Trivia

Composed "Ding Dinge Dong" which won the Eurovision song contest for The Netherlands in 1975.

He succeeded Rogier van Otterloo as conductor of the Metropole Orkest, serving between 1991 and 2005.

He is a Dutch composer, conductor and music producer.

Bakker has worked as a studio engineer and arranger for Shocking Blue (on Venus), Rudi Carrell and the George Baker Selection million seller (Paloma Blanca).

He conducted three Dutch Eurovision entries, in 1996, 1997 and 1998. . He conducted three Dutch Eurovision entries, in 1996, 1997 and 1998.

As the chief conductor and the artistic director of The Metropole Orchestra, Dick Bakker performed with the following international artists: Oleta Adams, Madeline Bell, Andrea Bocelli, Cristina Branco, Patrick Bruel, Chris de Burgh, Terry Bozzio, Joe Cocker, George Dalaras, Celine Dion, George Duke, Brian Eno, Art Garfunkel, Gloria Gaynor, Herbie Hancock, Shirley Horn, Cleo Laine, Alan Parsons, Laura Pausini, Dulce Pontes, Cliff Richard, Demis Rousos, The Swingle Singers, The Surpremes, Sister Sledge, Mikis Theodorakis, Toots Thielemans, Bonny Tyler, Gino Vanelli, and Steve Vai.

In 1991 Dick Bakker became the artistic leader of the Dutch Metropole Orkest where he was appointed Chief Conductor in 1992. The Metropole Orkest developed into one of the world's leading orchestras. As the Chief Conductor he received the "Gouden Harp" from the Dutch music promotion foundation Conamus.

In 1972 Dick Bakker became the manager of a new studio to be built for Dureco Record Company. This studio developed into one of the leading studios of Europe. In addition to Dutch music groups and bands such as The Dolly Dots, Teach Inn, George Baker and Shocking Blue, the entire CBS artists line-up managed by John Vis, recorded in the Dureco studio.

In 1987 Dick received an Edison Award for "Musica di Gloria" with Louis van Dijk, he was presented the Louis Davids Award for a music arrangement for Dutch singer, actor and lyricist Wim Hogenkamp, and nominated two times for the Cleo-award for his music for Philips International.

In 1977 he wrote the tribute "I Remember Elvis Presley" with Eddy Ouwens for Danny Mirror (More than 2 million copies of this international hit were distributed).

He also recorded many great television shows such as the Rudi Carell Show; the Mounties Show; Hadimassa and the Carte Blanche Shows with Adèle Bloemendaal, Jasperina de Jong, Leen Jongewaard, Willem Nijholt, Wim Sonneveld and Toon Hermans for whom he also produced and conducted great many music arrangements.

In 1977 Dick Bakker started his music production company "Topesa B.V." and focused on composing, arranging and conducting film music, audiovisuals, company presentations, commercials and album projects. In London he established and selected an orchestra with musicians from The London Philharmonic, St. Martin in The Fields and top musicians from the freelance sector. With this orchestra "The London Studio Symphony Orchestra" he recorded his music for the next fifteen years. In this period he realised more than one thousand productions for most multinationals such as Philips, KLM, Heineken, Shell and major international cigarette brands like Stuyvesant, Pall Mall, Marlboro, Caballero, Dunhill, etc.

He has composed, arranged, conducted and produced a large number of albums that were awarded gold and platinum, such as for the "De Gevleugelde Vrienden " with Pieter van Vollenhoven and Louis van Dijk, with Chris Hinze, Thijs van Leer, Jan Vayne, Han de Vries, Toots Thielemans and many others.

After his secondary education and his studies at the Hilversum College of Music, he became employed in 1965 at the Soundpush Studios in Blaricum as a recording engineer, composer, arranger and producer.

He was responsible for recording a large number of national and international hit records such as "Little Green Bag" and "Una Paloma Blanca" by George Baker Selection; "Venus" by Shocking Blue and "Ma Belle Amie" by the Tee Set.

With The Dutch Metropole Orkest he was awarded the "Ere Zilveren Reissmicrofoon" by the Nipkow foundation for promotion of Dutch radio and television programmes, as well as the "Gouden Notenkraker" of the Dutch Musicians and Artists Union (Ntb).

In 1974 Dick Bakker released his first instrumental album "Dick Bakker dirigeert" which was awarded with a gold record. This success was followed by a number of other albums like "Soft Melodies", "The Beauty Of Nature" and "Eternal Cycle". Together with Mantovani and Dick Bakker's productions with Botticelli, these albums were released in the "Silence and Romance" series of which a total of more than one million copies were sold.

Together with Freddy Heineken Dick Bakker wrote a number of compositions, which they recorded with Canadian singer Kenny Colman. For this international production they cooperated with the American arranger and composer Johnny Mandel as well as with harmonica soloist Toots Thielemans.

Dick Bakker also was the conductor for the Oscar-winning motion picture "Antonia's line".

In 2007 The Paul Acket Award, for the category "Special Appreciation" was handed out by Toots Thielemans to Dick Bakker. He deserved this prize because of his work in the music business for over 40 years and for being the chief conductor of The Metropole Orchestra until 2005.