Pussycat was a Dutch country and pop group led by the three Veldpaus sisters: Toni (born 1953), Betty (1952–2024), and Marianne (born 1951). Other members of the band were guitarists Lou Willé (Toni's then-husband), Theo Wetzels, Theo Coumans, and John Theunissen. Their song "Mississippi" was a number one hit in most European countries, including the UK, in 1975/6.

Career Prior to forming the band, the three sisters were telephone operators in Limburg, whilst Theunissen, Wetzels, and Coumans were in a group called Scum. Lou Willé played in a group called Ricky Rendall and His Centurions until he married Toni, and created the group Sweet Reaction that eventually became known as Pussycat.

In 1975 they scored a big European hit with the song "Mississippi". However they had to wait a further year for the single to make the British charts when it climbed to number one in the UK Singles Chart in October 1976. Penned by Werner Theunissen, who had been the sisters' guitar teacher, it is estimated that "Mississippi" sold over five million copies worldwide. It was followed by "Smile" in 1976, and "Hey Joe" in 1978. Other hits were "If You Ever Come to Amsterdam", "Georgie", "Wet Day in September" and "My Broken Souvenirs". Their career in Europe spanned more than a decade and included some seventeen albums. By 1978 Hans Lutjens had replaced Coumans on drums, as the band continued to release albums and tour, travelling as far afield as South Africa. They made regular appearances on the West German TV series, Musikladen, in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

In the following years, the sisters did perform again, however, this time under the name Anycat. In 1999 they decided to make a comeback under their old name Pussycat. It was the same year in which Doe Maar also got back together for a short time, unrelated. Initially, the only intention was to perform, although for a while there were thoughts of releasing new material to be written by Werner Theunissen. However, new records were not released. They still performed as Pussycat through 2001.Muziekencyclopedie, PussycatDe Volkskrant, Marianne Veldpaus, 10 maart 2001Het belang van Limburg, Pussycat miauwt weer, 17 November 1999Leidsch Dagblad, Pussycat maakt haar rentree, 23 November 1999

In 2001, 25 years after the success with "Mississippi", the compilation album 25 Years After Mississippi was released and reached the charts. It was listed in the Album Top 100 for seven weeks. This year saw several more reunion performances. In 2004, they released the box set, The Complete Collection, which consisted of three CDs and a DVD.

In 2005, they recorded the single "Somewhere Someone" with the Dutch country band Major Dundee, which was also included on Major Dundee's album, Young Gods. In 2007, they gave their background vocals to the Dutch language reggae cover of "Mississippi" by Dennis Jones.Muziekweb, Young gods In June 2023, there was an album released with previous unreleased song demos of the band from the year 1983, with the title Unreleased Demos 1983.

On 28 June 2024, Betty Veldpaus died at the age of 72.

Members Toni Veldpaus (married Willé) – lead vocals (1975–1985) Betty Veldpaus (married Dragstra) – singer (1975–1985; died 2024) Marianne Veldpaus (married Hensen) – singer (1975–1985) Lou "Loulou" Willé (Toni's then husband) – guitar (1975–1985) John Theunissen – guitar (1975–1980) Ferd Berger – guitar (1981–1982) Kees Buenen – keyboards (1981–1982) Theo Wetzels – bass guitar (1975–1980) Theo Coumans – drums (1975–1978) Hans Lutjens – drums (1978–1980) Frans Meijer – drums (1981–1982)

Discography Albums Year Title Details Peak chart positions NDL AUS BEL GER NOR SWE NZ 1976 First of All Label: EMI-Bovema Holland Catalogue: 5C 064-25 419 4 29 — 10 2 26 16 1977 Souvenirs Label: EMI Catalogue: 5C 064-25565 6 71 28 — 9 — 1 1978 Wet Day in September Label: Bovema Negram Catalogue: 5N 062-25989 16 — — — 15 — — 1979 Simply to be with You Label: Bovema Negram Catalogue: 1A 062-26364 — — — — 38 — — 1979 The Best of Pussycat Label: Bovema Negram Catalogue: 5N 050-26201 — — — — — — — 1981 Blue Lights Label: EMI Catalogue: 1A 062-26656 10 — — — — — — 1983 After All Label: EMI Catalogue: 1A068-26929 — — — — — — — 1994 The Collection & More Label: Arcade Catalogue: 9902217 60 — — — — — — 2001 25 jaar na Mississippi Label: EMI Catalogue: 7243 531822 2 9 26 — — — — — — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

Year Title Peak chart positions Album NDL AUS BEL GER AUT SWI NOR SWE UK NZ SA 1975 "Mississippi" / "Do It" 1 2 1 1 4 1 1 6 1 1 1 First of All "Mississippi" (German version) / "Lieb Mich" — — — 24 — — — — — — — Non-album single 1976 "Georgie" / "Take Me" 1 74 2 6 2 2 — — — 14 2 First of All "Smile" / "What Did They Do to the People" 2 34 3 9 10 8 — — 24 3 1 1977 "Ein Altes Lied" / "Pasadena" (German) — — — 41 — — — — — — — Non-album single 1977 "My Broken Souvenirs" / "Nothing to Hide" 2 95 2 22 12 7 — — — 1 2 Souvenirs "I'll Be Your Woman" / "Just a Woman" 12 — 21 — — — — — — — — "If You Ever Come to Amsterdam" / "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" 21 — — — — — — — — — 10 Wet Day in September 1978 "Same Old Song" / "Stupid Cupid" 8 76 10 — — — — — — — — "Wet Day in September" / "I Remember Springtime" 17 — 18 — — — — — — — — 1979 "Hey Joe" / "Love in September" 17 — 26 — — — — — — — — "Daddy" / "Three Steps and Then ..." 13 — 19 — — — — — — — — Simply to Be with You "Let Freedom Range" / "Don't Love Him" 38 — 29 — — — — — — — — 1980 "Doin' la Bamba" / "On the Corner of My Life" 4 — 15 — — — — — — — — 1981 "Then the Music Stopped" / "Cha Cha Me Baby" 10 — 18 — — — — — — — — Blue Lights "Une Chambre Pour La Nuit" / "I Don't Wanna Rock and Roll" 16 — — — — — — — — — — "Teenage Queenie" / "Who's Gonna Love You" 33 — — 47 — — — — — — — 1983 "Lovers of a Kind" / "Closer to You" 22 — 26 — — — — — — — — After All "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

See also List of performers on Top of the Pops List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart List of country music performers List of bands from the Netherlands

References

External links

Official website Pussycat / Toni Willé Pussycat biography by Amy Hanson, discography and album reviews, credits & releases at AllMusic Pussycat discography, album releases & credits at Discogs

Pussycat albums to be listened as stream on Spotify