Group
Pedal Point
- From
- Netherlands
- Since
- present
- Releases
- 1
About
Thijs van Leer (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈtɛis fɑn ˈleːr]; born 31 March 1948) is a Dutch musician, best known as the founding member of the rock band Focus as its primary vocalist, keyboardist, and flautist. Born and raised in Amsterdam among a musical family, van Leer took up the piano and flute as a child and pursued them at university and music academies.
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From 1967 to 1969, van Leer was backing vocalist and musician in a theatre cabaret act headed by Ramses Shaffy; recorded singles as a solo artist; and produced, arranged, and conducted music for Bojoura. He formed Trio Thijs van Leer, a three-piece rock band which evolved into Focus in late 1969 following the addition of guitarist Jan Akkerman. Focus achieved international success following the release of Moving Waves (1971) and its lead single, "Hocus Pocus", which features van Leer's yodelling and whistling. After several albums with various line-ups, van Leer disbanded Focus in 1978; he reformed the band in 2002.
Van Leer achieved success as a solo artist in the Netherlands. He has collaborated with various artists, and continues to release albums and perform in various capacities. In 2008, van Leer was made a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau for special services to music.
Members
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Mario Argandoña membranophone, percussion
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Tato Gómez bass, percussion
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Thijs van Leer flute, keyboard, piano, transverse flute, vocoder
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Paul Shigihara guitar family, synthesizer
Discography
Other
Links
Identifiers
- MusicBrainz
- 39e5693a-3e40-485a-9424-abe8d7e23485
Data from MusicBrainz, saved 9 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.