Homegrown featuring Michael de Jong

Michael de Jong was the “grand old man” of the Dutch roots and singer-songwriter scene. From the age of eighteen, he lived and played in various cities in America with blues musicians such as John Lee Hooker, Albert King and Albert Collins and joined Jimmy Reed’s band. Since 1994, Michael was back living in the Netherlands, where he recorded eight albums. Those familiar with Michael’s lyrics know they often deal with loneliness, madness and heartbreak: the themes of a troubled man.

In 2012, he approached producer and drummer Timothy van der Holst from Dordrecht to work together. He was tired of traveling and wished to record his final albums in Dordrecht. To test the collaboration, they decided to start with a cover album. They put together a list of favorite songs and quickly discovered they shared the same musical background. Timothy assembled a band with local musicians. Michael recorded his parts separately – he was afraid of arguing with the musicians and left everything to Timothy regarding arrangements and production. He would come in later to sing the songs, sitting in an armchair, gasping for breath after each number. His health was declining rapidly.

The original plan – an album of new original work – unfortunately never materialized. Homegrown contains exclusively personal favorites of Michael, this time with full arrangements by a large band including horns and backing vocalists. A record his fans won’t be used to from him. He was worried about that and decided not to release it for the time being. His request was to release the album only after his death.

The album contains covers from the greatest songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, John Hiatt and George Harrison. An album also dedicated to the city where he ultimately found his peace.

Credits: Tom Punt (guitar), Ton van der Kolk (bass), Timothy van der Holst (drums, keys and percussion), Dusty Ciggaar (pedal steel), Frank Montis (Hammond and Wurlitzer), Sanne Monster (vocals), Yolanda Kalb (vocals) and The Dynamite Horns (Thomas Streutgers, Ruud Kleiss and Tjeerd Brouwer). Mixed and produced by Timothy van der Holst, mastering by Edwin in ‘t Veld.