stage they excited the audience with their stage antics while tossing instruments to each other and playing the bass with their teeth etc. Their energetic stage performance drew the attention of international concert promoters, and the band was booked to play for several concerts in German night clubs, including on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg. After the World Fair, The Tielman Brothers were signed by the Belgian record label Fernap Records to record their first single, a song called Rock Little Baby of Mine. This is considered to be the first Dutch rock 'n' roll record. In 1959, the band was signed to Imperial Records.
In 1960, an additional guitarist joined the band, Frank Luyten. In Germany, the band grew out to be a popular live act. The band received there a fee of 20,000 guilders to perform for a month, and Ariola released records especially for the German market.[1] In their wake many more indorock bands started to perform in Germany. The Tielman Brothers also performed in Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Italy and Sweden. At the end of 1967, the Tielman Brothers released the single Little Bird, which would become their biggest hit in The Netherlands. The single reached #7 in the Dutch Top 40.
In later years, the Tielman Brothers moved to Australia. The band members would occasionally return to Europe for performances. In 1983, Andy Tielman disbanded the band. Jane died in 1993.
