Supersister

Supersister are a Dutch progressive rock band from Den Haag, active from 1968 to 1974, with a later return from 2019 onwards. They are associated with nederpop and progressive rock, and their music is often described as jazz-tinged and linked to the Canterbury scene. The band begins as a school group called Sweet OK Supersister in 1968, with singer and songwriter Rob Douw, who soon leaves. The remaining members continue as Supersister.

Original line-up and sound

The classic early 1970s line-up consists of Robert Jan Stips on keyboards and vocals, Sacha van Geest on flute, Marco Vrolijk on drums and Ron van Eck on bass. Stips becomes the dominant instrumental presence in the group, with keyboard work central to their style.

Albums and key releases

Their debut album, Present from Nancy (1970), produces their first and biggest Dutch hit single, She Was Naked. Two further studio albums follow: To The Highest Bidder (1971) and Pudding en Gisteren (1972). After these records, Van Geest and Vrolijk leave the group.

The remaining members then record Iskander (1973), a jazz-rock concept album based on the life of Alexander the Great. In 1974, Stips and Van Geest reunite for Spiral Staircase, released under the original name Sweet Okay Supersister, which becomes the band’s final album of that period.

Later activity and reunions

Stips later plays keyboards in Golden Earring for nearly three years. The 1970 to 1973 line-up reunites in 2000 for a performance at Progfest in Los Angeles and a short tour of the Netherlands. A rarities album, M.A.N., follows, gathering live and studio material from 1969 to 1973. The reunion ends after the death of Sacha van Geest in 2001. A concert at Paradiso in Amsterdam is later released as Supersisterious on CD and Sweet OK Supersister on DVD, with documentaries, photographs and unreleased audio material included.

In 2019, Supersister return with Projekt 2019, which is essentially Robert Jan Stips with a changing cast of musical collaborators. This leads to Retsis Repus (2019) and then to a more fixed later line-up featuring Stips, Leon Klaasse on drums and Rinus Gerritsen on bass. That line-up records Nancy Never Knew.