The George Baker Selection was founded in 1969 in Assendelft in the Netherlands. Singer, guitarist and songwriter Hans Bouwens, who was born on December 8, 1944 in Hoorn, adopted the stage name George Baker and formed the band. In addition to George Baker, the first line-up included Jan Hop (bass), Job Netten (guitar), Jan Gerbrand Visser (drums) and Jacques Greuter (keyboards, flute). Later, singer Lida Bond and singer Nelleke Brzoskowsky join the band. The band plays pop music with influences from pop, rock and folk. Their international breakthrough came in 1970 with the single "Little Green Bag", which reached number 21 in the US Billboard charts. The biggest success followed in 1975 with the inverse/cursive "Paloma Blanca", which reached the top of the charts in numerous countries. Significant albums include Little Green Bag (1970), Hot Baker (1974) and Paloma Blanca (1975). After internal changes, the band disbanded for the first time in 1978, but was re-formed in the 1980s. George Baker also released solo works.
