Ruud and Riem de Wolff: the journey that became The Blue Diamonds:
From Batavia to Driebergen
In 1949, two young brothers — Ruud (1941) and Riem (1943) de Wolff — left Batavia (now Jakarta) with their family and resettled in Driebergen-Rijsenburg in the Netherlands. They were part of a wider post-colonial migration from the former Netherlands-Indies, bringing with them Hawaiian chords, kroncong lilt, and a keen ear for close harmony.
Finding a sound in a new home
Amid postwar youth culture and a flood of guitars and radio hits, the brothers absorbed the harmonies of The Everly Brothers and built their own tight two-part blend. As The Blue Diamonds, they moved quickly from school stages to studio sessions, shaping a sound that fused island lightness with brisk European rock and roll.
Breakthrough: "Ramona" (1960)
Their re-imagining of the 1920s song "Ramona" became a lightning strike. Bright, quickstep, and irresistibly melodic, it sold in large numbers at home, crossed borders in Germany, and even touched the U.S. charts. Follow-ups like "Little Ship" and multilingual recordings kept them on jukeboxes across Europe. They performed as a duo until Ruud's passing in 2000, with Riem continuing the songs onstage for many years after.
Part of a bigger wave: Indo-rock
Their success belonged to a broader story. After independence, many Dutch-Indonesian families arrived in the Netherlands; among them were musicians who blended kroncong and Hawaiian idioms with electric bite. The Tielman Brothers set a blistering live template; The Blue Diamonds offered a more pop-leaning, exportable harmony style. Together they helped seed Dutch rock and pop with a distinct Indo flavor.
Other artists who migrated to the Netherlands
- Anneke Gronloh — Born on Sulawesi; became a national star with Dutch-language hits such as "Brandend Zand" (1962).
- Sandra Reemer — Born in Bandung; later represented the Netherlands at Eurovision three times and enjoyed a long TV and music career.
- Liesbeth List — Born in Bandung; emerged as a leading Dutch chansonnier, noted for theatrical and chanson repertoire.
- Boudewijn de Groot — Born in Batavia; returned as a child and became a defining voice of 1960s Dutch pop and protest song.
Legacy
From Driebergen to Düsseldorf, from island lullabies to transistor-bright pop, Ruud and Riem de Wolff turned movement into music. The Blue Diamonds not only scored hits; they helped re-tune the Netherlands to a new, post-colonial soundscape whose harmonies still carry today.
