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Maxine & Franklin Brown

Group Members:

Gonny Buurmeester

Franklin Kroonenberg

   
Nationality:Dutch
   
National Finals:

Nationaal Songfestival 1996

ESC Entries:De eerste keer (1996)
   
Website:

Facebook/Franklin

Facebook/Maxine

Biography

 
Maxine and Franklin Brown are a Dutch Duo. They sing both solo and together.
 
Maxine, stage name of Gonny Buurmeester (Rotterdam, 14 October 1970), is a Dutch singer. At the age of fifteen she joined the school band and started taking singing lessons at the Jazz Academy in Antwerp. Her first single became a rendition of Roy Orbison’s own: “A love so beautiful”. Maxine took part in the Eurovision Song Contest, together with singer Franklin Brown, with whom she eventually took 7th place with the song “De eerste keer”. Solo Maxine, like Brown, started a solo career in 1996. She released a number of Dutch singles, including “Als je weet wat je wilt”, “Nooit meer alleen” and “Waanzin”. She also released two English-language singles, “African Dream” and “Don’t Stop”. They all reached the Dutch charts. In 2003 she and DJ Stuart had a big (summer) hit with the song “Free” (Let It Be). After the great success, there was also a second single, “Fuel To Fire”.  Maxine is currently singing in the Edwin Evers Band.
 

Franklin Brown was a police officer when he started his career as a singer. He was still a police officer when he represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest. After several female colleagues accused him of sexual harassment at work, he was fired. In 1998, he was sentenced to two months’ probation on appeal. According to Brown, the intimacies were part of the work culture. A female colleague who had sent him sexually explicit e-mails was later fired, partly because she allegedly made a false statement.

In 2005, Brown began performing with his own show orchestra. The Las Vegas Show orchestra in a ten-piece orchestra conducted by Pieter van den Dolder and is regularly supplemented with strings. Brown also played major roles in various shows by Frank Wentink in Studio 21 in Hilversum and he has set up his own event and booking agency, F.B. eye Productions.

With singer Mark Dakriet he founded the group B.I.G. where he brought in singer Danny Sopacua. Together with Maxine, he was also a member of the Eurovision song contest group The EuroStars. The ex-song contest participants Marlayne, Esther Hart and Mandy Huydts are also part of this group.

In 2007 Franklin Brown and Maxine recorded a new single and CD for the first time in eleven years. The single was composed by John Ewbank and lyrics written by Franklin Brown. The CD is titled “Steeds weer”. In 2011, Franklin Brown and pianist Fred van Straten wrote the song “Me again” for the feature film De Heineken Kidnapping. Franklin sang this song in this film. In 2012, the duo Franklin & Maxine’s single, entitled “Balsem voor het hart” was released. 2016 was the anniversary year for the Eurovision duo. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary, the hit “De eerste keer” was re-recorded in collaboration with Edwin Evers, who wrote and sang a rap for this performance under the name BICKEL.

In 2014, Brown became the lead singer of the jazz band Tiny Little Bigband. In 2020 Brown participated in a Eurovision edition of the Dutch show series Beste Zangers.

Entries

Country:The Netherlands
Year:1996
Language:Dutch
   
Artist:Maxine & Franklin Brown
Song:De eerste keer
Lyrics:Piet Souer
Composer(s):Piet Souer, Peter van Asten
Conductor Dick Bakker
Backings :

Dian Senders

Dwight Muskita

Ingrid Simons

Jody Pijper

   
Results Audiofinal
Points:63
Position:9
Running order:21
   
Results 
Points:78
Position:7
Running order:15