Mouth And MacNeal

Mouth & MacNeal formed in 1971 when producer Hans van Hemert brought together the solo talents of Willem Duyn and Sjoukje van ’t Spijker. The duo released their first single almost immediately, and they didn’t have to wait long for success. This first single, ‘Hey You Love’, reached #5 in the Dutch Top 40 while the next two singles ‘How Do You Do’ and ‘Hello-A’ both reached #1. And this success was by no means confined to Holland! 1972 saw Mouth & MacNeal at the top of the charts all over Europe with their fame in Germany reaching hysterical proportions. Even in the USA ‘How Do You Do’ reached #8, in July 1972. More hit singles followed in 1973, and in 1974 Mouth & MacNeal represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest placing 3rd with ‘I See A Star’. This further boosted their standing right across Europe. On the back of their Eurovision success, they toured Sweden and Britain, with ‘I See A Star’ proving to be yet another big hit, reaching #8 in the Brtish charts and charting successfully in many other countries. Mouth & MacNeal split unexpectedly at the end of 1974, prompting much speculation and discussion in the Dutch media. It marked the end of a recording phenomenon. After an incredibly successful three years in which they earned an impressive collection of Silver, Gold and Platinum records, Mouth & Macneal was no more. Compilation CDs covering the career of Mouth & Macneal were released in 1995, 1999 and 2001. And in February 2004, BR Music released a DVD featuring the hits of both Mouth & MacNeal and solo material by Maggie MacNeal. Willem Duyn died from a heart attack in his hometown of Roswinkel on December 4, 2004 at the age of 67.