Ede Staal

Dutch singer. He was born in Warffum, August 2, 1941 and died in Delfzijl on July 22, 1986. Ede Staal taught English when he recorded a single in that language for Philips in 1974. After that he retired to his farm, only to be heard musically again in 1984. Staal started to sing in the Groningen dialect about life in the local countryside, where he describes himself as a discouraged and melancholic optimist. He quickly grew into a folk hero. When Ede Staal died in 1986, his popularity didn't diminish and during the following years (and decades) only increased.