Wilde World: De Strangers

Kim Wilde’s first records were written and produced by her father and brother, Marty and Ricky. The three of them have had a great influence on the music world, as this regular series ‘Wilde World’ shows.

The Belgian group ‘De Strangers’was formed on May 8, 1952 by Gust Torfs, Alex Boeye, Pol Ballansee and John Dewilde. In the early days they would perform in standard Dutch, but they soon moved to performing in Antwerp dialect. They based many of their songs on existing tracks but with their own lyrics.

‘D’harmonie van Boemmerskonte’ (‘The harmony of a rural town with low development’) was created this way too. The music was performed by an orchestra led by Benny Couroyer. It is almost certainly the only cover of Marty Wilde’s ‘Abergavenny’ in Antwerp dialect.

Listen to ‘D’harmonie van Boemmerskonte’