Rowwen Heze

A dance band from the Netherlands that sings in Limburgish dialect, Rowwen Hèze rose to mainstream success in the 1990s with a festive mix of Tex-Mex, folk songs, and ballads. The band remained popular for years afterward, peaking in popularity in 2006 with the chart-topping album Rodus & Lucius. Founded in 1985 in the village of America, Netherlands, the band is comprised of Jack Poels (vocals, guitar, harmonica), William "Tren" van Enckevort (accordion, piano, trombone, vocals), Jan Philipsen (bass), Theo Joosten (guitar, mandolin, saxophone, whistle, percussion), Jack Haegens (trumpet, flügelhorn, trombone, percussion), and Martîn Rongen (drums, percussion). Rowwen Hèze made their eponymous album debut in 1987 and began hitting the Dutch singles chart with regularity in the early '90s. Their first album to break through to mainstream success was Station America (1993). Subsequent albums Zondag in 't Zuiden (1995), Water, Lucht en Liefde (1997), 'T Beste van 2 Werelden (1999), Vandaag (2000), and Dageraad (2003) were all Top Ten hits in the Netherlands. The 20th anniversary greatest-hits collection 'T Beste van 20 Joar — Kilomeaters (2005) was also a Top Ten hit. The first Rowwen Hèze album to hit number one was Rodus & Lucius (2006), which includes the hit single "Vechte, Valle en Opstoan." The live album Saus (2008), featuring the hit single "Nar Boave," followed and was another Top Ten success for the band.