In the early 1960s, beat groups from the Dutch Randstad dominated the national charts. Yet far from the big cities, in the clubs of Drenthe, one band was already being billed as “Beat Group Number One”: Cuby + Blizzards. Frontman Harry Muskee, however, never embraced that label. Raised on broadcasts from The Voice of America, he possessed a deeper understanding of the blues than most of his contemporaries. Muskee didn’t want to sing what he called “songs”; he wanted to sing the blues—raw and unfiltered—in the tradition of Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker, and Muddy Waters. Their debut single, “Stumble & Fall”, was recorded in the Bavohuis, a simple gym hall in Amsterdam, with Addy Kleingeld—best known from De Vrolijke Mijnwerkers—as producer. But it was the debut album Desolation that marked a turning point. Recorded at the Phonogram Studios in Hilversum with renowned blues producer Tony Vos, it captured the band exactly as Muskee intended. The resulting album became a jewel of Dutch music history. Never before had the Netherlands heard a blues singer who poured his emotions into a recording with such conviction and authenticity. Muskee even outshone many of his British peers, including Eric Burdon (The Animals), Paul Jones (Manfred Mann), Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones), and Van Morrison (Them). At the Grand Gala du Disque, Muskee received an Edison Award for Desolation, presented by cabaret artist Wim Sonneveld. Even Sonneveld’s somewhat lukewarm speech could not diminish the significance of the moment. Sixty years later, the legacy of this groundbreaking album still resonates. Desolation remains an essential document of European blues and a defining moment in the story of Cuby + Blizzards. This 60th Anniversary Edition of Desolation is now available as an expanded 2LP set, featuring the original 1966 album alongside fifteen bonus tracks. Pressed on translucent blue-coloured vinyl, this limited-edition release includes the songs “Things I Remember”, “Stumble & Fall”, and “L.S.D. (Got A Million Dollars)”, as well as new liner notes by Dutch blues authority Johan Derksen.
