Barry Hay
Indian-born Dutch musician (born 1948)
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Key Takeaways
- Barry Andrew Hay (born 16 August 1948) is a Dutch musician; he was the lead vocalist and frontman of Dutch rock band Golden Earring from 1967 until their disbandment in 2021.
- Early life and education Hay was born in Faizabad, United Provinces (present day Ayodhya, India), to a Dutch-Jewish mother, Sofia Maria née Sluijter (1922–2004, born in Makassar), and a Scottish commissioned officer, Philip Aubrey Hay (1923–1980).
- He lived in Amsterdam and later in The Hague, attending an English boarding school.
- Background Hay's grandmother, Flora Sluijter-Polak (born 29 January 1890 in Amsterdam), was killed in an Auschwitz concentration camp on 1 October 1942, and her child, Marcus Sluijter (born 21 August 1927) was also killed in Auschwitz, on 31 January 1943, aged fifteen.
- His maternal grandfather served in the Dutch East Indies Army.
Barry Andrew Hay (born 16 August 1948) is a Dutch musician; he was the lead vocalist and frontman of Dutch rock band Golden Earring from 1967 until their disbandment in 2021. He has also released three solo albums.
Early life and education
Hay was born in Faizabad, United Provinces (present day Ayodhya, India), to a Dutch-Jewish mother, Sofia Maria née Sluijter (1922–2004, born in Makassar), and a Scottish commissioned officer, Philip Aubrey Hay (1923–1980). He moved to the Netherlands at the age of eight to live with his mother after his parents divorced. He lived in Amsterdam and later in The Hague, attending an English boarding school.
After graduating from secondary school, he took courses at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague.
Background
Hay's grandmother, Flora Sluijter-Polak (born 29 January 1890 in Amsterdam), was killed in an Auschwitz concentration camp on 1 October 1942, and her child, Marcus Sluijter (born 21 August 1927) was also killed in Auschwitz, on 31 January 1943, aged fifteen. After the Second World War ended, Barry's mother hid her Jewish identity and "no longer wanted to know that she was Jewish".
His maternal grandfather served in the Dutch East Indies Army.
Career
Hay started his music career with a band called The Haigs. In the summer of 1967, he was asked to join the Golden Earrings, as they were then called (the "Earrings" was later changed to "Earring"), replacing Frans Krassenburg. Hay created the cover art for some of Golden Earring's albums.
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